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Burger Crime posted:Design section would talk about Stanley McCandless, Robert Wilson, Julie Taymor, Jules Fisher. Don't forget playwrights, either.
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Apr 23, 2012 06:36
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Needs more Boris Aronson and Hal Prince, but maybe that's just me.
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Apr 23, 2012 07:28
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Yea I am not sure how to do a playwriting section. With the other fields, there are people that made lasting contributions to their fields that can be highlighted but with playwriting every written work contributes a different perspective or idea so I don't know where to start with people to include or exclude. I would put in Alejandro Jodorowsky, Samuel Beckett, Neil Simon as people who have influenced me personally. But in this section leaving anyone out seems like a disservice to the craft.
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Apr 23, 2012 08:10
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It's really hard to do honorable mentions in this field without turning it into a course on theatre history. I'd even be down to do that much if I could find wherever the gently caress my Brockett book went to. I chose Mackaye and Appia mainly because a significant amount of technical theatre wouldn't exist without them.
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Apr 24, 2012 01:12
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This is exactly the sort of thing I love doing for theater. I grew a ridiculous mustache to play Horace Vandergelder in a community production my old rural Ohio high school is putting on. Our hope is to get a new tradition going and really build something special for the kids now that they have a real stage to perform on (when I was in school we performed in the gymnasium). I will look like an idiot all week at work, but seeing the wheels turn in those kids' heads is totally worth it.
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Apr 24, 2012 02:06
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I've had to grow three moustaches in the last three years. My girlfriend is also in theatre, this is why I still have a girlfriend. I kind of want to grow a goatee for the pirate festival I've got in June, but I'm not sure I'll be able to talk her into it. Also, holy crap, after all these years I now know what you look like. How strange.
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Apr 24, 2012 02:37
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Burger Crime posted:So I have been thinking about starting a new more formal theatre thread. Some suggestions that come to mind: Should mention Jerzy Grotowski and Anne Bogart/Viewpoints in the acting section. Section on movement technique/physical theatre? Description of different types of theatre, like community, regional, fringe, ensemble/devised theatre, etc. Maybe list notable theatre companies as well. And suggested reading list(s), maybe in general, maybe for each concentration.
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Apr 26, 2012 05:54
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Named Ashamed posted:Our faculty does have an accredited Stage Fight Choreographer who is on hand to help us with this kind of thing. The problem is that I need to be the one to bring him suggestions first and we'll build off of that. He's said that I could buy a good collapsible knife I know this was days and days ago, but I want to wave a red flag on this one. Any fight choreographer who's seriously willing to support the idea of a retractable knife worries me. I've seen more people stabbed with retractable knives than with dulled blades. I think at one point SAFD actually made a public suggestion against using them, though I can't find any news article to support that.
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Apr 28, 2012 06:49
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Burger Crime posted:So I have been thinking about starting a new more formal theatre thread. I'd throw Peter Brook somewhere in there, too. Possibly Augusto Boal/theatre of the oppressed? There's also a bazillion other designers that are just as worthy of mention, and I'm failing to think of any of them at the moment. Edit: Also, Michael Chekhov and Robert Edmond Jones. MockingQuantum fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Apr 28, 2012 |
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Apr 28, 2012 06:53
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Hey Chicago-types, I'm in a weird situation where I am producing a play with a fairly decent budget, but can't lock down a director. They either run off to Europe, or overbook, or whatever, so I'm turning to you (because Craigslist leads to sifting through terrible resumes). Are any of you half decent directors? Do you know any looking for paid work?
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Apr 29, 2012 11:33
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In The Bushes posted:Hey Chicago-types, I'm in a weird situation where I am producing a play with a fairly decent budget, but can't lock down a director. They either run off to Europe, or overbook, or whatever, so I'm turning to you (because Craigslist leads to sifting through terrible resumes). Are any of you half decent directors? Do you know any looking for paid work? Directors looking for paying gigs? lol yeah I think I might know a couple. What kind of show is it? On another note, there is no drink as sweet as the first drink after you close a show. Mmmmmmmm
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Apr 29, 2012 22:23
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In The Bushes posted:Hey Chicago-types, I'm in a weird situation where I am producing a play with a fairly decent budget, but can't lock down a director. They either run off to Europe, or overbook, or whatever, so I'm turning to you (because Craigslist leads to sifting through terrible resumes). Are any of you half decent directors? Do you know any looking for paid work?
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Apr 30, 2012 00:41
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Who's producing it where? Also, what's it about?
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Apr 30, 2012 02:00
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In The Bushes posted:Are any of you half decent directors? Do you know any looking for paid work? If there's a chance you can fly me in from NYC, I'll send you my resume. What's the play and what's the theater company?
