Stage Managers Do Make Coffee

The Rehearsal Period

The SM should be the first person to arrive for a rehearsal or meeting. Remember the golden rule, �Early is on time.� The SM should always try to arrive at least 15 minutes before she thinks she really needs to be there.

It is the SM�s responsibility to see that the rehearsal space is prepared for rehearsal before the cast begins to arrive. This means that the doors are unlocked, the lights are all on, the thermostat has been adjusted to a comfortable temperature, and the stage and propeties are set.

The SM should check the rehearsal space for safety as well. Did the carpenters leave any tools laying around? Has the stage been thoroughly swept? If not, you should see that it is done every day. The company should never set foot on the stage unless the Stage Manager would walk across it barefoot.

Any paperwork or script revisions that the cast needs should be copied and laid out in the designated place or posted on the call board. The SM should be prepared to distribute the following materials at the beginning of the first rehearsal:

• Cast List & Contact Sheet.
• Rehearsal & Performance Schedules.
• Scripts, Sides & Musical Scores (numbered).
• Equity Packet for SM and Deputy (for AEA productions).
• Any forms required by the production company, such as Program Information, Costume Measurement Sheets and Emergency Medical Information.

The SM�s workspace should also be prepared with the schedule, contact sheet, script and any other materials needed before the company begins to arrive. The SM should be completed with these tasks and free to answer questions, solve problems, schedule costume fittings or call missing company members before the rehearsal is scheduled to begin. Hopefully, the cast will never see the SM team running around like chickens with their heads cut off. If you are always early and always prepared, the Comfort Zone is increased.

Always remember to be tactful when dealing with company members who are not as punctual as you. Make sure that they understand how very important it is that they are present and ready to work at the scheduled time. Encourage the director to start rehearsals at the published time, even if everyone called is not present. Someone from the SM team should be responsible for calling the stragglers to find out why they are not yet present. Asking, �Is there anything we can do to help you get ere on time� is much more effective than growling, �Why are you always late?�

As early as possible, you should post the running order of the show everywhere. You or your ASM should produce big copies of the scenes and songs, including who is in each scene, what season, or year the scene takes place, or any other important information. Be sure that any Reprises are indicated as well. This running order should always be posted in the same place from the first day possible. Make sure that it is always kept current and that is well lit and easy to read at a glance. It should be posted in at least the following places: both sides of the stage, the callboard, the dressing rooms, the green room and anywhere else the cast and crew congregate.

As company members begin to arrive for the rehearsal, there will always be several people who will want to address questions or problems. Listen to one person at a time, making sure that the person has your full attention. Make sure that they know their problem is important to you.

If you don�t know the answer to a question, never say, �I don�t know.� Say, �I�ll get back to you on that.� If you will need to follow-up with someone else to answer a question, make yourself a note. If an actor tells you he will be missing a rehearsal, make a note on your calendar at that moment in his presence. At the same time you are answering these questions, you will need to be taking attendance (unless you have an assistant who can split the duties with you).

I recently decided to set a new rule with my casts. If I am not carrying my notebook/clipboard, do not ask me questions or give me conflict dates. This protects me from forgetting to write down an important note and insures that I am allowed some time to collect my own thoughts before starting a rehearsal. I try very hard to not be without my notebook unless I am busy doing something incredibly important to the production or on a break.

Once the rehearsal starts, the SM should be responsible for keeping things running smoothly and as close to schedule as possible. This is very important with Equity productions because you can't just decide to stay late to finish up if you are running behind schedule. Rehearsals must start and stop as scheduled so that overtime doesn't become an issue with management.

In a non-Equity situation, the SM will need to know if the director wants breaks to occur at a logical stopping point or if formal breaks should be called. If the director would like breaks called, would he like to be warned a few minutes before hand in order to wrap up what is being rehearsed?

Actor�s Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers, calls for a 10 minute break after every 80 minutes of work, or a five minute break after every 55 minutes of work. You will be calling the breaks and should know which schedule the Director would prefer to work with.

As a beginning Stage Manager, I was taught that the SM doesn�t get breaks. The rule was that the SM should stay in the rehearsal area even when the company is on break. The SM was to stay close to the director. It is true that many times decisions that affect several people are made between the director and a single actor during a casual conversation over a cigarette. The SM does need to know about these decisions in order to inform the various departments or people who are affected.

I still do my best to make sure that I know about any such conversations, but I now know that I do deserve a break. In a union situation, an Equity SM is due the same breaks as a performer. As much as we hate to admit it, Stage Managers are human too and our bodies need rest and nutrition. If you end up working through the actors' break in order to reset for a scene, make sure you take a break as soon as it is possible for you to step away from the rehearsal.

