I have never been a Deputy Stage Manager (DSM) so I was apprehensive for my first experience as I have very little insight into what the job fully entails. The knowledge I have I gained from observing other DSMs in rehearsals and in shows during my first year as a lighting (LX) and sound (SND) operator, picking up things from lectures and also from reading ‘team dynamic and roles’ (see Appendix 1) from Stage Management, The Essential Handbook[1] and also from reading ‘backstage who’s who’ (see Appendix 2) in Stage Management, A Gentle Art Form[2] and from all of these it helped to give me a basic insight and idea into what to plan for.All this was useful learn, as it prepared me mentally for the amount of work to expect causing me look into …show more content…
I did this by including a key for my blocking (see appendix 5) and writing extra notes of any specific props, word pronunciation, live music notes and costume changes. This made it clear for the SM to follow and I will try and continue to use these methods in future work for easy and clear reference is a situation like that arose …show more content…
). Asking questions like the ones stated helped to give me a better input in to rehearsals especially with prompting, creative input and scheduling and also made me aware from the start what the director wanted from me. After our first read through we went straight in to running it with blocking that was improvised to start with and then eventually settled on later in the rehearsal process and the director had requested that with in the first week the cast were to be off book for Act One and were to call line if they needed prompting. This put me straight into my first real experience of prompting and building my trust and relationship with the cast. Having the actors call ‘Line’ made it easier for me as it is a clear signal that they need prompting but I made sure to watch for subconscious or even conscious signals that an actor gives when they dry, for example clicking their fingers or looking down, and from doing this I have a better knowledge of how different actors work and feel I would be able to cope with a director that doesn't want an actor to call line. Having a naturally clear, projected voice with no strong accent and speaking close to received pronunciation (RP) makes me very easy to understand and felt it very easy to prompt confidently and clearly for the actors as I am also used to projecting my voice from
Most people that work in theatre have a pretty good idea of what a stage manager does during rehearsals - at least, the things that can be seen. We take blocking notes, cue lines, keep track of the time, coordinate presets and scene changes, answer the questions, and solve the problems. Yet, there are so many things a stage manager does, so many balls constantly being juggled, that many elements of the stage manager’s job go unnoticed. So, in honor of the unseen, here is a sampling of some tasks a stage manager completes before rehearsal. Early in our morning, we check our phone.
They operate, maintain and guard the technical assets of the theatre. This includes supervising the use of lighting, sound, communications equipment, and the use and maintenance of stage facilities. They are also in charge of supervising and assisting with set and stage construction and management. They are also the ones who monitor the condition of equipment such as the lights, sound. Finally, they are the ones who arrange for the repair and replacement within budgetary constraints.
The strongest part about the acting was how well the actors used their body movements and physical expression to disclose their character to the audience. It was evident that the director and actors worked hard in the development of the characters by showcasing their objectives not only through the language, but also with their bodies. In a comedic play like, The Busy Body, it is even more detrimental for the characters to work on their vocal variety and to correctly move their bodies in order for the text to sink in the audience’s brain and make them laugh. The language and body movements have to correlate with each other for the whole performance to make sense and be funny. A great example of an actor who did an incredible job with their language and body movements was Charles Pasternak who played the character of “Marplot”. Charles brought his character to life by accurately using his voice and body to portray his character’s emotions. Throughout his performance his voice pitch changed from low to high in order to show excitement or to emphasize certain words. His facial expression and the way he moved his body were key to bringing comedy to the show. The only aspect of the performance that needed improvements were the speech clarity from some of the actors. It is so essential for the language to be clear in any production so that the audience can clearly understand what is
In film however, the production is definitely a directors medium as he or she has total control over what parts of the texts are necessary and what parts are not. The director can lead an audience's attention in film by moving the camera to various angles and from various viewpoints whereas on stage this is limited as the only way in which to catch the audience's attention is by moving the spotlight on to someone at a certain part of the stage but even so they can still look around to other parts of the stage. In films their is a different chronology of events and intercutting is often used. This could be because a director feels that it's necessary to have the audience see what's happening in the other character's lives at the time something crucial is perhaps happening in another character's.
grab the audience's attention. Toby Maguire's voice is used because it
Also, to offer and accept good criticism and/or advice about how people can improve their acting abilities. Rounded Rectangular Callout: You will be hearing from us shortly by U.A. Fanthorpe What would you like to work on next? The next thing I would like to try would be to see how prejudice affects people in other ways e.g. at home, school, etc. and to develop a few dramas on that.