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Apr 30, 2012 02:03
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In The Bushes posted:Hey Chicago-types, I'm in a weird situation where I am producing a play with a fairly decent budget, but can't lock down a director. They either run off to Europe, or overbook, or whatever, so I'm turning to you (because Craigslist leads to sifting through terrible resumes). Are any of you half decent directors? Do you know any looking for paid work? I have a director friend who lives in Chicago that I could contact. I'm guessing he'll want to know when he's supposed to start/when performances start, and what company this is for. Charles Dickings fucked around with this message at 17:15 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 17:12
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I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with or knowledge of respected and renowned MFA graduate programs for Playwriting. I know full well how difficult they are to get into, but I'd at least like to shoot for the top and see what happens. Thus far these schools below have appealed to me, but this is only a quick skim of their webpage and name recognition. I'll probably want to select 5 and schedule tours during the coming year. Cutting the list down with your help or adding programs I've missed would be very appreciated. Yale School of Drama Cal Arts University of Texas at Austin Brown University Columbia University The New School Ohio Tisch Iowa Playwrights Workshop Thank you.
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May 10, 2012 00:15
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I'm an ardent unbeliever in post-tertiary education. Have you joined a playwrights community? Do you honestly feel you've gone as far as you can go online, with libraries, and with local groups? Maybe I'm spoiled in LA, where playhouses seem to outnumber multiplexes.
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May 10, 2012 05:23
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Golden Bee posted:I'm an ardent unbeliever in post-tertiary education. Have you joined a playwrights community? Do you honestly feel you've gone as far as you can go online, with libraries, and with local groups? It does seem to be my experience that many emerging high end playwrights have MFAs these days. Now, most of their work is trite poo poo, but there you have it.
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May 11, 2012 00:10
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I'm wondering how to move up in the theater world. I never worked in theater before last year, but I fell in love with it as soon as I started. My day job is at a college AV department, and I work for some sound and video designers on the side. My plan was to keep working in AV while getting my design chops up in preparation for one day moving into video design full time. I just found out that I'll be losing my job next week, and I'm starting to panic. The obvious answer is to find a new job, but I doubt I'll be able to find anything in a timely manner that will be as flexible as where I'm working now. If I need to take a day for load-in, or a few days to help out at tech, I could almost always get off. The designers I assist seem to value flexibility over all else, so I can kiss working with them goodbye if I'm trapped in a weekly schedule, no matter how few hours I'm putting in. So the way I see it, I have two options: 1. Find a job at Starbucks or whatever, miss out on every show that comes along because I have a regular shift, lose my contacts and skills, die alone. 2. Pump all my contacts for work, take $600 a month board op jobs, don't make rent, move back to the Midwest, die alone. Is there a way to make a living doing low-level theater work? Or did everyone else get this poo poo out of the way during college?
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May 11, 2012 06:34
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Disco Godfather posted:Is there a way to make a living doing low-level theater work? Or did everyone else get this poo poo out of the way during college? Where do you live? If you're in a larger metro, there's always ways. But to do strictly small-scale theatre work? No. It's not, strictly speaking, possible to make a living off of it. If you have electrician/stagehand experience, I would recommend looking up theatres that maintain their own overhire lists, as well as looking into a Union call list if you have a Local in your city. For my first year in my current city, I worked almost exclusively overhire, which, while not the most reliable work, pays better than $600 a month and allows you to set your own schedule. I've heard that the Twin Cities are a little spoiled in the sense that employers will let you know about calls a month or more in advance, but I don't think the formula varies much otherwise. Starting after college really does put you at a disadvantage, though not as significant of one as you might think. I really can't stress enough how useful an IATSE Local can be for this sort of thing. They can supply you with (initially infrequent) work, offer classes to expand your skillset, eventually offer you membership and all the networking that comes with it, etc. Of course, some Local unions are full of people that want nothing more than for you to move back to the midwest and die alone, so YMMV. I'd strongly recommend diversifying your skillset as much as possible. Designing and assisting designers is all well and good, but it takes years to get to a skill level where high-rent theatre companies will even look at your name on the resume, so working as a general technician/crew guy is where it's at. As far as board operation goes, we only have one theatre in town that pays a board op more than what equals about $2 an hour. Even touring gigs, you can't be "just" the board op. I'd recommend asking the designers you work for what they'd recommend. But ask for advice, not contacts. I've been in the pro world for 2 years and I'm already absolutely sick of people asking for jobs.
