You sound very much like one of my friends. Pretty much the same job, and he got into it because he liked it; but unlike your experience, he still loves it. He does make a living at it though, so maybe that makes a difference. His schedule can be crazy, and planning activities–such as a Saturday afternoon of golf–is sometimes difficult. Still, he’s not about to give it up any time soon.
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[li]Do the sound and light guys and stuff “memorize” the show, or do they have notes that say like: When Charlotte says “I’m remembering…” start the spotlight. Or both.[/li][li]Do the stagehands relish or dread being active parts of the performance, a la Urinetown or The Thirty-nine Steps?[/li][li]Just how many black pants and T-shirts do the stagehands own?[/li][li]Who cleans up all those file folders at the end of Democracy?[/li][li]What is it that actors want from the audience? Engagement? Standing O? What is it that the stagehands want? The sound/light guys? The orchestra? That is, if I spotted one of these guys on the subway just after a performance I had seen, what would they consider a genuine compliment. I mean, “I could tell you were really acting” would be an insult, whereas perhaps something like “I didn’t even notice the lights” could be a compliment. I dunno. I always stay in the theatre until the band finishes playing The Music To Exit By, so I can applaud the band separately.[/li][li]How can you tell good direction as separate from good performances?[/li][li]Generally, are theatergoers as interested in the craft as they are in the art?[/li][/ol]
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[li]When did “That’s my seat over there” replace “Excuse me” when people want to get by you?[/li][li]Why does saying “That’s my seat over there” to the first person in the row fulfill your obligation to all the people in the row?[/li][li]Yeah, don’t get me started.[/li][/ol]
Easy fun ones. Thanks. 
Both and neither. Again this varies depending on the level of the production*, but a “normal” (read union sanctioned) show has a Stage Manager who calls all the tech cues and literally tells people when to “go”. You are not supposed to do anything without being told go, and the SM should give everyone plenty of warning that their go is coming up. Theoretically the sound and light guys don’t need any notes because they just go with the cue when the SM tells them, but everyone works with a book (working copy of the script with notes in it that you make for yourself) because life is more complicated than that. Beyond that, everyone typically has everything memorized by the end of the run. Everything. Lines, cues, movements, everything. You can’t really help it.
*I have worked many productions where I was running the show solo, or where it was a skeleton crew and each person was in charge of their own cues because trying to call the show made things harder rather than easier. But any Equity show will run the way I described above.
It depends, I have a few friends who love that stuff. I always hated it and I think the vast majority of stage hands do too. If we wanted to be onstage we could have been, you know?
Enough that I still have a lot in my wardrobe and I haven’t worked on a stage crew since 2006.
I haven’t seen the show produced, but I assume a stage hand. Probably a production assistant rather than a Stage Manager or ASM, it would depend on how big the crew was.
Typically during the show they want you to pay attention and respond in appropriate ways at appropriate times, then go nuts when the show is over.
To have the audience behave and get out quickly when the show is over so they can get on with their work. The longer you stay in the theater the longer they have to wait before they can do anything in the house or on the stage.
For you to have not noticed them. Then they did their job correctly.
This one is for DooWahDiddy I think.
It really depends, this is personal, but I never liked having my stage job singled out at all. I didn’t notice the lights is…almost good, but still not really. Saying that you really enjoyed the show would always make me happy though.
Direction is about more than just acting. It’s that too, but it’s more big picture than that. Direction is about creating pictures with multiple actors and set pieces and storytelling. Was the story clear? Was it beautiful? Did the various elements (light, sound, props, costumes, acting style) work together in a complementary way? That’s where directing is. Individual performances are just that, and more the responsibility of the actor than the director. The acting is about the little things, the directing is about the big ones. Does that make sense?
Generally? No, not in my experience.
Good answers, NAF. In response to what the orchestra wants, obviously it’s always nice to get applause after the exit music finishes. It doesn’t happen often, and musicians joke about how there’s usually this big ending… followed by silence. But we also know most people aren’t there just to see the orchestra, and they’re busy getting their coats and trying to find the nearest exit. The exit music is supposed to be just that; music for you to exit by.
Also, keep in mind that some–not all, but some–Broadway musicians consider it a job and really don’t enjoy it. They’d rather be in a studio somewhere or playing with their jazz combo or whatever, and they come to resent a show because they have to play it over and over and over again. So all they want is to get out of there after the show, and they’re usually gone by the time the final chord has decayed. Thankfully, I’m not one of those guys and I hope I never will be.
