Bad Luci...theater jinx!
I really haven't been able to do my job as stage manager because I don't have entry/exit logs for characters, props, scenes or etc. This is not to say that this stuff isn't being recorded but it is being kept up by the Asst to the Director (ATD). And my car decided to desire much needed repairs so I haven't lived at the theater as I have with every other production this season. I have only been there these last two weeks. This makes me feel so bad but nothing I can really do besides, when I do make it to rehearsal, it is to run the music for our current production "Something Funny Happened on the Way to Forum" which also prevents me from doing my job.
My job includes:
On Tuesday, I asked to borrow the ATD's book because I haven't had access to any of his notes and I hate when people try to read to me (which he has an annoying habit of trying to do. I have been reading since I was four, don't need you. plskthx.) I really haven't tried to gain access to the notes because he is always bent over them and desiring to read to me. He is a worse control freak than me. He finally relents and lets me take the book home. I planned on noting my entrances and exits at least into my script so I can start tracking those. This is not a props heavy play (dang you HONK!!! and COMPLETE HISTORY!!) so I wasn't going to sweat the props yet. Beside our director, R, changes that stuff during put togethers and work throughs...yep, last minute your name is R.
School work kept me from getting anything done so I was going to take the book back on Friday (I'd planned on showing up early anyhoo for once). Couldn't find the book at school though I coulda sworn I brought it there. Not worried, I assumed it was home and went home to get it and settle for just being at the theater on time. Got home, no book. Now I panic because it has to be at the school and that is going to make me really late. Drive up to the school, call the director to let him know I left something really important at school and would be late (yes, I was too big a wimp to admit I might have lost the ATD's book and I am desperately searching for it). Get to the school about five minutes before practice starts and find the book sitting neatly on my desk where I left it. Crap! I tear to the theater, get there 30 minutes into rehearsal and tried to hand the book to the ATD who snatched it. I accepted that as they have been rehearsing and even calling ahead, he was off book for 30 minutes and might have a lot of notes. I tried to tell the director that the music was too loud and could be heard 200 m from the building when ATD sssh'd me loudly as if something was going on onstage. I look onstage, nope nothing happening. So I proceed to bring the point to R's attention again because we do have a noise ordinance and besides, this play is going to be painful if the sound is cranked that high for the duration of the show. Glare, huff, and turn so that my view of the director is obstructed.
Oh really? Does he have a right to be mad that I was late. Heck yeah! Should he be peeved? Y not. Should he start acting like I am his personal whipping boy? not in this life time...and he shushed me again, still nothing going on onstage or from the director. I growl at him not to do that again and pass some candy to the director who looks a bit perturbed (sometimes perturbed director=hungry director and it is in everyone's best interest that I keep him fed. He is more pleasant that way). I hold off for break time to speak to the ATD directly. When R calls break, ATD turns to me and growls "Do not speak to me, I have nothing to say to you and you will never touch this book again!" Problems I have with this: he did it in front of two actors, he is asinine if he thinks I can run backstage without notes, I called and informed the director I was going to be late and why almost 30 minutes before rehearsal started.
I let the ten minute break go and towards the end I wait in the hall to speak to ATD who blows me off. I can't even remember what he said but at this point he did it in front of another actor and that was it. I barged down and start into him. I made it clear that he could be mad but I did the responsible thing and called, secondly that book ain't his...it is the theaters and production books are to be shared, finally he was not going to ever speak to me like that again as I have never done so to him. I was so pissed that I had tears in my eyes (nope, I don't cry because I am sad, I cry because I am so pissed and I can't punch your face in at that moment for some reason or another). then I give up speaking to him and start ranting to myself quietly (the rehearsal starts) that maybe I should just start treating people like they feel they have to right to treat me. See if that squares up the deal. I just kept muttering to myself for few more moments when I guess he decides a compromise is in order. How about I give you the parts of the play we aren't rehearsing tonight and you can take notes from there.