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May 11, 2012 18:56
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MockingQuantum posted:Where do you live? If you're in a larger metro, there's always ways. But to do strictly small-scale theatre work? No. It's not, strictly speaking, possible to make a living off of it. I live in New York, so while there's no shortage of theater, there's also a poo poo ton of people competing for work. I didn't know IATSE was an option. I was under the impression that it was a pain in the rear end to get into in general and near-impossible for people at my skill level. One of the designers I work for is having a birthday party this weekend. I'm counting on meeting some new people there. I wasn't aware of the overhire thing, though. I'll have a word with my people and see what they say about that.
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May 12, 2012 01:48
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Disco Godfather posted:I live in New York, so while there's no shortage of theater, there's also a poo poo ton of people competing for work. I didn't know IATSE was an option. I was under the impression that it was a pain in the rear end to get into in general and near-impossible for people at my skill level. Overhire work is probably a lot more slim in NY than here. Local 1 is notoriously stingy about the jobs that go through them, but it may be worth looking into whether they have a Call Referral system. Even if they do, though, be aware that you'll be at the bottom of an extremely long list. Edit was a piddly grammatical correction. MockingQuantum fucked around with this message at 04:26 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 02:10
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I typed up a long thing and then read you live in NYC. Local 1 is going to be tough to get into. I semi recently worked with a great non union crewing company up there. Sadly it's name escapes me. If you shoot me a PM on monday I will make some calls and find their name.
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May 12, 2012 03:07
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Calling all electricians/lighting folk: What is a solid-state relay, and what would be a theatrical application for one? I tried to read the wikipedia entry, and while I understood what was being said in a factual sense, I don't know exactly what one would be used for.
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May 15, 2012 08:04
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MockingQuantum posted:Calling all electricians/lighting folk: What is a solid-state relay, and what would be a theatrical application for one? I tried to read the wikipedia entry, and while I understood what was being said in a factual sense, I don't know exactly what one would be used for. Relays are just on off switches and I have primarily used them as part of a programmable logic controller. They can be used to automate certain functions rather than have a tech do them. The chandelier in Phantom of the Opera is dropped by a relay on a programmable logic controller. http://i.imgur.com/meeEo.jpg This is my logic controller. A tech would flip the light switch shown in my image and the relay would supply power to the motor to drop the chandelier. The controller needs to be programmed to do this which is a whole other thing. Another example is the rotating stage in Les Mis. Same concept: relay blocks power from the motor until a preset time, logic controller sends signal through relay, relay provides power to motor, stage rotates. Simpler uses can be making a light box or bar sign pulse or flicker. Burger Crime fucked around with this message at 13:25 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 13:22
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Burger Crime posted:Relays are just on off switches and I have primarily used them as part of a programmable logic controller. They can be used to automate certain functions rather than have a tech do them. Awesome, thanks.
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May 17, 2012 22:47
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Hey guys, I ended up getting hired for run crew at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. I'll be up there at the beginning of the month. Any goons in the area?
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May 19, 2012 05:20
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Abortion is yummy. posted:Hey guys, I ended up getting hired for run crew at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. I'll be up there at the beginning of the month. Any goons in the area? I'm not, but I'd sure like to be. Good luck with it, I've heard glowing things about them from other technicians.
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May 19, 2012 09:00
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Our local theatre is doing "The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)" and I'm really looking forward to auditioning. I haven't tried my hand at any stage work since the summer after high school graduation with a community theatre. What goon-approved online resources are there for audition tips and monologues?
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May 19, 2012 19:23
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The book you want is Michael Shurtleff's Audition. There are a few problems with it (most notably his claim that monologues "aren't done that much", which was true in New York in the 1970s but isn't true anymore obviously) but it's far and away the best book ever written about every aspect of auditioning. As for a monologue, for CWSA you want something light and comic in tone (that doesn't necessarily mean "full of jokes", by the way). I might consider getting a monologue out of onw of the other Reduced Shakespeare Company plays, like Complete History of America (Abridged) (this is their second-best play; try to get something from here if you can) or The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged). If you really really really want the part, see if you can get someone from the theatre scene in your city (preferably a director or someone experienced with casting but a good actor will work in a pinch) to do a coaching session for you. Read Audition, then learn your monologue and work on it beforehand, then bring it in and have your coach give you feedback for 30-60 minutes. There's only three roles in CWSA so you're going to have to be good to get cast, probably. OSheaman fucked around with this message at 19:36 on May 19, 2012 |
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May 19, 2012 19:33
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OSheaman posted:Read Audition, then learn your monologue and work on it beforehand, then bring it in and have your coach give you feedback for 30-60 minutes. There's only three roles in CWSA so you're going to have to be good to get cast, probably. To get the full potency of Audition, it's best to read it, then take a couple of the pillars that apply most significantly to your specific situation and keep them in mind. It's worth rehearsing your audition for someone with this in mind, as there's so much good advice in the book that it's easy to overload your conscious process.