As for what you could say on the subway… I’m a big fan of “You guys sounded great.” 
Thanks tons; I am really enjoying these answers. You guys sound great!
I don’t have any questions (I don’t know enough to have questions). Until this thread, I didn’t think I had any interest. I was wrong.
Thanks everyone for taking the time. Please keep it going.
OK. The Stage Manager: She must have a GIANT book of notes if she has to a) call everything and b) give advance notice of everything too! (Anyone ever see Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead which is preceded by The Magic of Living Breathing Theater where one main problem is that the Stage Manager is scatterbrained? That struck me as a serious problem.)
Anyway, where does the Stage Manager get this book of notes: is it written by the Director and handed over, or does the Stage Manager follow the Director around while the Director makes pronouncements and writes it all down? How much creative input does the Stage Manager have? Is she more like the Director’s collaborator or secretary?
Professional stagehand (Production Electrician, Lighting Programmer, Board Op, Spot Op, Rigger, Carpenter, former A1 & A2) checking in. I am an IATSE member.
- Mostly just memorize, and wait for the Stage Manager to call the cues. NEVER go before the SM says “go” (unless you can tell they got distracted by something and the show would suffer by a cue being late).
- For the most part, neither I nor anyone I know cares if we are out on stage and seen by the audience. We try to remain unobtrusive simply to avoid breaking the fourth wall, but if the script calls for us to go out with the lights on, we go out with the lights on.
- I own more black pants and shirts than you could shake a stick at. A quick look in my closet shows about 16 pairs of black pants, from jeans to suits & at least 60 black shirts. I also have about 5 pairs of black shorts, fwiw.
- I have no idea what this question is about. Is that a show?
- I think I can speak for everyone involved in theatre when I say that the thing I like to hear most from people is “I had a great time at your show!”
- N/A
- In my experience, theatre patrons are almost completely uninterested in what goes on to bring a show to the stage. All they care about is what happens between the time the curtain goes up and the time it comes down.
The SM writes all of it down. And then scratches a lot of it out and re-writes it. Then does that again. And again. And again. Ad nauseum.
Usually little to no creative input from the SM; that’s the director’s job. A SM is neither collaborator nor secretary. The job is something else entirely. I’m sure NAF1138 can elaborate.
Lot’s of stuff in the post, some of it Snowboarder Bo addressed, but I can get into more detail. Let me start with the last question you asked, the SM is neither collaborator or secretary. In many ways the SM is the directors boss (and when I have my SM hat on I don’t let the director forget it) because they are the voice of the union and typically also the voice of the producer (or theater if it is an in house project) in the rehearsal room. Realistically they are equals in terms of position and during rehearsal the SM is about a half a step below the director, and many directors will treat the SM as a personal assistant if they are allowed to, but that shouldn’t be how it works. The SM has zero creative input though. It is not their job to have opinions, it is their job to execute the director’s vision of the show. The director is responsible for the big picture creative stuff, the Stage Manager is responsible for *everything *else. Also, the Director’s job starts and ends with rehearsals. Once the show opens the SM is in charge and becomes the voice of the director in addition to the other stuff.
Next, the book. This is a somewhat personal object for stage managers, and everyone puts theirs together a little bit differently. I use two during production, one for rehearsal and one for the run of a show because my needs and responsibilities are different in rehearsal and in production. First and foremost, the book is a copy of the script. My books are kept in a 3" three ring binder with one page of the script on the left side and one blank page for notes pertaining to that page of script on the right (because I am right handed).
The rehearsal book has detailed blocking notes in it. Every movement the actors make gets recorded (and changed as necessary until the show is set). Any cuts or changes to the script go into that book too. Those are the permanent notes. I also keep tentative notes, sort of separately, about props, costumes, and potential sound cues. Things that will be used or needed in rehearsal. On all but the smallest shows this is so I can communicate the shows needs to the designers and get anything that we can into the rehearsal room. In rehearsal it is the Stage Manager’s job to (in my view and among many other things) be the directors memory. He/She shouldn’t have to write anything down, because the SM team has it covered.
On bigger productions some of these responsibilities get handed down to ASMs and PAs, but the SM is ultimately responsible. Also, I have never known any SM to hand off the responsibility for blocking notes. Another responsibility of the Stage Manager is to make sure that once the show is set it doesn’t change. So they need to be able to follow the blocking notes fairly precisely, and no two people take blocking notes in the same way.
