Recap of the past few weeks kinda...
So, school is in session once more and yet again I told myself I would update more when I had the time over break and I didn’t.
AHHHH! I called my show last night (well last Friday, I hate never actually posting things when I write them). All of it, with an audience. I'm proud that I called the whole thing accurately at least, only one light cue was off and one sound cue, though the lights were off because the girl missed the entire line I was supposed the call the cue on and the sound cue was off because I called SQ AR and she went with SQ AS ... AR is a fade out, AS brings up an entirely different song ... we worked it out quickly enough. Considering the fact that I had never actually called sound cues for the second act prior to opening night because the director kept rewriting them, I would say that we did a damn good job.
So yeah, I'm stage managing CSULB's V-Day 2006. We opened last night and got an awesome response from the audience. I was freaking out about everything because the director is insane and has been changing things all during tech week. We built the sound cues on Monday, worked them and adjusted levels on Tuesday, after which Suzi decided she was going to change them and we rewrote them entirely on Wednesday. We had a preview with limited audience on Thursday. I had never run the second act prior to that show. *cries* Mind you that despite having lots of experience in tech, this is the first time having sole responsibility for calling a show. Completely different level from being in charge of the crews. *shrug* I love doing it... my dad is convinced that I'll give up all my practical goals of being a teacher to go out and stage manage. Sometimes I consider it.
Then I stop and think about the directors I've worked with:
Suzi is driving me crazy and sometimes I really wonder if I should have listened when people said that the show would suck with her running it. Don’t get me wrong, until tech/hell week I was thoroughly enjoying my position. I think I finally found my niche in the theatre department. Before I was just taking classes to get familiar with the goings-on and such, learning a little bit of everything and doing everything, but not being in charge. It was nice. I can sew and I know a lot about it, but I couldn’t design a show for the life of me. I rather liked my mini-design project for my costume class but that’s’ just because I was being silly and come on, do you know how much fun you can really have with Waiting for Godot? Whatever, I have learned that I’m not a designer and I’m not an actress, I’m not artistic enough to do that.
I’m a stage manager.
Now I’m not saying that there isn’t art in stage managing, because there is, and timing and precision and grace. Most importantly people skills and organization. That’s why I love it… putting it all together and making it all work. I dunno, I just love seeing it all come together from the first read-through to training the crew to that last bittersweet performance when you get your life back but you have to say goodbye.
I guess it all goes back to what Joanne told us at the beginning of the year, if you’re in theatre to make money leave now, because you won’t. Do theatre because you want to, because you need to, do it because you can’t imagine your life without it. That’s the only way you’ll be happy.
AHHHH! I called my show last night (well last Friday, I hate never actually posting things when I write them). All of it, with an audience. I'm proud that I called the whole thing accurately at least, only one light cue was off and one sound cue, though the lights were off because the girl missed the entire line I was supposed the call the cue on and the sound cue was off because I called SQ AR and she went with SQ AS ... AR is a fade out, AS brings up an entirely different song ... we worked it out quickly enough. Considering the fact that I had never actually called sound cues for the second act prior to opening night because the director kept rewriting them, I would say that we did a damn good job.
So yeah, I'm stage managing CSULB's V-Day 2006. We opened last night and got an awesome response from the audience. I was freaking out about everything because the director is insane and has been changing things all during tech week. We built the sound cues on Monday, worked them and adjusted levels on Tuesday, after which Suzi decided she was going to change them and we rewrote them entirely on Wednesday. We had a preview with limited audience on Thursday. I had never run the second act prior to that show. *cries* Mind you that despite having lots of experience in tech, this is the first time having sole responsibility for calling a show. Completely different level from being in charge of the crews. *shrug* I love doing it... my dad is convinced that I'll give up all my practical goals of being a teacher to go out and stage manage. Sometimes I consider it.
Then I stop and think about the directors I've worked with:
Suzi is driving me crazy and sometimes I really wonder if I should have listened when people said that the show would suck with her running it. Don’t get me wrong, until tech/hell week I was thoroughly enjoying my position. I think I finally found my niche in the theatre department. Before I was just taking classes to get familiar with the goings-on and such, learning a little bit of everything and doing everything, but not being in charge. It was nice. I can sew and I know a lot about it, but I couldn’t design a show for the life of me. I rather liked my mini-design project for my costume class but that’s’ just because I was being silly and come on, do you know how much fun you can really have with Waiting for Godot? Whatever, I have learned that I’m not a designer and I’m not an actress, I’m not artistic enough to do that.
I’m a stage manager.
Now I’m not saying that there isn’t art in stage managing, because there is, and timing and precision and grace. Most importantly people skills and organization. That’s why I love it… putting it all together and making it all work. I dunno, I just love seeing it all come together from the first read-through to training the crew to that last bittersweet performance when you get your life back but you have to say goodbye.
I guess it all goes back to what Joanne told us at the beginning of the year, if you’re in theatre to make money leave now, because you won’t. Do theatre because you want to, because you need to, do it because you can’t imagine your life without it. That’s the only way you’ll be happy.