Maestro 5/24

[Jessica]

I'll be in where ever I"m needed.

[Justin D.]

SunnyD, who are you?

And put me down for a maybe this Saturday.

Click the WWW button on her message to go to quite an extensive resume.

[The Institution Theater]

[quote="Asaf"]SunnyD, who are you?

She's one of my advanced students. She's wonderful both on stage and off. But most importantly, like me, she graduated from the University of Oklahoma. (Although she probably graduated in 4 years. It took me 12!)

[Asaf]

WIth such a varied cast playing, move me from a maybe to a yes.

[gene]

I'd like to play, tech, or do tickets in that order.

[Jon Bolden]

Sign me up as an excited audience member.

[Jon Bolden]

oh! I would also be interested in doing the door for this if no one has it claimed.

[fbillac]

If'n yall ain't too full up....I'd like ta play with yall fellers

-Dav

[Marc Majcher]

Okay, here's our cast list for Saturday:

Asaf
Brad
Chris Allen
Dario
Dario's friend Greg
Dav
Gene
Jessica
Kathy Rose
Sunny D(eanna?)
Tom Booker
Wes

We're still looking for tech/door people, so unless someone steps up, we may have to to a little jiggery-pokery to make that all work, but we will make it all work.

Call is at 8:55 - Aden will start off leading you all through the usual connection/energy/character/scene starts stuff, and I'll jump in as soon as Kabaam! lets out. We're all ready to rock, but if anybody has anything specific that they'd like to do in the show, let us know, and we'll try to work it in.

See you all there!

[Jon Bolden]

I will run the door / tickets. I haven't spent the time learning the tech stuff quite yet. Sarah taught me one day but I think I need a tad more practice first.

[Spaztique]

I will run the door / tickets. I haven't spent the time learning the tech stuff quite yet. Sarah taught me one day but I think I need a tad more practice first.

Well, here's a few tips/procedures:

Lights:

Basics:
-Always remember to fade down and then turn off the house lights when the show is about to begin.
-Make sure the switchboard is set to two-scene with flashing enabled for the first set of light channels.
-Never have any light up at full unless it's not bright enough. Halfway is usually the best.
-Remember which channel does what. Even if the lights are labeled, it doesn't necessarily mean they correspond to the way the lights are currently wired.
-Always pay attention to the directors and never miss an out.
-Get permission from the directors and actors before the show before doing any rash lighting decisions.
-Turn on the house lights when the directors are looking for audience volunteers.
-In the event of the lights fading out when at full, put them at 99% instead of 100% to avoid fadeouts.

Intermediate Stuff:
-Have Preset A as your default lighting scheme and Preset B for custom settings.
-If you have time, change your lighting schemes while the lights are down.
-If the scene is funny enough in proportional to how long it has gone on, but the directors are a little hesitant to pull the lights, think about pulling the lights yourself.
-During any scene requiring an Oscar-winning speech, prepare a spotlight for the characters.
-Don't overdo colors. Having both red and blue at max in every scene won't make them any better. If possible, have red reserved for warm or tense scenes, blue for cold or calm scenes, or both for strange out-there scenes.
-Scenes that get 5's should usually be accompanied by celebratory flashing of the main washes.

Advanced/Experimental Stuff:
-Ask permission from the directors/actors before doing anything of the following.
-Make lighting correspond to the suggestion, depending on the location, mood, and setting.
-Scenes involving lots of rambling or a joke that requires no explanation should end with a slow fade.
-In low-lighting scenes, keep in my how low is too low: don't make the actors gravitate to a single light source.


Sound:

Basics:
-Remember to turn on both the sound board itself and amplifier below.
-Most music comes from the computer via iTunes. There are already playlists sorted out, including Maestro's default mixes.
-Test all of the microphones before the show begins.
-Never have any sound up at full volume unless it's not loud enough. Halfway is usually the best, and the sound board switches will usually click into halfway. If a microphone or sound is not loud enough, their are gain control knobs on the back of the sound board.
-Remember which channel does what. The sound board's labels are more accurate than the light switcheboard, but always check just in case.
-Keep the booth mic off unless you're going to say something.
-Always pay attention to the directors and never miss an out.
-Get permission from the directors and actors before the show before doing any rash lighting decisions.

Intermediate Stuff:
-Always play music that corresponds with the game and/or suggestion.
-For music not on the default Maestro playlists, use the iTunes search function. Be sure to have backup music cued up in case you don't find anything by the time the scene starts.
-If you are thinking of cueing music for music-specific games, be sure to only play music that you have previewed or are familiar with the artist's work.
-When adding music to a scene, opt for instrumental music.

Advanced/Experimental Stuff:
-Ask permission from the directors/actors before doing anything of the following.
-In-between games, you may want to have idle music playing to keep the energy up. I have a playlist of low-volume breakbeat music in iTunes with the rest of the Maestro music, but you can choose your own if you wish.
-If you are thinking of cueing music for a non-music-specific game, be sure to cue it before 2/3rds of the scene have passed, or else it'll seem like the tech person is asking for the actors to find an ending. Again, only play music that you have previewed or are familiar with the artist's work. The music you play should correspond to the genre (noir scenes usually have jazz, there's a Star Trek playlist for sci-fi scenes, and there's a dozen general musical cues in the Kabaam folder). I will not stress this enough, but never make bold musical/sound choices without asking the directors/players beforehand.
-If possible, depending on the suggestion and game, you can provide ambient backgrounds to a few scenes (city streets, battlegrounds, parks, etc.). Never let the sound effects become louder than the actors or else it'll become a distraction. Also keep in mind that you cannot play sound effects from the computer and play music at the same time unless you have an external music source hooked up.
-If none of the actors are doing it and the situation calls for it, you might be able to provide additional sounds with the booth mic. Don't steal focus from the scene, but simply help it along.
-Preview as much music as you can before the show to get a good list of musical cues.

And those are my tech hints and tips. Now, go forth and tech, my son.

[Jon Bolden]

Thanks David! That will help a lot. I am extremely tech-shy

[HerrHerr]

Thanks David! That will help a lot. I am extremely tech-shy

Tech isn't really all that bad. You just have to take a deep breath and then play around with the controls for awhile before the show. It's easier to have someone in the booth with you when you do lights b/c then you don't have to think about the audio. But there are ways to make audio easier. Ask us for help.

During the show, you just have to watch the directors--for lights down hand gesture--and listen carefully to the scene without losing yourself in the scene as if you were there as an audience member to just watch the show. Lights up/Lights down is pretty basic. Also, you are not ever expected to have a perfect show...in fact, you are expected to fail a couple of times a show.

You won't be as good as David when you start doing tech, but he's gotten a ton of experience and, more importantly, he has a fun time doing tech and helping enhance the show.

[Jon Bolden]

cool cool. Like I said earlier, I don't want to do tech this Saturday but I would love to learn in the near future.

[The Institution Theater]

Tom Booker's Tech Rule (a.k.a. "Mandatory Tip") #1:

Make sure that the lights are up on me. Everything else is superfluous.

Your Pal,
Tom Booker

P.S. You're welcome.