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Wow, I didn't know this thread existed either. It would have been great to find this before I finished my undergrad. I have applications out to start my MFA in lighting design in the fall. What is the consensus here on going straight from undergrad to grad school, because most of my professors recommend working for a few years first and I am just curious what the opinion here is.
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Feb 24, 2011 21:44
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Depends. I don't know about going to grad school for something like light design, but if you're an actor/director then absolutely you want to work for a few years before diving into grad school. My guess is that having some real design experience and a professional (or at least semi-professional) portfolio will help you immensely with getting into a grad program worth a poo poo. It's also a good idea to find either a) a top-tier grad school that everyone knows about or b) a grad school that is close to and will have connections with the city you eventually want to end up in.
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Feb 24, 2011 22:18
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Gonna put this call out again. Spring one-act play festival is just around the corner, and I'm still in need of one or two plays to even out the festival. Anyone know of any particularly good 15-25 minute plays? Preferably dramatic and heavier towards girl roles (we get a lot more girls than guys who audition), but any leads would be great. We've got a fairly large budget since this is parents weekend, so shows with or without royalties are time. I was thinking about your super-hero one act, but we've already got one kind of zany one picked for the festival. Holding on to it though.
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Feb 26, 2011 05:23
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Julia Jordan's Nightswim might be up your alley.
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Feb 26, 2011 05:51
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It's an honor to be considered, Pete. And mine can be performed entirely by a female cast (the only definite-gendered character is Robin.)
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Feb 26, 2011 18:09
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Burger Crime posted:Wow, I didn't know this thread existed either. It would have been great to find this before I finished my undergrad. I have applications out to start my MFA in lighting design in the fall. What is the consensus here on going straight from undergrad to grad school, because most of my professors recommend working for a few years first and I am just curious what the opinion here is. I went straight through. Currently doing my MFA in costume design. It's not a bad idea, because during the MFA you get more specialized training, and work on more difficult projects and have more responsibilities. Overall the MFA preps you a lot better than a BA does. Edit: unless you're in an area like NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, you aren't really going to find any challenging work with a BA in design. You'll be lucky to have 5 par-cans to work with in a local church basement (or in my case, make do with the clothes the actors have in their personal ward robes) and that's just not full-on design, really. The other option for a lot of LDs is working as a rigger at the local sports venue. Most of the LDs I know have done that. Then again you can just do what I'm doing and go straight through for a PhD as well. It's my goal to be the next Julie Taymor. Who cares if actors get hurt as long as it looks loving cool. Mouse Dresser fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Feb 27, 2011 |
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Feb 27, 2011 17:39
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Thanks, that's what I was thinking too. I think I am going to go less Julie Taymor and more Robert Wilson. Who cares how much money and time it takes as long as it looks bad-rear end.
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Feb 27, 2011 22:09
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Hey, does anyone have any design plots, lighting or setwise, for the show UTBU (Unhealthy to be Unpleasent) by James Kirkwood? Reason I'm asking is, I'm designing/building the set for a student production of it, and I'd like to get some ideas beyond, "Back of the script" nonsense. Also, anyone got a way to make theatre kids listen to what you're telling them? Assistant director for a show of My Fair Lady and boy, the mouths on these people. Passing the buck is not the way to be cool. Anyway, pretty awesome this thread exists.
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Feb 27, 2011 23:27
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I was trying to look up the names of people who performed it previously (to tell you to contact them), but I got this: http://trojaneer.com/?p=496 It's the worst theater review I've ever read, at least grammatically. As for young actors, how much authority do you have? Why are they in the show? What motivates them? Because if you don't know what they want, you can't give it to them, or keep it from them.
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Feb 28, 2011 00:06
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Golden Bee posted:I was trying to look up the names of people who performed it previously (to tell you to contact them), but I got this: My job, as assistant director, is to be the authority over them as the assistant to the director. The line of command is basically director-producer-assistant director. What motivates them is varied. There's about 35 of them, so there's no way to pin it on one motivational factor. I would just like a little less blame when they screw up. Did I say blame? Yes, blame from them. They didn'tscrew up the dance number, I played an old track (the only track we had at the time, therefore the best track to rehearse with), therefore they're immaculate.
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Feb 28, 2011 00:24
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I am guessing that means you don't have a stage manager? If you do, the SM should be dealing with problems like that. If you don't, then you need to speak with the people that have an attitude individually in private and let them know what is and isn't acceptable.
