"Several years ago we put on City of Angels, set in (just) post-war Los Angeles. Back then nearly EVERYBODY smoked, so we had a lot of that as major character props. We used fake cigs from Eversmoke (http://www.eversmoke.com/) with zero nicotine…"

"We do not have them although there are times when it would be very useful to have them as an actor cue device. I would not choose to use them as a cue device for anyone but actors, though. As a community theater our backstage and FOH volunteers are…"

"Sara Furmato, how did "How To Succeed In Business" turn out for you?"

"Catching up with a few things and stopped in here to see what's new. I am in the middle of being SM for a performance run of Metamorphoses at the moment. Putting on a show that includes 4300 gallons of water is exceptionally, um, interesting.…"

"Sara, The only advice that I would give is to be very well prepared for each rehearsal, be ready with answers to obvious questions (and some of the not so obvious) that might come up each day, and by doing so you will exert a natural authority that…"

""The actors especially will be attracted to items that are shiny and colorful." (Hey, when I'm not being an SM I like to be on the other side of the production as an actor, but that's still really funny, and sadly true.) Thanks…"

"I write my initials in Sharpie on all of my tools, and in some cases use a spray can of safety orange/yellow/green to mark a band or spot on the tool that's easily visible. It's actually difficult to find certain tools of con/de-struction…"

"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…"

"Great questions, Kayla. I'll answer from my experiences as SM for many community theater productions as well as five years of experience as the volunteer technical director of a children's theater. 1a) #1: a sense of calm and focus when…"

"Trish, thanks for posting these tips. I'm one of those community theater SMs who is working my way up with professional mentoring of the organization's Producing Director (who was formerly a professional SM early in her career) and various…"

"Not a bad division of labor, all in all. Our community theater operates at a high level, and our (paid staff) Producing Director handles most of what your PM did in much the same manner. Because usually everyone except the director of the play is…"

"So, how did the duties all sort out? Inquiring minds and all that..."

"How about suitably dressed bicycle(s) with the pedal gear removed and the actor walking the bike along the floor (both feet at once or duck-walk).The seat and seatpost could removed and a "saddle" piece fitted, and the handlebars could be…"

"I will chime in since I don't believe that I've ever written a proper introduction here. I did a lot of theater (acting and tech) in high school in addition to being a band geek, then pretty much dropped out of both to be somebody's…"