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Diane Norburn

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Herausgeber: Crowood
Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
Sprache: Englisch

Beschreibung

Working at the heart of theatre production, the stage management department is responsible for the smooth running of the show from day one of rehearsals to final curtain on the last performance. Stage Management examines, in depth, the roles and responsibilities of this indispensable team, including organizing rehearsals and performances, working with directors and designers to realise their creative ideas, and supporting the cast and other technical departments. This practical guide is packed with extensive example paperwork, top tips and industry terminology, offering expert guidance and advice on key tasks that can be achieved competently and with ease. An essential companion for technical theatre students, practising stage managers, both professional and amateur, and anyone interested in theatre production and arts management. Packed with top tips, expert guidance and advice on key tasks and industry terminology. Supported by 150 colour photographs and 115 line artworks, diagrams and templates. Diane Norburn has worked in stage management for over twenty-five years and is currently Senior Stage Management Tutor at LAMDA. Another title in the new Crowood Theatre Companions series.

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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

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Leseprobe

Stage Management

Diane Norburn

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2018 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2018

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 444 5

Frontispiece

A production of Fiddler on the Roof. Photo: John Haynes, Designer: Phillip Engleheart

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

1 THEATRE BASICS

2 THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

3 THE ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

4 THE DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER

5 THE STAGE MANAGER

6 PROPPING

7 THE MARK-UP AND SCENE CHANGES

8 THE BOOK

9 HEALTH AND SAFETY

10 RUNNING A SHOW

11 MOVING BEYOND THEATRE

GLOSSARY

LIST OF SUPPLIERS

FURTHER READING

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people:

Everyone at LAMDA, particularly Joanna Read, Rodney Cottier, Rob Young, Rob Gale and the SMTT staff; the cast of Sucker Punch for their headshots and the Cs, E2s and directors for the production shots; Ian Brown and Mary Papadima. A special thank you to the stage management students past, present (and future). You make me a better stage manager and teach me something new every day. Your work has been invaluable to this book; Kate Jones, thank you for having my back.

Grange Park Opera: Wasfi Kani, Helen Sennett, everyone on Oliver and the best SM team, Laura Deards and Robert Perkins.

BBC TV: The BBC Proms team, Fran Kemp, Michael Ledger, Mei Ye Li and Val Fraser; Angela Young on CBeebies; Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Designers: Roy Bell, Richard Bullwinkle, Nicky Bunch, Norman Coates, Dinah England, Philip Engleheart, Adrian Gee, Richard Kent, Ruari Murchison, Fi Russell, Dora Schweitzer, Nancy Surman and James Turner.

Midge Adams, Jamie Crawford, The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, Andrew Killian, Mountview, John Birger and Bill Kenwright.

Finally, thank you to my family and friends. Mum and Dad for your constant support and checking my grammar; David, Martin, Charlotte, Becky, Jake, Sarah, Andrew, Mila and Marnie and the Hs; Tim Oliver and Richard Crawley; Pauline, Mike and my friends at the Dukes; Brian Jones (Osborne), you led the way.

Photo credits: John Haynes and Richard Hubert Smith (see also individual captions).

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace and credit illustration and textual copyright holders. If you own the copyright to an image or quotation appearing in this book and have not been credited, please contact the publisher, who will be pleased to add a credit in any future edition.

ABBRIVIATIONS

To avoid filling the text with long theatrical terms (over 200 instances of ‘deputy stage manager’, for example!), the following abbreviations are used in the text:

assistant director

ASM

assistant stage manager

BECTU

Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union

centre line

company manager

centre stage

CSM

company stage manager

downstage

DSM

deputy stage manager

floor manager

FOH

front of house

HOD

head of department

IOSH

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

ITC

Independent Theatre Council

lighting designer

the lighting department

musical director

mid stage

opposite prompt

OSL

offstage left

OSR

offstage right

production manager

PPE

personal protection equipment

prompt side

stage manager

SND

sound department

SOLT

Society of London Theatre

TSM

technical stage manager

upstage

INTRODUCTION

Many people, even those who work in the theatre industry themselves, do not really know exactly what stage management teams do and what is involved in the job. Other than the props, furniture and set dressing, the work that the stage management department undertakes is behind the scenes and often goes unnoticed. The stage management team’s work isn’t obviously on show like other departments’. There is no set to show off, no lighting to be in awe of or sound to enjoy. Most people do not know that there is someone who is responsible for cueing the technical elements of the production and ensuring that everything happens at the correct time or that a member of the stage management team has planned the scene change. But the work we do in stage management is the glue that holds a production together. Stage management facilitates other people’s creativity and solves problems, encouraging and assisting others to be the best they can be and, whilst the work we do may go unseen, that is the biggest compliment to receive as it means we have done a good job.

A production of School for Wives. PHOTO: JOHN HAYNES. DESIGNER: PHILIP ENGLEHEART

After a long and varied career in theatre stage management, film, TV and events, I now enjoy teaching stage management to a new generation. The opportunity to pass on my knowledge and experience to others who want to join this exciting profession is rewarding and humbling.

With over twenty-five years of experience, I believe I can say that I know the profession and what it takes to do the job successfully. Every day is different and that is the beauty of the job. I still love theatre and I work professionally whenever my teaching commitments allow. Once theatre is in your blood it never seems to leave you and the passion for the work will always be there.

