Standby Lights: A DSM's Guide To FMP

Industry Practitioners  Research Part of my research was to find industry practitioners in theatre. During my time researching, I found this website which had a Q and A session with 'Nathan Matthews" who is the deputy stage manager at "Mamma Mia". I thought this was a great interview, so I included it in my research. Nathan Matthews Deputy Stage Manager at Mamma Mia The first thing I do every day is: Check my emails. It’s sad but true. Mornings used to involve making a pot of coffee, but I’ve cut that out, so it’s a pint of water instead! An average day for me involves: If we’re in auditions or rehearsing (which we’ve been doing since February!) I’ll usually be at the theatre just before 10:00 to make sure everything is ready for the day. During auditions, we make sure the auditionees are in the right place at the right times, try to settle their nerves and make sure they are as prepared as they can be. During rehearsals, we make sure the right...

Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester Frankenstein (April 2018) On Thursday 12th April 2018 I visited the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester to shadow their Stage Management department on the production "Frankenstein". During my time there I shadowed the ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) and SM (Stage Manager) through the matinee performance. During the show, they ensure the cast's safety, move set pieces onto and off stage and help maintain the artistic integrity of the show.  Due to the fact that the Royal Exchange Theatre is in the round, I got to see how the show runs from outside of the auditorium. Actors running endlessly so they don't miss their cues, dressers constantly running after them picking up any costumes that were dumped on the floor during quick changes, its a very interesting and different way of theatre than Iv seen before. Along with seeing that I saw how some of the different effects in the shows happened, they used a lot of different "Trick...

My Specialism I have decided for the show Animal Farm, I want to take up the role of DSM (Deputy stage manager). As DSM is part of the stage management team, I’ve decided to research the full stage management role, Which I have attached below. Stage Manager (Elkin, 2018) A stage manager job is to communicate with the director, technical director, assistant director and cast. They also oversee all technical crews during performances. The stage manager is the liaison between the director and technical crew, which allows for them to become a clear line of communication between all the different production departments. Depending on the size of the company, the stage manager might “call” the show and is also responsible for the smooth running of the show. The stage manager is also the person who has to fill out all the paperwork for the show and they also take notes of props. Some of the other responsibilities of a stage manager includes setting up and running rehearsal schedules...

Introduction - In this assignment, I have been tasked with the collection of industry research regarding the job responsibilities and technicalities and have been given the opportunity to undertake numerous job roles as a member of the “animal farm” production crew. It is imperative that you understand a range of critical and contextual perspectives and approaches influencing the daily workload of professionals within the theatre production industry. Lighting Designer A lighting designer’s job is not only to light the stage but to create an overall atmosphere for each scene using lighting alone. Lighting designers begin by designing a lighting plan for the production, to create this plan they have to use set designs, storyboards, theatre plans, computer software and scripts to create lighting cues. Throughout the rehearsal and design  process, the lighting designer must edit this plan to fit the show. Before the tech rehearsals start a complete light plot must be approved, th...