h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having just finished Two Amatuer productions back to back as the prop guy and then the stage manager (on 10 days notice) I relate totaly to what you say. I'ts worse when the director asks you if you can 'find a few guy to be the crew' . and then informs you that you also have a 30 second role to play (4 lines) , three days before going on stage. If you want a sympathetic ear I hear you! man do I hear you.

Excellent! A fellow sufferer! Maybe you have some of your own wisdom to add?...



Mushy M.

I agree with you about that. I'm not a stage manager, but a fight choreographer, and I have also experienced the world of the amateur theatre firsthand. I recently finished a gig where I had to choreograph a short swordfight for a filmed sequence. I had my first rehearsal with the actor involved (I had arranged to play the villain, thereby saving training time), only to learn that I would not see the actor again until the week before shooting as he was going on his honeymoon. This would've been great if he had had the training I was told he had. In reality, his "experience" involved two shows, West Side Story and a ballet of Romeo and Juliet, neither of which involved any extensive fighting on his part. So, I spent the remainder of my first rehearsal giving him enough to enable him to survive. We do this for the glamour, right? Good grief. Still, he was a trouper- no one got hurt, and it ended up looking great.

Hey, I've got some harrowing romeo and Juliet experiences of my own! (For a long time, they didn't trust us with real daggers, so we trained on butter knives!) The fight choreographer was great, though. He incorporated all of our ninja aspirations beautifully.