# Disagreements with directors



## NewChris (Dec 9, 2013)

Tonight we had our first rehearsal of tech week and it was bad. I am in charge of the tech crew and only
a sophomore. It is student directed and they expected tech crew to have out cues and sound effects down when we didn't get the scripts until today. We has some disagreement and both came off annoyed. How can I help patch the relationship with the directors?


----------



## josh88 (Dec 9, 2013)

Somebody needs to calmly and politely explain why at least a dry tech or wet tech needs to happen so that your side can be prepared. Sit down with the directors, run through the script, ask them for their cues and run through it all without actors so they can give input and changes they want. Then ask for patience the first time you add the actors in. It sounds like you're all students so do what you can to lower tension and do your best not to be condescending, even if they are over reacting. Apologize for the confusion and explain what you need from them to be able to give them what they need from you. 


Via Tapatalk


----------



## Footer (Dec 10, 2013)

Were the actors perfect on their first rehearsal? If they were he has a leg to stand on. If they weren't then he needs to give the crew the same courtesy he gave his actors. 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## lwinters630 (Dec 10, 2013)

Passive aggressive... place the ghostlight in the center of the stage, explain what it is, and walk away. Ha ha just kidding.

start with a positive comment. Explain what you need to get your part done. Finish by reaffirming that your team is there to help the show a success. 
PS these conversations need to happen before tryouts even start and will continue till strike.


----------



## David Ashton (Dec 10, 2013)

has your director sat down with you and plotted the lighting cues and then sat and plotted the sound cues and levels, and have you run through those sound and light cues in a tech rehearsal?
this is standard practice I'm not sure of any other way to do it.


----------



## NewChris (Dec 10, 2013)

Footer said:


> Were the actors perfect on their first rehearsal? If they were he has a leg to stand on. If they weren't then he needs to give the crew the same courtesy he gave his actors.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


 
The actors were not ready what so ever. The set changes took maybe 5-10 minutes and the actors missed entrances. They wanted us to be perfect while they were failing. The directors seemed to think we were there to serve them and we don't need practice or anything; we should just get everything on the first run.


----------



## TheaterEd (Dec 10, 2013)

I would say, at the beginning of your rehearsal tonight (If not sooner) you need to sit with the director and make sure you have all the scene changes and cues that they want. Then take the time to practice just the scene changes while your sound person scrambles to set up whatever is needed. At that point you MAY be ready to try a run. 

It sounds to me like you all tried to skip a couple of steps, and the director got frustrated and took it out on the crew. Do your best to help the director at remind them that is what you are there to do. ABOVE ALL, you have to be the calm one in this situation. The director has been trying to wrangle these actors into place, and in their head, all their work is falling apart at the last minute. You need to be a calming force and do your best to de-escalate the situation. I always get complements from directors for not panicking and keeping my cool. At the HS level, actors and directors can freak out, but techies have to remain calm and deal with the situation. Panic all you want on the inside, but do not show it. I know this is a tall order for a sophomore, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders.


----------



## pmolsonmus (Dec 10, 2013)

As a sophomore - unfortunately, you will likely not be listened to by student directors (likely upperclassmen). The adult in the room (whomever is your advisor- I'm assuming they're not letting you rehearse in the school without adult supervision) needs to shoulder the entire blame for not adequately preparing the directors for a tech rehearsal and all that it involves. If he/she didn't/ doesn't know that, then they should shoulder the blame for not knowing THAT. The adult should explain that it is a learning process for all, take a breath and back up so that the hostility between team members actors/crew can get worked out peacefully. All involved should have a vested interest in success. Theater should not be a competition about who is right/wrong and why or why not - All wasted energy. I am writing from 23 years in a high school setting.


----------



## NewChris (Dec 10, 2013)

pmolsonmus said:


> As a sophomore - unfortunately, you will likely not be listened to by student directors (likely upperclassmen). The adult in the room (whomever is your advisor- I'm assuming they're not letting you rehearse in the school without adult supervision) needs to shoulder the entire blame for not adequately preparing the directors for a tech rehearsal and all that it involves. If he/she didn't/ doesn't know that, then they should shoulder the blame for not knowing THAT. The adult should explain that it is a learning process for all, take a breath and back up so that the hostility between team members actors/crew can get worked out peacefully. All involved should have a vested interest in success. Theater should not be a competition about who is right/wrong and why or why not - All wasted energy. I am writing from 23 years in a high school setting.