Other responsibilities of the SM team in rehearsal include (but are not limited to), keeping track of timing, prepping the rehearsal space, making sure that any rehearsal items needed are available, prompting lines in rehearsal (only when called for), and handing out line notes (letting actors know when they are messing up their lines. They are also responsible for making sure that the whole production team knows what is happening in rehearsal and they are in charge of the actors and making sure that they show up on time and know when they need to be in rehearsal and when they don’t. The SM is also the person who makes sure that the rehearsals follows union rules about breaks, safety, etc, and acts as a non actor representative of the union who runs union meetings etc. It’s a big job.
The production book. Before dress rehearsal the show will have something called a tech rehearsal. This is when the designers come in and all the shows cues are set. My production books don’t have anything other than the biggest most important pieces of blocking in them, but in tech we set exactly when all the other cues need to go and those go into the book. I was taught to give a warning, a standby then a go for each cue whenever possible. It isn’t always, and not all SMs give a warning. And like Bo said, if someone jumps a cue I get mad, but I do my best as an SM to never let it get to the point where someone has to guess about why they didn’t get a go when they normally do.
Two key things to remember about a book. 1) It must be clear and intelligible to others. If anything happens to the SM the book is the only thing that anyone taking over the show will have to go on.2) It is the only representation of a stage managers work that anyone else can see. This is important if the Stage Manager ever wants to get a job with people he/she has never worked with before. You keep your book, and most professional stage managers I know work on their books constantly while the show is going on, and even after the show is over. It is your whole job on paper.
That got longer than I meant it to, so I will just stop here and add more details if there are more questions.
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I haven’t been to many shows so I don’t know much about what goes on but why would there be a reason for you guys to be out there? Are you actually part of the script or is it just impossible to do whatever you have to do without being visible?
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While I have thoroughly enjoyed the few shows I have seen, I would so much rather be behind the scenes watching what you guys. I LOVE watching really skilled people doing what they do. I’m always annoyed when I have to pick my boyfriend up from a venue (he’s a broadcast engineer) and the game is still going but the broadcast truck is closed so I can’t see everyone working at their boards. There’s so much going on and I have to sit on the grass and read a book. So annoying. I’m the same way with everything. I love watching bakers and glass blowers and factory workers. So cool. I think everyone should work behind glass walls so I can watch.
Sometimes it’s impossible to do stuff without going on stage and you will see stage hands in blacks with low lights (or you won’t see them because the lights are totally out), but I don’t think that is what Karen Lingel was talking about. There are some shows where the stage hands are actually written into the production and others where the director just wants them visible and you have stage hands in costume and make up on stage. That’s the stuff I don’t like personally.
I can see why you wouldn’t like that. My boyfriend is the same way. He said that he didn’t go to college to be on camera and he really doesn’t like it when he has to be. He just wants to stay behind the scenes and make sure that everything is working properly.
I’m with congodwarf on this. If the theatre isn’t bringing something unique to the table, you might as well be watching a movie.
How long does it take an actor to memorize a play? And how often do they forget lines? Are movie actors worse at it than people who do most of their work in the theatre?
That always seems to me to be the toughest part of the actor’s job, all that memorization.
OK, now I have questions about lines. I am under the impression that is absolutely verboten to mess with the playwright’s lines (with exceptions for “scripted” topical or impromptu stuff, like “George Bush/Glen Beck is for now” in Avenue Q, or the audience members competing in The … Putnam County Spelling Bee.)
Occasionally there will be an ad lib if something is going goofy, and the star is big enough to get away with it. (Kristen Chenowith warning Idina Menzel not to hurt her neck while tossing her hair.)
But how much is the script edited during rehearsal or during production? Some new shows of course go through trials and considerable editing. But I am considering “famous” pieces, like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I saw the same production twice, and there was a line I remember quite clearly from the first performance (“That’s for me to know and you to find out”) which was missing from the second performance. Was the line ad libbed in the first performance? Forgotten in the second performance? Edited out of the production between the performances? (I should mention the first performance was on Broadway and the second on tour in San Francisco.)
I also saw Medea where the sons were quite little, and had no speaking lines. The play I remember reading had lines for the sons.
Is editing of scripts limited to eliminating entire lines? What about translating Britishisms to Americanisms or things like that? Replacing the word “rape” with a word with the correct modern meaning (The Fantasticks)? (Boy I wish they would do that – it turns a playful romp into something grim and disturbing quite quickly.)
Thanks for all the answers. I luuuuuv the theatre!
