Stage Management
Things I love about stage managing:

calling a show out of a nice, clean, well marked book. With nice, organized cue sheets as reference points.

Things I hate about stage managing:
generating a nice, clean, well marked book. Creating nice, organized cue sheets as reference points.

Things that complicate my life even more:
not having a designer
having an ensemble cast as co-designers/directors
manual light boards
cuts after 1st dress
rearranging the order of scenes after 1st dress
anticipating that there will be new music for 2nd dress
having to refocus lights because of the set.

It's 1:30 in the morning. I'm at SQ 35 and LQ 37 (you do the math about simultaneity) in the cue-sheet generating phase. I'll get a new script in my inbox in the morning, and with luck will have time to write the cues in before arriving at the theater for call for tomorrow's runs (one of which will be a preview, effectively).

It's actually a really great show. And it will be short, in fact they're threatening to stop (in the neofuturist aesthetic) if the show breaks 80 minutes. But it's late, I'm tired, and I'm too old for this kind of thing. especially since I have an early meeting at work.

Whine, bitch, moan.

Don't get me wrong. I love it. but right now I'm tired. And sick of typing.

Also, I'm feeling like I need a 3rd arm and second brain. Calling complicated cues is fun. Executing complicated cues is fun. Being the person who does both, a little confusing. Especially those that involve a sound cue coming in while the house lights, (the switch for which is about 2 inches above my comfortable reach) go down (they were up for an audience-participation sequence), the chase lights go on, the set lights go black. and then 5 seconds later I'm in a new light cue that I have to get into the sliders.

If that made no sense, just believe me that it is complicated and requires more rehearsal then I get.

whine, bitch moan. It'll be fine for opening Thursday. It'll be better next week.
- posted by Heidi @ 1:32 AM