Stage manager class question 2

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Justin Argenio on January 27, 2011 at 9:43am

Kayla,

Here is a thread we had in here, oh, a little of a year ago. It is a great discussion on SM kits:

http://www.theatreface.com/group/stagemanagement/forum/topics/the-s...

And, yes, every good SM still uses a kit. It is one of the dorky things that make SMs so adorable.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Elynmarie K. Zimmerman on January 27, 2011 at 7:15pm

Link leads to an original post link that does not work. :(

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rob Scott on January 27, 2011 at 10:42am

A kit is a must. Even if the theater is well equipped you will find that things that you need right *NOW* are off somewhere else if you have access to them and can find them. The kit contains things that not only move the production forward but help you to do your job more efficiently.

I have a lot of the things in my SM kit that Lois mentions in her blog post. When we are in tech week and in production I usually bring in my own stage makeup kit (I act in our community theater as well as stage manage) just in case I need to help handle those OMG moments that pop up for actors now and then. In community theater the best SMs are a jack of all trades, including set, sound and lights so I have a lighting multi-tool (lots here: http://toolsforstagecraft.com/n317.htm, I have the basic "Standard Focus Tool"), a Leatherman multi-tool, several LED flashlights (one gelled dark blue), multiple colors of spike tape + my own personal roll of gaff tape (because you'll never be able to find one in the theater when you most need it) and an 18-volt battery powered impact wrench with multiple square and phillips bits. The most unusual thing in there is probably a two-headed LED music stand light that I prefer to use when calling a show, and which also comes in handy when working lighting cues or during tech week as you sit in the audience with director and producer.

I interact most with the director pre-opening. I think that is pretty much a given if you are the rehearsal SM. Second largest amount of time will be with the producer (if you have one) or in our staffed community theater it is the Production Director who is ultimately responsible for getting all shows off the ground. Also plenty of time with the chief set builder (who also happens to be the TD in our theater) to follow progress and ensure safety on the rehearsal set.

The person that I wish I had more time to work with during rehearsal? My spouse. Due to schedules (she's a teacher and out the door early in the morning) and our paid jobs (my work as SM is almost completely volunteer) we have gone 3-4 weeks sometimes without physically seeing each other except on weekends before a show opens.

• ▶ Reply