47 and 50 for the tech asks. Going into tech week of a show that’s already proven to be hell. Thank you!
Communication! Communication! Communication! Communication!
Make sure you can communicate well with those around you so you are all on the same page.
Stage Management can be really difficult sometimes and it can be easy to get caught up in everything. Learn to stay calm and not let your emotions take over. Remember people are human and make mistakes.
Lay down the ‘law’ and how you run rehearsals with actors the very first rehearsal. Stick up for yourself in a tactful way. Do not tell people to bug off but rather call them on their behavior in a professional manner. Perhaps get the whole cast together before a rehearsal and go over respecting one another again if you have to down the road.
Have an ally above you and the director you can report to incase things get sticky that can act as a mediator if needed.
Show them how your keys work. Which keys go to what doors. Show them how to turn on the lights. How to prep the stage. Show them your checklists and where they are.
How to run the show if you get the flu.
How to run a rehearsal if you get hit by a car.
Even though I am totally the SM who will show up to rehearsal / show if I am severely injured, have the flu (I’d wear a mask, I am not a barbarian).
Go over with them what to do if there is a fire, the show has to stop, someone dangerous is in the building. Someone has a medical emergency in the house.
All the most common “What if” situations you can think of.
Find your stress reliever (that won’t harm you!)
My best stress reliever is spending time in a quiet setting.
I like to work out to relieve stress too.
Sometimes I would vent to my awesome roommate’s who would let me just word vomit even though they didn’t really understand what the words I was saying meant (theatre terms that is).
Or watching Bob’s Burgers or something else along that line and cuddling with my fur child.
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head right now!
50. Tech week survival tips?
I always prioritized sleep. I am one of those people that needs at least 6 hours of sleep a night to NOT become a grouchy Gremlin.
Try to stick to water. I don’t drink a lot of coffee, and I find drinking too much caffeine makes you have to tinkle all the time and dehydrates you. The last thing you want while trying to put together cues is being dehydrated and grouchy because you drank too much caffeine. But obviously don’t quit cold turkey if you drink caffeine all the time and everyday. That will just give you a really bad headache.
Have power bars with you. I am hypoglycemic so if I go a certain amount of time without eating I get REALLY bad migraines and super shaky.
I love Luna bars (#NotSponsered) they have many tasty flavors and keep you somewhat full between meal breaks.
Encourage breaks. I like to take a 10 minute break every two hours. At all the theatre’s I have SM’d at, the SM gets to decide when lunch and breaks are.
Don’t be afraid to move people along. I once had a director stare at light cue for a solid 3 minutes before saying anything about if they liked it or not. So don’t be afraid to say “what do you think of that?” “Does this look okay to you?” and “Are we good to move on?”
Take deep breaths, think of how much the audience will enjoy your show and remember theatre is a collaboration.
jacobvanloon
janainaart
titsay
izzy806
origamiaround
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