Faculty Sponsor(s)
Tyrone Marshall
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Subject Area
Theatre Arts
Description
Stage managing Ajax in Iraq was my introduction to Linfield Theatre. As a stage manager, I was able to explore all aspects of the show. In production meetings weekly we discussed the agenda for the week and what was planned to be done as the week went on. In the beginning weeks, we looked at costume sketches and discussed ideas for incorporating different visions and how to make them come to life onstage. As stage manager, I worked with designers, the tech crew, and actors. I quickly learned what my responsibilities were in rehearsal and made my best effort to do my job in a way that was the most beneficial to both the actors and the director, as well as communicating with the entire production team. With cue-to-cue, I learned how the collaboration between sound design, lighting design, costumes, and the directing vision shapes and creates the world of the play. I learned it is better to be safe than sorry; if you have an inkling that you might want something to happen in a certain place, it is best to insert a cue because it is less stressful to delete cues than it is to create them later on. During dry tech, I learned there are a lot of things that need to come together for the show to look nice and that there were many intermediate steps in which I wasn’t involved. Tech with actors was a whole new experience and another lesson in communication: keep the ball rolling but make sure everything is functioning the way it should. Tech ironed out the logistics of the play, and with the addition of actors there was a whole other group to communicate with. Teching the show and learning to call cues was perhaps the most exciting and most nerve-wracking part of the tech process. The teamwork of theatre is demonstrated throughout the entire process from sketches, to discussion, to rehearsal, to tech, and finally production nights, where all the hard work comes together. Knowing I have people depending on me for the show to go smoothly was a big responsibility and one that I am grateful to have experienced. Being the communication vein between the actors and the director as well as the design team helped to hone my communication skills and helped me develop an efficient way of getting information across. I learned to work with many different kinds of people and adapt in a way that got information across in a way that was most beneficial to them.
Recommended Citation
Bechtel, Madilyn R., "Ajax in Iraq Stage Management" (2014). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 30.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2014/all/30
Ajax in Iraq Stage Management
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Stage managing Ajax in Iraq was my introduction to Linfield Theatre. As a stage manager, I was able to explore all aspects of the show. In production meetings weekly we discussed the agenda for the week and what was planned to be done as the week went on. In the beginning weeks, we looked at costume sketches and discussed ideas for incorporating different visions and how to make them come to life onstage. As stage manager, I worked with designers, the tech crew, and actors. I quickly learned what my responsibilities were in rehearsal and made my best effort to do my job in a way that was the most beneficial to both the actors and the director, as well as communicating with the entire production team. With cue-to-cue, I learned how the collaboration between sound design, lighting design, costumes, and the directing vision shapes and creates the world of the play. I learned it is better to be safe than sorry; if you have an inkling that you might want something to happen in a certain place, it is best to insert a cue because it is less stressful to delete cues than it is to create them later on. During dry tech, I learned there are a lot of things that need to come together for the show to look nice and that there were many intermediate steps in which I wasn’t involved. Tech with actors was a whole new experience and another lesson in communication: keep the ball rolling but make sure everything is functioning the way it should. Tech ironed out the logistics of the play, and with the addition of actors there was a whole other group to communicate with. Teching the show and learning to call cues was perhaps the most exciting and most nerve-wracking part of the tech process. The teamwork of theatre is demonstrated throughout the entire process from sketches, to discussion, to rehearsal, to tech, and finally production nights, where all the hard work comes together. Knowing I have people depending on me for the show to go smoothly was a big responsibility and one that I am grateful to have experienced. Being the communication vein between the actors and the director as well as the design team helped to hone my communication skills and helped me develop an efficient way of getting information across. I learned to work with many different kinds of people and adapt in a way that got information across in a way that was most beneficial to them.
Comments
1st place award