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Feb 28, 2011 00:32
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Burger Crime posted:I am guessing that means you don't have a stage manager? If you do, the SM should be dealing with problems like that. If you don't, then you need to speak with the people that have an attitude individually in private and let them know what is and isn't acceptable. Actually, I'm both. I just thought AD was more applicable because (since I've been stage manager for about 6 shows now) I keep getting treated as crap as stage manager.
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Feb 28, 2011 01:04
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CommanderCoffee posted:Actually, I'm both. I just thought AD was more applicable because (since I've been stage manager for about 6 shows now) I keep getting treated as crap as stage manager. Bluntly, it sounds like they don't fear you enough. A stage manager has to strike a balance between "your understanding friend" and "the bitch who holds your feet to the fire". If these kids aren't living in fear of getting reamed out in front of the whole cast then they probably aren't going to behave, especially since it's "just a hobby" for them right now.
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Feb 28, 2011 17:20
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OSheaman posted:Bluntly, it sounds like they don't fear you enough. A stage manager has to strike a balance between "your understanding friend" and "the bitch who holds your feet to the fire". If these kids aren't living in fear of getting reamed out in front of the whole cast then they probably aren't going to behave, especially since it's "just a hobby" for them right now. Oh, I did act a whole lot worse today. Sure, I got mocked because I just halted the rehearsal until progress was made (Man I miss that minute, the entire room was laughing AT me), but the point was driven when the singers in "I Could Have Danced All Night" stopped giving a poo poo. I let them finish, then said, "Alright, do it again, now actually TRY to do it, for Crissake." Much better focus after that. Woulda had them redo the whole scene, but really, we spent about 40 minutes working thorugh that single scene. Thanks much for the help.
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Mar 1, 2011 07:35
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OSheaman posted:Bluntly, it sounds like they don't fear you enough. A stage manager has to strike a balance between "your understanding friend" and "the bitch who holds your feet to the fire". If these kids aren't living in fear of getting reamed out in front of the whole cast then they probably aren't going to behave, especially since it's "just a hobby" for them right now. This is how our backstage manager is. He's our teacher outside of crew, but he's responsible for all the techies during the show. He's usually a calm and cool guy in class but, man, you can feel his wrath if you miss a cue or are late during production. Just like this weekend when we started tech rehearsals, the "assistant stage manager" was late both times. He got his rear end chewed out, then again it could have been prevented if our stage manager picked a guy who has more initiative and was more reliable.
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Mar 1, 2011 17:27
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CommanderCoffee posted:Oh, I did act a whole lot worse today. Sure, I got mocked because I just halted the rehearsal until progress was made (Man I miss that minute, the entire room was laughing AT me), but the point was driven when the singers in "I Could Have Danced All Night" stopped giving a poo poo. I let them finish, then said, "Alright, do it again, now actually TRY to do it, for Crissake." Much better focus after that. Woulda had them redo the whole scene, but really, we spent about 40 minutes working thorugh that single scene. Biggest thing I can advise from my SM days is this: Stop caring if you're liked. Don't be afraid of them laughing at you or hating you or whatever. Get in their faces and scream at them. You won't have kids slacking off and being assholes for much longer. Do it only when necessary, but a good way to start off is to just be an Ice Demon during rehearsals. Cold and distant, short with comments. Don't ask anything of them, demand it. "Can you please take your feet off of the seat, Jimmy?" versus "Jimmy take your loving feet off of the seat." And it's going to get worse before it gets better. Treat them like unruly puppies. And I know people are going to disagree with me, I've got a real brutalist attitude towards being an SM. Hence why I quit.
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Mar 4, 2011 04:03
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Better to be loved than feared, better to be feared than hated. Anyone want to read my latest 10 minute? It's in the same universe of Apocrypha but takes place with a side character and his best friend. It's the classic struggle of someone coming out as gay accusing his best friend of having yellow fever.
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Mar 4, 2011 04:40
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http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/03/04/prometheus-bounce So I am really excited about this. The American Repertory Theatre is doing an updated version of Prometheus Bound with Serj Tankian from System of a Down composing the music and Diane Paulus (who directed the Broadway revival of Hair)as director. The only exposure I have had to peformance of Greek plays before is scenes from the Oedipus cycle in my undergrad acting I class and I saw a video of Schechner's Dionysus in 69. So to have a chance to see this along with Paulus concept of how the Prometheus story is relevant today is really exciting to me. I hope I am not the only one. I need to get myself to Massachusetts to see this.