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May 19, 2012 20:56
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Thank you very much! I'm not getting my hopes up too much, pretty sure the guys that run the company are gonna get two of the parts so it's gonna be tough.
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May 19, 2012 21:53
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Did anyone watch the 25th anniversary production of Phantom airing on public television tonight? I didn't get to see it last year so I watched it tonight and it was pretty amazing.
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Jun 4, 2012 03:30
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So I recently came into some money for a McDonagh paper I wrote and am looking to put it towards expanding my play library some. If anyone has any extra scripts, plays they're no longer interested in, or are just in need of some cash, I'd be super interested in buying them for a reasonable price. LIKEWISE, if anyone has any recommendations for new show, send em my way. I've got a short dramaturgy fellowship at the end of July, and I'd like get as many plays under my belt as possible before starting. I'll mostly be working on MFA shows, but there'll be a lot of opportunities for networking too. I figure the larger vocabulary of plays I have when talking to artistic directors, the better Also, if anyone has any plays that they'd like some free editing/dramaturgy on, lemme know! I've read some of Golden Bee's plays in the past, but now that it's summer I'd have the time to really give scripts the attention they deserve. I'd love to get some practice work-shopping before jumping into things in July. Burger Crime posted:Did anyone watch the 25th anniversary production of Phantom airing on public television tonight? I didn't get to see it last year so I watched it tonight and it was pretty amazing. Shoot. I didn't even realize it would be on. Speaking of musicals on screens though, what do people think of the new Les Misérables trailer? People seem stoked online, but I'm still having trouble getting behind Anne Hathaway. I can't tell if her singing voice is all quaky from emotion or if that's just how she'll sound the whole time. I generally get nervous about super casts like these but who knows. Pious Pete fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Jun 6, 2012 |
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Jun 6, 2012 20:20
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Out of curiosity, is anyone in this thread an avid composer (avid as in frequent, not the company that produces the Venue)? I'm just beginning to cut my teeth as a sound designer, and I generally prefer to use composed works over commercial pieces when possible, since copyright waters are getting increasingly murky. If there are any of you out there, I'd love to know so I can keep you in mind for future designs (or to solicit advice on my own compositions).
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Jun 7, 2012 05:39
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MockingQuantum posted:Out of curiosity, is anyone in this thread an avid composer (avid as in frequent, not the company that produces the Venue)? I've played banjo for a few pieces, but don't really have the know-how for composition. Mostly just picking patterns/chord progressions. Still, sounds cool. I'd be down to listening to some audio if you post it here. Also, does anyone want some broadway/off-broadway scripts? I've got a friend who forwards me the pdfs he gets for each audition. Right now I have copies saved of Regrets which just finished off-broadway and The Lyons which I guess just won a Tony? Either way, I can email em to whoever would wants to read. Both are real good.
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Jun 11, 2012 16:31
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Yes please! nrshea at gmail
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Jun 11, 2012 17:09
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OSheaman posted:Yes please! nrshea at gmail Sent. Enjoy!
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Jun 12, 2012 02:42
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Pious, could you call me tomorrow? According to box.com, you only looked at one of my more experimental one pagers. I have more in the chamber.
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Jun 12, 2012 08:01
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Golden Bee posted:Pious, could you call me tomorrow? According to box.com, you only looked at one of my more experimental one pagers. I have more in the chamber. Sorry, I was in a wedding party last week and didn't really have time to read anything. I just opened Who by Drowning, Who by Stoning this morning. To clarify though, I'm not in a position to buy the rights to any new scripts. Right now I'm interested in filling out my personal library with published plays I haven't read yet. For example, I just bought copies of "Metamorphoses" by Mary Zimmerman "The Stonemason" and "The Sunset Limited" by Comac McCarthy "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" by Kristoffer Diaz "A Bright New Boise" by Samuel Hunter and "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris and am looking to pick up more. I try and read a play a day, so my to-read list tends to dwindle pretty quickly, leaving me with whatever I can find free online. Hence the call for anyone looking to clear their shelves. I'm happy to read anything folks here have written, but the most I can offer right now is informed criticism and some dramaturgy if it could use it. That way you get an outside eye and I get experience and knowledge of your plays. Then, if I ever AM in the position to recommend new shows during my fellowship, talk about editing experiences, or someday plan a season, I already have yours in the back of my mind. So that's what I have to offer. Nothing really worth worrying about or calling over, just an opportunity for mutual internet back-scratching. I was planning on starting through yours this week, but I'll PM you about what exactly you're looking for.
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Jun 12, 2012 14:23
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