I could see how Harold Hill’s tactic changed from something along the lines of ‘to deceive’ to ‘to woo’ around the song “The sadder but wiser girl”. Marian Paroo’s tactic also changes from ‘to avoid’ to ‘to love’ around “My white Knight”. These actors also projected extremely well, as I could hear everything being said. They articulated well too, which I believe must be hard for them as every character had a southern accent. The actors easily incorporated their character’s goals into their acting and onstage
Vocal Considerations: My speech will be delivered in a natural and constant speaking pattern. This will allow me to convey my speech in a clear matter that the audience can understand.
(Internet Broadway Database 2017, under Production Staff). Part of the role of stage manager is the administration of the stage management budge (Pallin 2000, 16). Organisation is required to keep the budget on track and to keep record of all transactions. Recording is an essential part of the stage manager’s role, noting transitions and scenography changes to express the vision of the director (ibid). Without this crucial skill, the production would be chaotic and unrefined. Organisation in relation to the stage manager role incorporates “…thinking ahead, anticipating…” (Fazio 2017, 11). For productions like Hello, Dolly! the stage manager must organise for understudies and be ready at a moment’s notice to figure out solutions to any production problems. As stage manager, Zaccardi is responsible for preserving the quality of the show as it continues its Broadway run (Music Jobs 2018, 1). This requires the stage manager to, as necessary, organise further rehearsals as well as to make sure that all changes and corrections are incorporated fluidly (Kincman 2017, 1-2). Organisation is required to make sure that all changes are kept up to date and that rehearsals do not conflict with production scheduling. Zaccardi would also have used his organisational skills for the management of cast and
In the play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, the Stage Manager is an important, but also confusing character. This character is shown to be almost omniscient and is also displayed as almost god-like character. He inserts himself into the play by talking directly to the characters and also becoming some of the characters such as the minister and the owner of the drugstore. He is portrayed as very wise especially when talking about the character’s deaths and when talking to the people in the afterlife. The Stage Manager is meant to be limited omniscient god-like character. This is shown through the way he knows of the characters deaths, the way he plays with time, and the way he interacts with characters both dead and alive.
production begins, an actor must memorize all lines and cues for the first rehearsal. Once
...ssence, Adam Burke’s perception on directing and theatre production is very useful insight. He expressed that importance of a director being a true leader. A director must navigate the cast and crew to a particular vision and keep them on that path. In addition, a director must be professional and maintain a positive attitude when it comes to dealing with opposition from a crewmember in the production. Essentially, Adam Burke expresses that a director must stay ahead, in regards to funneling the cast towards the appropriate vision and talking dealing with any problems that arise. Additionally, if there are any mistakes during the performance, it is okay because the audience does not expect a flawless production. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Overall, I thought Mr. Burke did an exceptional job answering our questions and I would like to thank him for his time.
Preforming the marriage scene helped my group and I understand the emotions and actions the characters would
When it comes to rehearsals, no one has a bigger commitment than stage actors. For stage actors, rehearsals can last for several months to a year, in extreme cases. This gives an actor more time to develop his character, study his or her lines, and build great chemistry with their cast. As an actor, I realize the importance of building chemistry with your fellow actors within the production because once it’s time to perform; the audience can see the genuineness and the
Set manager should also focus on entrance and exits the stage so the actors can be quick. Collaboration is an important key in any production. After reading the script, set manager should then collaborate with the director because he might have something to add or say about the theme of the play. This first meeting is very important because if set manager has any question he can clear out here. Do some research like find some photos that can help the director to clear his visions. If he thinks that you need help then he will provide designer, an architect, and