Midsummers, week before fit up!

For the most part things aren’t too bad. The cast have realised they’re unsure about blocking, which means it’s getting changed (which is actually a good thing, because they kept doing different things to what I had written down – completely different) so they know what they’re doing. Olivia’s almost definitely back. I have a fairly good grasp of blocking now – if I do say so myself – and just have to tidy up my blocking a bit (not much point until we’ve gone over everything again).

However, one problem has been the child license. Mark told us around 3 or 4 weeks ago, at which point we were then told my Lynfryn that it takes around 7 weeks to go through. Mark refused to really listen to us about rehearsing as though he wouldn’t have the child (Finlay) then change it if we do get the license and started straight away as though Finlay would be in the show.

It’s now entirely down to whenever the council finish with it and I’ve just got an email asking to pretty much hurry up with it because we need it soon.

Kieron and I have told him numerous times now this week that this is not possible. It’s completely out of our hands now. Besides, it should be the director (not to mention member of staff) who applied in the first place.

There was also confusion with the courtyard of SYT, which has now been sorted, but I’ve asked Mairi to contact the builders to organise rehearsal times for tomorrow or Friday (most likely Friday) since we need written permission. Then Mark immediately organised a rehearsal for tomorrow morning.

I definetly told him that we needed written permission and most likely wouldn’t get it until Friday this morning.

This makes me wonder if I dont’ explain myself clearly, or if it’s just Mark that doesn’t listen. It could very well be that the way I explain things has to be done differently for Mark to understand them (I know this is sometimes the case with Emma and me). But it’s extremely annoying – especially considering the courtyard – that he’s basically not listening to higher authorities (which isn’t even me, it’s whoever organises health and safety regulations at SYT and whoever is our contact with the builders). If Mark actually stuck around for any length of time, I could possibly have meetings with him at the end of the day, but unfortunately, I’m always tidying and he’s always in a rush.

Upon starting this course, I was pretty certain that I wanted to DSM, and never wanted to stage manage. As it is, I’m actually looking forward to stage managing panto more than continuing to DSM this, and I’m starting to loose interest in the A3 show. I can only hope that a different director will make a difference, but now I think the role of DSM isn’t for me. I don’t have enough patience.

More Midsummers

Fact of the day: Shakespeare wasn’t officially married to his wife because he spelt his name wrong on the marriage register. Greatest playwrite posibly ever known and he couldn’t spell his own name properly at times.

Gradually blocking is being introduced, yet I still don’t have my method of blocking down. I now think I know how I’ll split the page, but there’s so many characters I keep forgetting their abreviations. Basically I need to spend more time just thinking about blocking.

A slight problem there has been is that Olivia, who plays Helena, has been off since Thursday. I believe there were family problems back home. It was very short notice and it was a member of the Romeo and Juliet cast who let Mark know, which I suppose wasn’t too bad considering how short notice it was, however I gave her the entire weekend to formally let me know how long she’d be off, and I’m still waiting on it. She’s off again today, she told Mark, but he’s not in till two, so I didn’t know until she replied to a text.

What concerns me the most about her not contacting us as we told them on the first day of rehearsals, is that I don’t know if she’s even leting the academy know she’s absent. After all that would affect any bursaries or student loans.

I’ve just came to a posible solution for my chaactet abreviations, I can use lower case letters for some characters, that should make things easier.

Midsummer nights dream week 2 part 1

Currently I’m in the rehearsal room watching the mechanicals, or artisans as they’re occasionally called, have a rehearsal they organized themselves. It was a bit strange hearing their “full voices”, it seemed very loud, and I had to remember that they will be on stage and further from the audience than I am. I’m still working out exactly how Mark’s method of working will be, as he’s still working on speech for the most part. It appears he might be allowing the cast to move freely while saying their lines and working it out from there.

On another note, I feel that having the itouch in a place with a good wi-fi connection seems to be making me use it more. I’ve done some more research for Mark on it, have been useing twitted more and being able to check my emails easily and regularly,although I’m in rehearsals, is useful.
I’ll have to have a look tonight for some apps that will help me in the rehearsal room

Midsummer Nights Dream: Week 1

Despite being ready for a week of delving into rehearsals after a read through on Tuesday, everything has been very slow this week.

Tuesday, after expecting a full read through of the script, was a disappointment. We covered 3 scenes out of about 9 before stopping, and 2 cast members were off (which the director thankfully knew about) which made a lot of silent reading; very strange in a room full of people where you know there should be someone speaking.

 It felt a bit like a waste of time, and I was glad both Stephen (PLX) and Katrina (LX designer) couldn’t make it as it would have been a waste of their time.

However, Wednesday was worse, no rehearsals. So that day consisted of around 2 hours of tidying up and making some paperwork, then it was over. It would have been even less than 2 hours of work too, except I had computer problems. As for Thursday it was a complete day off. The only problem on both of these days, was that my rehearsal notes (that didn’t have anything on them anyways) couldn’t be sent, due to older versions of microsoft office not saving right.