The SM should make it a goal to be informed about all aspects of the production. This is extremely important because the SM is the main channel of communication between all parties involved with a production.

The best route of communication with the designers and shops during the rehearsal process is usually through written Rehearsal Reports, E-mail or Voice Mail. These notes or messages should be distributed daily, listing any decisions made in rehearsals that affect the technical aspects of the production. (Occasionally, decisions will be made that will affect the Front of House as well.) Listen for the director to drop these technical clues in your lap and make notes of any questions you have.

A blocking instruction such as, �Jane, cross stage right and pick up the vase. When John enters you will break it over his head and then use the phone cord to tie him to the chair. After you do so, gag him with his necktie. Take the roll of packing tape from the table and tape his ankles to the legs of the chair. Remove his wallet from his jacket pocket and sit down opposite him on the couch as you go through it,� contains several important clues. Do you see all of them?

• Note to Props: There must be a breakaway vase on stage right. It will need to be replaced or repaired every night.
• Note to Props/Scenic: There must be a phone cord somewhere on the set. (Is it attached to the phone? Will she rip it out of the wall? How long does it need to be?)
• Note to Props/Scenic: There must be a chair that Jane can easily tie John to somewhere on the set. The chair should face the couch or be easy to move so that it can face the couch.
• Note to Costumes: John must be wearing a necktie. It will be abused every night because Jane will be using it to gag him.
• Note to Props: There must be a roll of packing tape on a table. Several rolls will be needed because the tape is used to bind John�s legs to the chair.
• Note to Costumes/Props: John must have a pocket in his jacket. He should have a wallet in his jacket pocket and it should contain ID.
• Note to Props/Scenic: There must be a couch somewhere on the set.

The Stage Manager is also responsible for maintaining the security of the theatre or rehearsal space. You should see that all props, costumes and set pieces are properly stored after each rehearsal or performance. You should also ensure that all lights are turned out, the ghost light is in place and lit, the control booth is locked and that every exterior door is locked and pulled shut. This is a task that should be taken very seriously as most theatres contain an enormous amount of expensive, sophisticated equipment, costumes and furniture.

This also includes the security of the production book. This book is the complete, current record of the entire show and should always be kept in a safe place. There are two ways to ensure that the prompt script is always secure. It should either always be with the SM or always be locked in a safe area of the theatre. Another little note, the production book remains the property of the theatre, but it is also the Stage Manager�s tool and anyone who needs access to it should really ask the SM�s permission first as a professional courtesy.

Taping Out the Set

If you are taping out a rehearsal room with mirrors, be sure to ask the Director if he would like the company to face the mirrors. Also, be sure to leave room downstage of the playing space for a table for yourself, the Director and any assistants. You will want to try to keep the doors to the room behind the Director so that people coming and going from the space do not distract from the action on-stage.

To tape out the floor, you will need: a copy of the floor plan, a scale ruler, several colors of spike tape, white gaff tape, a black marker, some chalk, a 50� tape measure, two 25� tape measures, and preferably two assistants.

I begin by laying out a line of dark colored spike tape along the Proscenium line and the US edge of the acting area. Starting at Center, I will place a piece of white gaff tape and write �0.� Every two feet on either side of Center I lay a new mark with the appropriate measurement until I reach the wings. (Sometimes I use the large sticky numbers that can be found at office supply stores instead.)

Next, I will return to Center and lay a line from DS to US. I will lay two-foot marks along this line as well. These first tape marks placed on the stage floor would look something like this:

   12  10  8   6   4   2   0   2   4   6   8   10  12
   |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|

You can now use these two lines as references to plot some points in the set. With the scale ruler, measure the distance from these lines to the end of each wall or platform on your floor plan. Call out your measurements and have an assistant mark these points on the stage floor with the chalk. Once the basic wall units have been plotted, the assistants can begin to lay the tape, connecting the dots.

Now do the same thing to indicate platforms, stairs, etc. Each playing level should be indicated with a different color of tape to remind everyone that there is a change in elevation. (Staircases can remain all in one color.) Using the white gaff tape, indicate the height of each elevation. (Example: +80�)

You may also want to lay dotted lines across the stage to indicate where drops will fall for some scenes. You should use the white gaff to mark the names of the drops, such as �black scrim� or �tree drop.� For a multi-set production, you might consider using a different color scheme for each setting.

When you are finished taping out the set, walk around and check your work. You don�t want to discover any mistakes during rehearsal with the Director and cast present and ready to rehearse!