No really? that would be nice and a better way to have done this in the first place instead of trying to read it to me and keep me from using the book at all and breathing down my neck during five minute breaks when I try to follow his notes. So I spend the second half of rehearsal doing my job for the first time in two weeks (the reason I had to take the production book out in the first place...couldn't do my job). By this point I am so ashamed of how he barked at me, at not going off on him like I wanted to and just the overall miserable experience of not being on my job for this last production that I just work quietly in the back and never poke my head out to speak to the director or anything. Two hours of silence. I got nineteen pages done. At the end of the rehearsal he comes back stage, ATD man, and we talk. No apologies but talk about his notes and how horrible they are for a SM point of view. I really don't care if the actor spins circles for four hours on stage, when do they enter/exit, where do they enter/exit, what are they suppose to have on them (costume) and with them (props). I am piecemealing this information together from mainly info I've gotten from the director and these notes that say what dance they are doing but nothing else.
I know what I did was wrong but was it wrong enough for him to be such a....putz? I so don't want to do this show right now. And R is acting funny too. I don't know what it is...well maybe a little for R (the less prepared the actors are, the more they piss him off. But he cast J who is never prepared...a phenomenal actor...but he screws up everyone's rehearsals. DS only reads over his lines which is great but um, we have choreography too. DD is just a ditz. And R has had to deal with these three for way too many days. He needs a few days away from them but the show opens on the 9th so no go.)
Theater notes for myself
My job includes:
- Organizing makeup, props and areas for change and safety
- Keeping track of what goes on onstage in both verbal and written form.
- Changing the written format so that any nontechy can run the SR side of the theater
- Keeping track of people (actors and staff)
- Keeping the backstage environment pleasant but organized, focused and neat.
On Tuesday, I asked to borrow the ATD's book because I haven't had access to any of his notes and I hate when people try to read to me (which he has an annoying habit of trying to do. I have been reading since I was four, don't need you. plskthx.) I really haven't tried to gain access to the notes because he is always bent over them and desiring to read to me. He is a worse control freak than me. He finally relents and lets me take the book home. I planned on noting my entrances and exits at least into my script so I can start tracking those. This is not a props heavy play (dang you HONK!!! and COMPLETE HISTORY!!) so I wasn't going to sweat the props yet. Beside our director, R, changes that stuff during put togethers and work throughs...yep, last minute your name is R.
School work kept me from getting anything done so I was going to take the book back on Friday (I'd planned on showing up early anyhoo for once). Couldn't find the book at school though I coulda sworn I brought it there. Not worried, I assumed it was home and went home to get it and settle for just being at the theater on time. Got home, no book. Now I panic because it has to be at the school and that is going to make me really late. Drive up to the school, call the director to let him know I left something really important at school and would be late (yes, I was too big a wimp to admit I might have lost the ATD's book and I am desperately searching for it). Get to the school about five minutes before practice starts and find the book sitting neatly on my desk where I left it. Crap! I tear to the theater, get there 30 minutes into rehearsal and tried to hand the book to the ATD who snatched it. I accepted that as they have been rehearsing and even calling ahead, he was off book for 30 minutes and might have a lot of notes. I tried to tell the director that the music was too loud and could be heard 200 m from the building when ATD sssh'd me loudly as if something was going on onstage. I look onstage, nope nothing happening. So I proceed to bring the point to R's attention again because we do have a noise ordinance and besides, this play is going to be painful if the sound is cranked that high for the duration of the show. Glare, huff, and turn so that my view of the director is obstructed.
Oh really? Does he have a right to be mad that I was late. Heck yeah! Should he be peeved? Y not. Should he start acting like I am his personal whipping boy? not in this life time...and he shushed me again, still nothing going on onstage or from the director. I growl at him not to do that again and pass some candy to the director who looks a bit perturbed (sometimes perturbed director=hungry director and it is in everyone's best interest that I keep him fed. He is more pleasant that way). I hold off for break time to speak to the ATD directly. When R calls break, ATD turns to me and growls "Do not speak to me, I have nothing to say to you and you will never touch this book again!" Problems I have with this: he did it in front of two actors, he is asinine if he thinks I can run backstage without notes, I called and informed the director I was going to be late and why almost 30 minutes before rehearsal started.