Unfortunately the only adult is the adviser for the student directors. Tech crew's adviser is very inconstant on showing up. I have to be the one to take any blame. I am planning on giving them the benefit of the doubt and starting fresh tonight. If they give us more trouble then I will have to start contacting our adviser and figure out how to deal with directors who don't want tech crew.


----------



## jglodeklights (Dec 15, 2013)

I've worked at a summer stock theater as the Master Electrician for the past three summers. My first summer _Hairspray_ ran into the problem of the Stage Manager just couldn't call a cue to save her damn life. Last year we didn't REALLY tech _The Sound of Music_ until opening day. This year we didn't have a set to tech _Annie_ with until final preview, and our Annie had a medical issue that night. Regardless of who has mussed everything up, everyone needs to keep calm and continue working. Often times, the best solution is to simply admit that things were bad on your end, and to spell out what you need and take the time to execute it on your own if you must. Admitting that things were bad is the first step to moving forward. 

I worked on a very important project in a pretty small space in a very important theater this year. The artist may have several Gr****'s to his name, but the budget still wasn't very big. This meant the lighting/production designer and myself were pretty much on our own. Several times the lighting designer and I just needed to grin and bear the apprehension and tell the people producing it that by opening everything would be awesome. And it was. They had a single stylistic complaint after opening night that was easily rectified by changing when I was taking cues to bring up a front light sub; otherwise they were more than satisfied. By knowing what was wrong and being able to tell people that it was wrong and the solution it kept everyone focused on moving forward. When you are not aware of the problems nor the solution is when you lose all control of the situation and have no chance of brining things back.

*You will, however, every now and then, find a director that has expectations beyond reality at all times* IE full costumes or props on the first rehearsal. Then you are screwed.


----------



## Amiers (Dec 16, 2013)

clear mind and common sense are key. This day and age it take a lot and I mean a hell of a lot of common sense to understand people without. Listen, Observe, and say Yes until safety. Otherwise its like watching domino's fall.


----------



## gafftaper (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm way to late for this, but this is what I always say at the start of a tech rehearsal to the actors: "This is a tech rehearsal, it's going to be boring and you are going to be tempted to think bad thoughts about the ability of the tech crew. You have been rehearsing for months and are ready to perform. The crew has never rehearsed this show before. Like you at your first rehearsal, they barely know the script yet. They will catch up quickly and in two days they will be ready to support your performance with a great technical performance. But between now and then, I need you to be patient. I need you to not complain. I need you to be quiet while issues are being discussed. I need you to be willing to do the same boring entrance or exit over and over. Remember how frustrating it can be to first learn your lines or rehearse the first time without a script? That's where the crew is right now. They need your patience so that they can now properly learn their part of the show. Thank you."

Now as for what you can do as a student, Go to the adult in the room and *politely *ask them to give a similar speech so that you can do your job. "Can you explain to the cast that this is the first time we have done this and it's no different than the first day of rehearsal for them. We need them to be patient so that we can learn our parts too."


----------



## NewChris (Jan 11, 2014)

gafftaper said:


> I'm way to late for this, but this is what I always say at the start of a tech rehearsal to the actors: "This is a tech rehearsal, it's going to be boring and you are going to be tempted to think bad thoughts about the ability of the tech crew. You have been rehearsing for months and are ready to perform. The crew has never rehearsed this show before. Like you at your first rehearsal, they barely know the script yet. They will catch up quickly and in two days they will be ready to support your performance with a great technical performance. But between now and then, I need you to be patient. I need you to not complain. I need you to be quiet while issues are being discussed. I need you to be willing to do the same boring entrance or exit over and over. Remember how frustrating it can be to first learn your lines or rehearse the first time without a script? That's where the crew is right now. They need your patience so that they can now properly learn their part of the show. Thank you."



Wow. I really like this. I will remember this for shows in the future. This show I was ranting about ended up working out mainly because the drama teacher stepped in to help everyone along.


----------



## gafftaper (Jan 11, 2014)

NewChris said:


> This show I was ranting about ended up working out mainly because the drama teacher stepped in to help everyone along.



That's what has to happen. Unfortunately sometimes the Drama teacher is so focused on the cast and getting the acting right that they fail to notice the needs of the tech students. Print out my speech and give it to your drama teacher a few days before the next tech rehearsal and ask for something similar to be said to the cast at the start of the next tech to avoid the problems you had on your show.