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Mar 6, 2011 08:04
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I never got into the classic greek tragedies. Maybe I'm hypermodern, or it's my ADD, but last time I saw Medea it was like getting battered over the head. Then again, there was a typo in the festival program and I expected to see Media (a play I'd be much more interested in, just based on the title). There are Prom Bound posters everywhere on the Green Line.
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Mar 6, 2011 18:53
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Hello theatre thread, wannabe New Zealand practitioner here. A few months ago, a play proposal of mine was selected to go for the first draft stage of a national theatre organisation that focuses on youth theatre, and the deadline's Friday. I've got one scene to go, which officially makes this the first play I've finished that I'm not completely embarrassed with. In fact, I'm only mostly embarrassed with this one!  I keep looking through it and thinking "all of this could be so much better and tighter and less wordy and less hammy and more interesting and packed with momentum and and and" - hopefully they like my stuff regardless of all of my hangups, because if they do then there's a good chance I'll get commissioned for Phase 2 and then the play may go up as an actual real live show in 2012, and that's an amazing exciting prospect.This process is really making me realise how much more I need to write, though. It's easy for me to make excuses, but the simple fact is that my work ethic is appalling and needs massive overhauling. To other playwrights here, how do yous guys actually push yourself into putting fingers to keyboard/pen to paper?
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Mar 7, 2011 11:11
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Anyone here big on the idea of horror in theatre? In my past experiences with it, it's always fallen flat. They do fine enough jobs of telling an interesting story with good characters, but just once, I want to feel scared when I see a play. Everything I've seen fails to really create an atmosphere. I'm the position right now to possibly direct a Halloween show and I'm chomping at the bit to get planning. Right now I'm hovering on maybe adapting Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" for the stage (I know there's already an adaptation of it, but I can't find it, and eh.).
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Mar 8, 2011 00:08
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It depends on what you mean by horror. The avant-garde artists that developed a lot of modern horror techniques that are used in film today have plays that still creep me the gently caress out even though I have read them dozens of times. Artaud-Spurt of Blood Maeterlinck-The Interior Rathchilde-The Crystal Spider Stein-Doctor Faustus lights the lights are all really creepy and terrifying. Then there is horror like Evil Dead:The Musical which I think is great too, but doesn't really creep me out like the above works I mentioned, so if you want to feel scared I would recommend any of those works or look at other avant-garde artists.
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Mar 8, 2011 00:37
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El Tortuga posted:Anyone here big on the idea of horror in theatre? Best I can offer is once I got really high before seeing The Woman in Black, which was great because I got scared at all the "BOO!" moments without really noticing how poo poo awful the plot was.
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Mar 8, 2011 15:51
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YOUTHplays liked the synopsis of Sidekickin' It and wanted a full script. I sent it over. They'll get back to me in "3-6 months" but it's good to know someone's interested.
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Mar 11, 2011 05:47
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This question may seem a little bit out of left field in this thread, but I've been a huge fan of the (theoretical) work of Jerzy Grotowski for a long time, and was wondering if anyone knew of shows or theatres in the US that did any interesting poor theatre/similar stuff.
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Mar 11, 2011 07:03
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OSheaman posted:Best I can offer is once I got really high before seeing The Woman in Black, which was great because I got scared at all the "BOO!" moments without really noticing how poo poo awful the plot was. I also feel like Theatre is more "sacred" so people would be far more angry at you for being high at a performance.
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Mar 11, 2011 07:03
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Agh, I have to write a critique of a play I didn't like, with scenery I thought was mediocre, for both my playwriting professor, who wrote the play, and my scenic design professor, who designed the play.
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Mar 11, 2011 10:08
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Agh, I have to write a critique of a play I didn't like, with scenery I thought was mediocre, for both my playwriting professor, who wrote the play, and my scenic design professor, who designed the play. Is this for credits? Because that seems awfully loaded against you - indeed, one might say a conflict of interest arises from it. Write the negative critique and see what happens.
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Mar 11, 2011 11:14
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They both said a negative critique is just fine, but it's still a little daunting.