I let the ten minute break go and towards the end I wait in the hall to speak to ATD who blows me off. I can't even remember what he said but at this point he did it in front of another actor and that was it. I barged down and start into him. I made it clear that he could be mad but I did the responsible thing and called, secondly that book ain't his...it is the theaters and production books are to be shared, finally he was not going to ever speak to me like that again as I have never done so to him. I was so pissed that I had tears in my eyes (nope, I don't cry because I am sad, I cry because I am so pissed and I can't punch your face in at that moment for some reason or another). then I give up speaking to him and start ranting to myself quietly (the rehearsal starts) that maybe I should just start treating people like they feel they have to right to treat me. See if that squares up the deal. I just kept muttering to myself for few more moments when I guess he decides a compromise is in order. How about I give you the parts of the play we aren't rehearsing tonight and you can take notes from there.
No really? that would be nice and a better way to have done this in the first place instead of trying to read it to me and keep me from using the book at all and breathing down my neck during five minute breaks when I try to follow his notes. So I spend the second half of rehearsal doing my job for the first time in two weeks (the reason I had to take the production book out in the first place...couldn't do my job). By this point I am so ashamed of how he barked at me, at not going off on him like I wanted to and just the overall miserable experience of not being on my job for this last production that I just work quietly in the back and never poke my head out to speak to the director or anything. Two hours of silence. I got nineteen pages done. At the end of the rehearsal he comes back stage, ATD man, and we talk. No apologies but talk about his notes and how horrible they are for a SM point of view. I really don't care if the actor spins circles for four hours on stage, when do they enter/exit, where do they enter/exit, what are they suppose to have on them (costume) and with them (props). I am piecemealing this information together from mainly info I've gotten from the director and these notes that say what dance they are doing but nothing else.
I know what I did was wrong but was it wrong enough for him to be such a....putz? I so don't want to do this show right now. And R is acting funny too. I don't know what it is...well maybe a little for R (the less prepared the actors are, the more they piss him off. But he cast J who is never prepared...a phenomenal actor...but he screws up everyone's rehearsals. DS only reads over his lines which is great but um, we have choreography too. DD is just a ditz. And R has had to deal with these three for way too many days. He needs a few days away from them but the show opens on the 9th so no go.)
Theater notes for myself
- I think I am moving the backstage assistant to SL because there is too much crap going on SR and I prefer to be over there handling the majority of the mess than babystepping someone through the process. I am not a happy person when a 20 second constume change goes awry. Really? C'mon the guy is layered: you unbutton, pull shirt off, pull trousers off, reset new shoes for scene change, plop on hat and fix tie. Why do you need 35 seconds for that? He needs to be onstage as we are experiencing deadspace....deadspace kills a theater show. 15 seconds of nothing kills a show.
- I am signing the makeup out, not making a form but giving them only what they need. They are not allowed to touch the boxes any longer. *rolls up newspaper* bad actors, bad!
- I definitely need to change to the notes to english and go ahead and get the cast use to sign in procedures.
- I think I am going to be encouraging J to run his lines with me if he gets there early enough because 1 hour of rehearsal while he tries to wake up and get on task is sucking majorly and I think it pissed the director off the other day (in addition to the ATD being pissed at me so not a fun night).
- If they don't move out of the way during the chase scene and someone gets hurt, I am going to kill these people backstage. How hard is it run off, clear then think of what to do next. Not run off, stop in the middle of traffic area and ponder the meaning of life.
- Need to buy more headache stuff and restock the fridge for hell week.
- Oh and it is on, full Coke cans right in the costume section of the backstage???? Are you trying to be murdered on stage? Because I am so going to do it. So have to make generalized announcement to the cast because we do have a lot of new cast and a few oldies that want to push my buttons.
- Got to warn lights that there are only two functioinal headsets and I need three, SR, SL and house. Also need to suggest to the director about getting a permanent house meister. crap! I need another headset for sound as I am pretty sure I am calling this show in full.