So, let’s see … last night’s highlights and lowlights…

[bluecastle]

My definition of “on time” is fifteen minutes early. I should be used to this not being everyone’s definition, but it still surprises me that I’m always the first one someplace. When I arrived at rehearsal last night there were only the stage manager and the costumer there.

Was therefore the first up to be measured w/in an inch of my life! Did she REALLY need my inside leg? But whatever...

I’ll be interested to see what she comes up with for me. I KNOW there is next to nothing out at the Barn in the extensive costume racks that will fit me. I’ve costumed shows out of that stash … and have been costumed by others, and see… the thing is … there just isn’t vintage stuff in like a 3X.

But, back to the clusterfuck. Well, okay it wasn’t that exactly. But it’s pretty clear to me now that our very young, very inexperienced stage manager doesn’t really GET how to work with a director.

 

This was the second rehearsal where the Director had to point out that she’s yet to SEE a copy of the rehearsal schedule, and our little SM just kept saying “well I sent it to you.”

As a side note, I’m not really sure why the SM was in charge of setting up the schedule. I can see being in charge of organizing and transmitting the Director’s schedule – and it does seem that they had some kind of discussion about how things were supposed to go. But she should have run her schedule past the director for confirmation before sending it out to everyone at large.

Also. When she did send out the first version … it was wrong. It said “if your name is listed you are not called.” But when I looked at the schedule it was pretty clear that what she meant was “If your name is NOT listed, you are not called.” So I emailed her for confirmation. She did respond (with a misspelled email) to me, but it took her a full day to send out the correction to the rest of the cast.

And then the director took issue with a few things on that schedule, so we got a revised schedule.

I think there was another revision after that one.

Yeah. It’s just never going to be right.

Also, here’s another thing.

The stage manager needs to be one step ahead of things and alert the Director about who is and isn’t going to be around, so that appropriate adjustments can be looked at with the schedule to minimize wasted time.

Yeah. We didn’t get that. We got a breezy SM saying to the director at the start of rehearsal,  “Oh, we don’t have Margaret until around 9:00.” Um. Yeah. Margaret … she’s the lead… the one around who this whole first scene that we’re rehearsing revolves.

The Director sputters … and gapes … and wants to yell, but doesn’t.

Fortunately actors are flexible people, and we had a guy show up who wasn’t called (failure to correctly read the schedule!) … who stepped in and walked Margaret’s part for her.  He was actually pretty funny. We’re now calling him “Margaret’s understudy” :)

Then, since “Grace” moved up into being “Maude” and the new “Grace” hadn’t arrived yet (I don’t actually know when she was called to step into the now vacant part) our costumer was pressed into service to walk Grace’s bits with us.

So we ended up with all the bodies we needed in order to visualize people on stage.

Oh… and the other Director/Stage Manger conflict. The director had asked the SM at the readthru if the playing space would be taped off “before tomorrow.” SM interprets this as an approximation. Director wants actual representation of the playing space.  “What do you mean, this isn’t accurate?” “Well, I don’t have the dimensions.” “Can you GET the dimensions?!”

All of which meant we blocked it the FIRST time (and only had to rearrange the furniture once).
SM: "But John's plan says..."
Dir: "I can do anything with THAT I want..."

Then Margaret arrived, and we had to walk it through again for her.

Then the new Grace arrived (and has the same name as me for more potential lovely confusion) and so we went back and walked it through AGAIN for her.

On the plus side, repetition is good for getting lines into heads. On the down side … REPETITION.

And for all my complaining, we got the job done. It just wasn’t pretty.  And it’s what happens when you don’t have hardly any really experienced stage managers, so you end up getting terribly eager but clueless kids of about 19. It’s sort of like it’s such a HUUUUGE job that anyone who knows enough to do it well, knows enough NOT TO DO IT.

And I’ll still take clueless over 'shrill and vengeful harpy' which was our Mockingbird SM. (Who is, ironically enough IN this show, playing... you guessed it ... a shrill and vengeful harpy." LOL)

And lest you think it’s all doom and gloom. It’s really not. It’s just shit I can see not working that maybe others aren’t aware of. And the Director keeps looking at me with those "what the hell IS this" expressions.

But on another plus side, Clueless Katie has been including in the nightly rehearsal reports, cute and funny things that happen/that get said during rehearsals. Here’s last nights:

Other:

Breathing Cats?
[we had quite a discussion about those creepy purring stuffed cats. Now I think we need one as a cast mascot. It can live backstage or something]

 

Quotes:

"You don't have to marry it you just have to sleep with it."

~Kizzy (about an air mattress)

 

"An anti-Madagascar something..."

~Melissa

"Antimacassar."

~Stephanie

 

"I can run!  I'm running in a high heel marathon this summer!  If I don't run into a pole..."

~Katie (me)

 

ETA: Oh, look. An email from the President/Producer saying we will NOT be rehearsing out in the actual performance space this Saturday, but in a new room at the church … and to stay tuned for Sunday’s location as we can’t be AT the church on Sundays. Based on some stuff I overheard I think this comes down to the doofus who NAILED THE 12 ANGRY MEN TABLE TO THE FLOOR!!!

So, maybe it’s not just stage managers who can’t think ahead.

Welcome to the world of amateur THEE-ATER. *giggles merrily*