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Mar 11, 2011 19:44
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Magic Hate Ball posted:Agh, I have to write a critique of a play I didn't like, with scenery I thought was mediocre, for both my playwriting professor, who wrote the play, and my scenic design professor, who designed the play. Same here! For Chuck's acting class that i'm in, at first I found it difficult when writing the paper but as long as you have strong supporting points to defend what you didn't like, I don't think they would dock it against you because you're being truthful.  Though there is one thing that has been going on backstage since opening night that has me concerned and that's actors who are STILL trying to memorize their lines. When it comes to striking, I always see scripts on the prop table or just floating around and I can't help but think there's no excuse for that.
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Mar 11, 2011 19:46
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That's pretty unprofessional, even for a community college. I'm probably going to be more lenient on Chris because I know the budget is impossibly lovely right now and it's hard to make a set look like a Vegas show with zero dollars (the portal was great, though, too bad there weren't just a bunch of those and screw everything else), but I was doing a lot of cringing over Chuck's script. The lyric "He can't afford to miss/Is it really worth the risk?" actually made me kind of sad because it was like, come on, Chuck, you're better than that.
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Mar 11, 2011 20:00
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A theater critique starts with (implicitly, but hopefully explicitly) stating what the goal was. Did either person, the writer or the designer, say what their goal was? Otherwise, can you still ask? Otherwise you run the risk of being off the mark AND annoying them. Otherwise you can hide under the guise of subjectivity.
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Mar 12, 2011 00:58
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We got a pretty precise list of topics to cover, but yes, I know the goal (a Vegas show theme) and it didn't really hit the mark.
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Mar 12, 2011 08:49
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OSheaman posted:Best I can offer is once I got really high before seeing The Woman in Black, which was great because I got scared at all the "BOO!" moments without really noticing how poo poo awful the plot was. The only real difficulty you have is the fact that most of your fellow audience members are old people in fancy clothing and that can harsh a vibe . . . or, I guess, if you're seeing something where you'll need to be able to think.
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Mar 13, 2011 01:54
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This thread needs more pictures. I'd like to see some of what people are putting on. Sets, costumes, etc. Here's some pics from our recent production of The Brothers Karamazov. We went pretty minimalistic as far as set is concerned, but it made for some really interesting use of negative space. Especially the black backdrop. Smerdyakov having vodka thrown in my face by Karamazov. Caught on film before Ivan even reacts. Reminiscent of the cover of an Andrew W.K. album.  Ivan arguing with his subconscious. This scene worked especially well in my opinion. 
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Mar 21, 2011 01:00
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I am doing my first professional lighting design at my local Rep theatre. They are doing Inventing Van Gogh. I will post pictures if I am able to. Right now I am nervous that I am just going to gently caress the whole thing up and never work as an LD again.
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Mar 21, 2011 15:48
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Nice! I like that first shot a lot. And Chekhov works very well in minimalist set designs in my opinion; it helps "universalize" the themes of the plays and tends to focus attention on the psychological aspect of his work. And Burger Crime, just make sure the audience can see your actors and you should be fine. Everything else is gravy!
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Mar 21, 2011 17:27
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Such beautiful shots Pious Pete! Wanna wear that hat. I'd like to show some photos of the original production we just finished up but I don't think our photos are ready yet  In retrospect though, I really loved the "vegas showgirl" costumes that we had, expecially since we had a male dancer in drag because one of the girls dropped out the midst of production. It was nice to know some people were convinced he was an actual female because he had nice legs for a guy and could put on his makeup better. 
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Mar 22, 2011 06:41
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I honestly had trouble picking him out, and I'll second the showgirl's headdresses, they were very Seussian.
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Mar 22, 2011 09:01
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I am directing "Macbeth" and I honestly thought it would be a simple-enough venture: get the venue, cast the show, rehearse, perform. It's Shakespeare, so more seasoned stage actors will be champing at the bit to get a part in it. Right? Right? No. Among the things that have gone wrong is that the original theater got shut down prematurely (forcing us to move venue), two actors formerly involved can't do it because they're both getting divorces, the new theater's director had a death in the family, and the cast I ended up with turned out to be a motley band of middling-to-bad local actors, one of which keeps emailing me daily with every little badly-written thought that pops into his little possibly-schizophrenic head. BUT - I will not give up. This show is a Leviathan that I will vanquish. ... however, this whole thing has made me second guess the whole "curse" thing.
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Mar 23, 2011 20:36
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