Thankfully today was a bit more active. 9.15 warm up for the cast, 10:00 read through, changing rooms due to a double booking and one of the MA’s Shakespeare’s needing a lot more room for us (since they were blocking). However I did manage to mess things up, there was meant to be research presentations by the cast immediately after the read through. However I’d been informed of a casting director meeting with the cast to talk to them (and had either misheard, or had been accidentally told it was today) and so had organised with out director to give the cast and extra half hour for lunch to go to it and have lunch.

 Instead I managed to put of the research presentations until Monday and make the cast hang about for another 15 minutes while we figured out what had happened and why the casting director wasn’t in. Thankfully, I don’t believe it has affected too much. The cast were supposed to have this afternoon off as self determined study, and it allowed the designer, lx designer, director and assistant director to have a meeting which I managed to attend to get notes for the rehearsal notes.

Overall I don’t think this week has gone to well, in my opinion. Though that may be because I’m annoyed at myself for messing up the dates of the cast talk. Hopefully things should get better once rehearsals start next week and I’ll get into the swing of things.

 

This was originally posted on mahara. Once I use the website more, I’ll post a blog on it:

Props elective

Reminder of current personal project ideas:

• House of Flying Daggers dagger pouch
• Relatively realistic cat (poly, probably)
• Tsubasa Chronicle style staff
• Traditional Japanese teapot
• Crawling vine plant (multicoloured)
• Puppet of ‘Ryuuk’ or ‘Rem’
• Noh theatre mask

I’m extremely glad to have chosen props as an elective, as I feel I’ve learned a lot. Before I started I thought it would be a case of I’d be learning stuff it would be too late to apply, but now that I’m in the department it’s made me remember that once I graduate, I’ll more than likely be starting as an ASM again, and all this may just come in useful.

Things I’ve learned so far:

• If you water down paint slightly you don’t get brush marks
• How to sculpt poly
• How to use the pyrograph
• How to safely use two part foam
• That metallic powder can also be used as is and rubbed onto a waxed surface to give a different effect to mixing it with shellac
• How to scrim (and how to do it around curved edges)

Due to the time I’m in props I’ve now to start a personal project (everything else to do will either take more time, or is better suited to someone with more experience). At first I thought that I’d do something that a stage manager could potentially be asked to do, but later realised that anything it’s pretty much possible to be asked for by a designer, so I’m currently thinking of doing whatever seems most interesting that can be done with the materials that Astrella can provide for projects.

I get a feeling that this project will probably be more stressful than I think, but worth it.

reflective summary’s, actually kinda useful

Just finished reflective summary. Don’t think it’s particularly great, but handing it in as it is anyway, it’s a summary of my reflections, so it’s sticking.

Realised how useful these things actually are (not the blogs, the summaries). You write the blogs on how you feel that day (oh, it was rubbish, oh it was great) but the summary makes you think back and you can think ‘well actually, in the grand scheme of things, it was actually ok, or it wasn’t actually helpful at all’.

Actually used that term, ‘grand scheme of things’. Think i’m writing as I would when drunk, but I’m not. Just to let you know

stage managment week, Monday 9 Feb

Today went differently than I expected it to. While I felt my book could do with more work (which unfortunately involved a printer and blank paper, neither of which I currently have access to at home) I still felt that DSMing would go better than stage managing. However while I felt uncomfortable stage managing, being DSM was definitely harder, and unfortunately by the time I was beginning to get the hang of it the script finished. I can’t help but wonder if it’s easier when you’ve been in rehearsals for weeks, know the script really well and have listened to the director saying various things about the cues for all that time too, meaning you’d have a better idea of when exactly they’ve to go.

Also, while I knew being stage manager is a tough role, it was worse than I thought. Everyone talking at once, in person and on cans and trying to figure out what exactly is going on is extremely annoying. It was helpful to have Gillian there, although I feel I didn’t follow her advice as I should have, I seemed to take it in then get confused again and not follow it, but knowing I could ask her help whenever I needed it definitely helped in these classes.

However, definetely the worst thing about being DSM or stage managing, especially during a tech is having to be on cans. They’re such useful, helpful devices, but when everyone’s talking at once and people who aren’t on cans are talking to you not realising that you’re listening to someone else, it gets too confusing and you miss who’s saying what. It takes a lot of concentration.

Stage management week Tuesday & Wednesday

Thoughts on the stage management week (first classes of second year) and how it’s going so far and what I feel I’ve learned so far.

Tuesday, being more of a quick going over of what will happen and what we think is similar between opera and drama was pretty much as I expected basically. Though I’d never really gave a lot of thought of how Vicky and Kieron found the opera (only at various points during the production) I at first didn’t entirely see their point of view on some of the things they brought up about the opera, until they explained it in greater depth.

Communication as a problem and a vital thing that must happen during a production has came up a few times, I don’t feel it was as good as it could have been during the opera, though it was good, from stupid things like everyone else is away on dinner and you’re wandering about trying to find them to ask a question (not knowing you’ve all been called on dinner) to not being completely aware of the plot or what is used in each scene – very bad for set backs and scene changes during stage and pianos (especially when each scene is referred to differently by everyone).