----------



## NewChris (Jan 11, 2014)

gafftaper said:


> That's what has to happen. Unfortunately sometimes the Drama teacher is so focused on the cast and getting the acting right that they fail to notice the needs of the tech students. Print out my speech and give it to your drama teacher a few days before the next tech rehearsal and ask for something similar to be said to the cast at the start of the next tech to avoid the problems you had on your show.



The fall show at my school is student directed. This means some years they are very good, others they aren't. Normally the drama teacher is their grading and not being very involved, but then he actually helped. 

Another good quote to the actors/ talent is from Henry Rollins "Listen to the stage manager and get on stage when they tell you to. No one has time for the rock star act. None of the techs backstage care if you're David Bowie or the milkman. When you act like a jerk, they are completely unimpressed with the infantile display that you might think comes with your dubious status. They were there hours before you building the stage, and they will be there hours after you leave tearing it down. They should get your salary, and you should get theirs."


----------



## josh88 (Jan 11, 2014)

While I have always loved that quote I wouldn't ever say it to the actors in a setting where I was serious. That just puts out the attitude of the tech crew is the boss and the only people doing real work, it doesn't stress that it's always (or should be) a collaborative effort. Smoothing out tension to keep things on track is always a good thing, even if that means eating the words you really want to say.


Via Tapatalk


----------



## gafftaper (Jan 11, 2014)

Exactly Josh, unfortunately high school theater often develops a rivalry between cast and crew about who works hardest and does more. The truth is to have a show you must have BOTH a cast and a crew. 

A few years ago I had the amazing opportunity to shadow the deck electrician on stage during a performance of Cirque Du Soleil's Ka. Backstage in the dark every time a cast member passes a technician they fist bump. I have never fist bumped so many people in my life. Crew and cast are a team, that's how pros act.


----------



## josh88 (Jan 11, 2014)

Oh I know. I spend half my time trying to keep my actors and techs from screaming at each other and reminding them that they are actually all friends normally and they should all take a breath. I think the inability to go out and get a drink afterwards at the high school level contributes to all the tension. (Among other things, but that's what I like to think is the cause)


Via Tapatalk


----------



## cmckeeman (Jan 11, 2014)

One thing a stage manager did for Tech day was bring in candy for all the designers, programers and directors to help take the edge off the day.


----------



## gafftaper (Jan 12, 2014)

cmckeeman said:


> One thing a stage manager did for Tech day was bring in candy for all the designers, programers and directors to help take the edge off the day.


I've been amazed by the generosity of the more professional groups who come through the theater. I've had gifts of everything from cookies to a bottle of Port. Once, I filled in on a dance show running fly just on closing night. The director found out who I was and made sure I got a thank you card and $25 in cash. Again it's really sad how students separate and turn it into a competition. In the real world, pros treat each other with respect. In my theater I stress that the student stage manager speaks for me and will be respected as such by the cast. When the ASM is giving orders, they come from the SM and therefore come from me. It's about respect. In return I always give the crew a speech about being respectful of the cast, especially on headset. I love to surprise new crew by putting a headset on in a location they aren't aware of, then interrupt their pre-show conversation obnoxiously, pointing out that I could have been a cast member listening without them knowing. It gets the point across really nicely.


----------



## Les Engineer (Apr 7, 2014)

For thirty years I've bounced back and forth between "tech" direction and "story" direction (I'm not fond of the phrase "artistic direction" - it presumes there's no "art" in all the stuff we techies do, a very strange notion, if you ask me!) I'm lucky that I love both, and am equally bad at both. If more story directors would try their hand at tech from time to time I think we would all be better off. I know that when I story direct I keep tech beside me the whole way, and I make it clear to my actors that I expect us to be ready long before tech week. As an actor who prides himself in being prepared early and often, I wouldn't have it any other way. Good tech rehearsals give us a chance to relax before the big night, to have fun, take pictures, sign posters, worry make-up and costumes... - you get the idea. Hopefully your story director and you will sit down early and often and build a good partnership. And story direct yourself whenever you can. Tech directors often excell on the "other side." Best of all, from time to time you might find a show that lets you do both at the same time, a beautiful thing, when it goes well. It becomes like painting - like art - where you and you along hold the brush (except for your actors, but I know you'll choose mature, competent, hands-free types.) That, my friend, is pure joy, when you can find it.


----------

