Asst. Stage Manager,
Our Country’s Good
Most of my good “things went wrong” stories come from this show. But, so do my “things went really right” stories.
As the Assistant Stage Manager:
Notated all blocking and subsequent blocking changes
Set and unset all rehearsal room props and scenery
Created run notes for the deck
Assisted with quick change timings and wardrobe notes
Here’s a time lapse of us setting up the rehearsal room for designer run:
No belts? No problem!
This was a quick change heavy show, as everyone played at least 2 characters, usually one officer look and one convict look. These sword belts were integral parts of these changes, but we couldn’t have them in rehearsal due to the dying process they had to go through. So, I grabbed a roll of gaff tape and made each one according to the actor’s individual measurements. They were able to hold the rehearsal swords we were using and gave us a great advantage when we finally moved into the space and were able to use the real ones. Many years later, they still maintain their integrity and are able to function in the same way.