# Stage Managing and Takeing line note



## TheatreSM88 (Apr 11, 2007)

I am stage managing the show Noises Off for my college and I was wondering if there are any productive ways to take line notes and distribute them to the cast. If you know the show it is quite line heavy. I just don't think that I am using a productive method. What I am doing is typing up the page number, the character, part of the line before what they missed and putting what they missed, messed up or forgot in bold and then typing a little more of the line. then I have noted behind it explaining it, when its needed. Then I distribute the notes in an email to the cast. 

So If anyone has any ideas I am up for almost anything!


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## u_dakka (Apr 11, 2007)

seems fairly thorough.
Good luck for that show btw - it's gonna be an interesting one. Ive seen it three times, one of which got cancelled part way through cos the cactus plant that got thrown in the air wasn't so much caught as smacked garry on the head. blood was spurting out apparently (i didnt notice), but the curtain came down a few mins later, with the music and the FOH manager came out to apologise for the show being cancelled partway through and we can all collect free tickets for another showing. Of course it being the show it was we just sat there and wondered if this was in the revised edition of the script.

andy


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## taylorjacobs (Apr 11, 2007)

this is very tedious but it works. put your entire prombt book in clear page protectors and get some transparency markers then just underline the lines missed...and now looking back on your post your asking how to give the notes not take them...my bad. verbally give them, it always works better...dont expect them to read beacause nine times out of ten they wont. just have a meeting with them everyday after rehersal make them write down what they missed blocking and line wise


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## Footer (Apr 11, 2007)

I have seen people to post it's in the past so at the end of the night they are easy to hand out. I'm not actually sure what they wrote on the notes, but it seemed to work for that SM. Just one more thing to think about....


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## soundman (Apr 11, 2007)

Sounds like your doing it right, it sucks but needs to be done. The way our SMs hand them out is 1/4 sheets of paper on the call board the next day, it is the actors job to get them and work on them before that nights rehersal. 

As far as giving them verbally that sounds like a waste of everyones time. The actor to get the last note has to stand there and wait while everyone else gets theirs and then there is the question of them being recoreded acuretly. The peer presure might help the cast remember to work the lines though.


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## TheatreSM88 (Apr 12, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the responses. I will keep those in mind. I did figure something out and I figured I would share it so that it might help someone else down the line. What I am doing is using an extra script that I have and taking the line notes in that. At the end of the night I am going to put the script in the green room and in the next day before rehearsal the actors have to come and check their lines and initial a piece of paper saying that they did. I am just hoping that they all actually check their lines and not just initial the paper.


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## taylorjacobs (Apr 12, 2007)

have them initial their lines...miht get messy maybe on a post it or sumthin


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