I’m not sure what you think congodwarf was saying, but you aren’t inconsistent with what I said about the vast majority of theatre patrons.
People don’t generally care that it took 12 people 3 months to install and program the lighting, or that we had to figure out how to rig a piece so it could move in and out for a scene without crushing another set piece, or that we had to cut a hole in the floor and weld in a new sub-floor for the hydraulics (or even that the rising platform was done with hydraulics, for that matter). They just care about what happens from curtain to curtain.
In my experience, there is as little editing as possible, with the ideal being none at all.
Editing a well-known script, even a little, will break the 4th wall for many patrons, thus diminishing their experience.
Obviously, tho, if a director wants to “re-imagine” a play, they are going to do all manner of crazy things in an effort to make their production seem unique and different. For instance, a director may decide to eliminate all set pieces larger than hand props, or decide that even tho the troupe is doing a production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, all the actors should speak with thick Slavic accents.
Thanks for the great thread so far NAF1138 et al. There are more of us on the board than I realized. I also know storyteller0910 is involved in the theatre. I’m currently putting up a production of The Little Foxes, which is a classic bit of American Theatre. I’m serving as the technical producer and master carpenter. I’ve worked in the theatre for about twenty years, starting when I was in high school. Like NAF1138 I’ve worn a lot of hats, although most of mine were technical instead of artistic, and worked in a lot of shops, from small community productions to the professional shops in the area. I’m not union, but I don’t live in a big union town(Dallas), so there’s only a couple shops which are closed to me. Even then, I have a lot of friends in the community who are Equity, SAG, or IATSE, so I may be able to either field those questions or relay them on to get answers. I recently joined the board of directors for our local community theatre, and am getting exposure to the business side of things. We just settled a wrongful death lawsuit and that’s something I thought I would never have to do in a theatre.
Firstly, in both the 1995 movie adaptation and the most recent tour of The Fantasticks, the rape song was modified to use the term “abduction” instead. This was done, in both cases, under the auspices of Tom Jones, the playwright/composer of the show. He wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation and he played the part of the old actor(which he’s been doing for nearly fifty years now) in the tour. He was great fun to watch, and if you like this thread, check out his book. Highly recommended.
As for the more general question, the answer is that adaptations run a full range. The most modified I’ve been involved in was a production of Georges Feydeau’s Tailleur pour dames (Ladies’ Dressmaker, 1889). It’s not uncommon to adapt foreign plays, and if you’re interested in this one in particular(a classic French farce), you can read a review of another adaptation done in Rochester NY a couple years ago. The director changed the time, and the setting, and a bunch of other stuff about the show. It was moved to the American South and all the Mademoiselle’s and Monsieur’s became “Sir” and “Ma’am”, which worked surprisingly well. There were references to Paris and other pieces which had to be changed, but the farce still worked and the physical comedy(a lot of it in act II) was a hit. Literally. I played the bumbling husband one of the ladies had run away from and I got knocked around and slapped with what I think was more force than professionalism required. Since most of the audience wasn’t familiar with the French version, they lapped it up. We did have some actors refuse to audition for such a butchering of a classic piece, but most of us didn’t care. The director was good and it was a fun show.
On the other hand, my current show, The Little Foxes, has a similar problem to The Fantasticks and Huckleberry Finn. It has some language which was common in 1900, when it was set, and in 1939 when it was written, but is very controversial today. We have had to wrestle with the possibility, perhaps even necessity, of changing it. We had trouble casting the two African-American roles and if we hadn’t been able to find African-American performers we would have had to change the language. Most of the n-bombs are used by those characters and are talking about themselves and their community, and that would have been absolutely unthinkable if they had been cast by white actors/actresses. We even had feedback from potential performers that they were not auditioning because of the language. Fortunately some favors were called in or are now owed and we were able to fill out the cast.
Then there are the very little things like when the national tour of Shrek came to town. Shrek is wandering through the woods trying to get to Duloc and he pulls out a map and starts talking to himself, reminiscent of classic Bugs Bunny, and he said “I took a left turn at Jerry World” and got a good laugh. Or the famously hammy and fourth-wall breaking Australian production of The Pirates of Penzance, which features a duel between the Pirate King and his epee and the Orchestra Conductor and his baton.The Conductor wonSo the changes vary, the reasons vary, and while there is a general trend to respect the author’s work, after all if you didn’t think they were any good you wouldn’t be putting on the show, it’s neither universal nor ironclad.
Enjoy,
Steven