Realising that I’ve not really been talking about this week: Tuesday was useful for learning just what kind of paperwork the DSM and stage manager produce. As it was all kind of small things mentioned (that make an impact if they’re not produced) that you can easily overlook even when working directly under a DSM or stage manager, such as call sheets. I’m enjoying doing these small shows already as I feel it’s a good way of easing into the paperwork as it’s not a proper show and it’s such a small team you can find them and tell them things in person if need be, which means that if everything isn’t accurate it’s not going to mess everything up (or is at least quickly fixed). Essentially the same paperwork, but without the same pressure so you can get used to how it should be set out, or the correct information that should be included that you may not have thought was necessary.

Wednesday: It was extremely interesting reciting lines while trying to do ‘blocking’ a lot harder than I expected it to be, and though I already knew actors done more than we give them credit for, I think I can now be a lot more sympathetic to them when they’re stressed over not knowing lines or messing up small bits of blocking.

What I didn’t expect was that it was also an exercise for prompting. Giving a prompt is a lot harder than I would have thought it to be, giving it only when it’s needed (and wanted) not giving to much of a line or too little, and I know in future I’ll have to be careful with speaking clearly and loudly enough for people to hear the prompts. I felt the prompts I gave Kieron during his speech weren’t too bad, however that was only because I knew that he’d already knew it and could pick it up from a one word prompt from any point in the line he’d forgot and because we’d already done that earlier. That possibly wouldn’t have worked if I’d been prompting Emma or Vicky as they didn’t know their lines quite as well due to not having quite as long to learn due to broken printers so I would have had to give a slightly longer prompt, but I think before we had our discussion on how to prompt properly, I would have prompted them they same way I did with Kieron, only one or two words.

As for learning the lines of the Hamlet speech, I found it relatively easy, after half an hour of learning a few lines at a time then adding more on I’d pretty much got it and would just need to recite it a few times at random to ensure it didn’t slip my mind. However, I highly I doubt I’ll be able to learn much of the 10 minute script, due to it being a dialogue. A monologue is easier as you can set your own rhythm and pace for it.

Apologies for the slightly jumpy (and almost off topic) post, I’m forgetting everything I’ve done this week and during opera already.

Woman of No Importance End alllll the way to Panto (with start stops)

This section is going to be a large blog, with a lot of stopping and starting, covering the end of a Woman of No Importance all the way up to Panto due to forgetfulness and iffy computers.

Regarding A Woman of No Importance (and Mat giving alcohol to the cast prior to the curtain call) I was incrediably annoyed at him, even if the cast that had it had finished their time onstage and even though it was Tamsin’s birthday he should have waited until they were no longer needed onstage at all. If anything surely it was unfair to the few cast members who still had to go onstage and therefore couldn’t drink.

Though this wasn’t the first time I was annoyed with Mat. During the show where I was on the book he kept reminding me to do stuff, which I already knew to do. What was worse is that he obviously meant well but it felt like the way he said it was as though to someone who had never even seen a DSM work. Then the day after that he was miaowing on cans, surely increadiably annoying for Jane considering you could sometimes barely hear onstage if the relay went.

There was also the Pitlochry trip. Kieron and I thought that we really needed those parasols, it wasn’t until after we’d got them that we discovered Cesca had only considered having parasols and hadn’t decided on them yet. We wasted an entire day to get them when they weren’t needed, weren’t used and I just used up petrol (now knowing that I’d never get paid back for it even if I had receipts because it would need to come from the petty cash and considering we had none left I couldn’t get paid back for £45) and got extremely exhausted from the driving, considering it takes more concentration that being a passenger.

Considering how that experience on Woman of No Importance was rather bad, panto was a welcome refresher, Hannah was a much better stage manager than Mat. She had her flaws, but no one would be a perfect stage manager. At this stage I’m going to start a new section of the blog for panto.

useful budget apps for the itouch

Here’s some applications for the itouch that I believe would be useful when it comes to the budget for a stage manager. The numbers are to state how useful I believe they’d be, 1 being very and going down from there.

 

1 Kashbook Free or Checkbook. Similar to a bank statement, you can start it with how much budget you have at the start of a show, and each time it’s used write it down. You can keep track of what exactly you bought, how much you spent and how much budget you have left without having to count all the petty cash and look at receipts, and could also help when doing the final paperwork regarding petty cash to ensure it’s accurate.

3 Pocketlint. Probably better for a production manager or someone overseeing various departments. You can create up to 8 seperate accounts and keep track of the budget manually. Each time a department comes back with a receipt or invoice for something you can write it down on this, under that departments account and know exactly how much they have left of their budget.

6 Compare It. As it says, it compares prices and quantities of any item to ensure you get the best deal.

2 Quick Tally. “Quick Tally was designed for one thing and one thing only; to allow the fast entry of a totaling list”. When adding up receipts and the like this could be useful.

4 BudgetPlanner. As it says, to plan budgets. It has a budget view, and then an actual view, so when working out your budget you can enter how much you intend to spend on several things, then later see how that was accurate (which while it may not help on that show, may help on the next for setting a more realistic budget).

5 Change. Useful when dealing with petty cash daily. When you get to a point where petty cash is in pounds and pence, each day you can enter how many of each coin there are so you know exactly how much petty cash you have left.