WHY STAGE MANAGEMENT MATTERS

Stage management is integral to the theatre world. The department ensures that the production runs smoothly from day one in the rehearsal room to opening night and until the show closes. Stage management is the service industry of the business as it helps others to realize their ideas. Stage managers do this practically through the sourcing of props, furniture and set dressing as well as running any rehearsals and cueing the production, coordinating the technical elements and making sure they happen at the right time.

Stage management teams are also responsible for the organizational aspects of a production. They keep everyone updated with changes and amendments throughout the process, passing on relevant information and liaising with every department. They take notes from meetings and rehearsals, organize schedules and try to keep everything running to time. The team is responsible for problem solving, timekeeping and discipline and works closely with the acting company, looking after them and ensuring they are safe, healthy and happy.

SKILLS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF STAGE MANAGEMENT

Stage management draws on so many skills as the work is varied and always keeps you on your toes. You will need a mixture of common sense, some technical theatre knowledge and patience. However, the most important attributes to possess are excellent communication and organizational skills and a good sense of humour.

People skills are fundamental within stage management, as stage managers work closely with everyone on the production and it is crucial to be able to stay calm in a crisis. Being a good listener and being empathetic, approachable and caring will help when dealing with difficult situations but being confident, methodical and logical is especially important when you are running a tech and juggling numerous tasks. Flexibility and a willingness to adapt to ever-changing situations is vital, as nothing is ever set in stone and being self-reliant and self-motivated is imperative as you will need to be in control and prioritize your own workload, judging how long it takes to undertake and complete a task.

The trick with stage management is not to over-complicate a situation or a task. If you try to think clearly and use your common sense you will usually find the answer to a problem is relatively straightforward.

A CAREER IN STAGE MANAGEMENT

Expect to be challenged. Expect to be put under pressure and to be stretched both mentally and physically but, above all, expect the unexpected.

Every show you work on will be different. Even if it’s the third production of The Tempest that you have worked on, the actors will probably all be different, the creative team may not be the same and the problems you face will be unique to that show. If you are working on a long-running show no day will be exactly the same as the last. Maybe your lead actor will be unwell and an understudy will be going on for the first time, or maybe a new dresser has started and you need to keep an eye on where they are standing for a scene change. It could be as simple as it is raining outside and you’ve discovered a leak onstage.

Stage management is hard work – demanding but also satisfying and fulfilling. Stage managers work long hours as they are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They cope with constant changes, often at the last minute, and deal with problems and disasters that require them to stay calm and unflappable. Try to embrace the challenges and don’t think of problems as a negative but take pleasure in solving them.

Always apply common sense, give 100 per cent commitment and above all else do the best you can and enjoy it. It’s a great job to do and it often doesn’t feel like work at all!

In this book, you will learn about the basics of theatre, the terminology that is used, the different ways to stage a show and the distinctive types of theatre productions. You will be given details about the production process and how a show is put together from day one of rehearsals to the last performance.

The duties of the stage management team will be examined in detail, with an extensive description of the responsibilities and tasks that are involved in putting on a production. You will find out about the hierarchy of the stage management team, how the jobs are divided up and who is expected to do what. Blocking and prompting will be explained and you will be given some ideas on how to run a rehearsal room and the best way of working with the director and actors.

You will see how to carry out a mark-up and receive advice on which questions you should ask the designer so that you can successfully find the right props and furniture for a show. You will discover how to prepare and plan for a scene change and how to recognize what items should be included in a risk assessment. Finally, you will learn how to run a show, the skills you need to master to cue a show, manage a wing and deal with unexpected situations that may arise.

READING THE BOOK

For whatever reason you are reading this book, whether you are an amateur stage manager wanting to learn more about the process, a student hoping to make stage management your career or you are simply reading it for pleasure, I hope you will find the information within it useful and easy to put into practice if you wish to do so. All the basic duties that you will be required to undertake have been outlined, and example paperwork has been included throughout so you can understand each element fully.

It is most important to understand that you can never know everything about stage management because it is a constantly evolving job. The basics are written here in this book and they will help you grasp the process and how to achieve the tasks you are set as a member of stage management. But each show is different, and you will constantly learn new things and find different ways of working with every new experience you have.

Welcome to the world of stage management.

THEATRE BASICS

Before looking at the detailed job roles and the work that the stage management team are expected to undertake, we need to discuss the basic terminology associated with the theatre world. These terms don’t just relate to stage management but are used across the theatre industry.

A brand new theatre.

THEATRE STAGING

The beauty of theatre is that no production is ever the same: the venues used are unlimited and the genres are numerous. Still, productions normally fall into one of the following staging types.

A proscenium arch stage. DESIGNER: DINAH ENGLAND

Proscenium arch Proscenium arch staging is probably the most common and the one that everyone will recognize. The stage is presented to the audience as if it were in a picture frame. The stage is raised and it usually has a curtain, known as tabs, at the front. There is often an apron, which is an extension that is at the front of the stage, beyond the proscenium.

End-on staging This is when the stage is at one end of the venue with the audience at the other.This is similar to proscenium arch staging but there is no picture frame at the front and the stage may not be raised.

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