Blog 22: Independent Component 2

I Jenelle Huck affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 114 hours of work.

An article that I found helpful in completing my independent component is http://www.stagespot.com/comm.html because it talks about how to communicate with a stage manager when you have problems and how to fix those problems.

For my independent component I ran part of the fly system for Cal Poly Pomona's play Avenue Q. This was a good investment of my time because in order to be a good SM, you should know what it is like to be a part of crew and know the struggles that comes along with it. This way when a crew member is having an issue you can relate and try to solve that problem. An example of this for me is when it was hard to hear the SM over the com. I told her multiple times that it was hard to hear my cues and asked her to speak up, but she didn't really change anything that helped me. This did not help the show run smoothly because my cue might have been a little bit off, causing the flow of the show to be a little bit off.

For the second part of my independent component I am stage managing a play written and directed by my classmate and friend Jordan Partida. This will be completed in a matter of weeks, but I still have learned a lot about how to communicate with actors who are showing up to rehearsal late. I even had to keep them in for 30 minutes extra because they were so late and we weren't going to be able to complete the task by the end of the rehearsal. This is a good investment of my time because I will also be training a freshman on how to be a stage manager for a small play like this one.


All of this together made for a total of 114 hours of work. Most of this being Avenue Q because that was a college level production that a lot of work went into completing. Any production someone puts on that big is going to require more than 30 hours of work to complete. I think that is why I like theatre so much. You really get to see how a production evolves through time and get to see the final product.


My independent component helped me with my EQ because actually being backstage at at show gives me an idea of how a SM should treat their crew. Our SM was really great at giving warnings as to when a cue was coming up, which really helped some of the crew prepare for a costume quick change. Yet, when it came to calling the fly cues, the SM could have spoken louder because most of our cues were during songs when it gets really loud. This helps me to know that when a crew member needs something from me as a SM, I really need to listen and maybe write down a note to remind me to speak louder during songs than regular scenes.

My experence working with Jordan and her play has helped me learn how to communicate with a director that is easy to work with, but also easy to get off topic with. Jordan and I are good friends, so it isn't terribly easy to stay on task when we are trying to schedule rehearsals or talk about a problem we are having with the blocking.

Both parts of my independent component have helped me learn something new about the different components that go into making a show run smoothly. I could not have asked for better experiences for my independent component.

Yes, they spelled my name wrong in the Avenue Q program.

This was the SM for Avenue Q. She took my phone before a rehearsal and took a picture in front of my fly system.

Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

Jordan Partida proposed to me that we work together to write and produce our own one act play. For me, this would include being the stage manager and producer for this play with Jordan as the director. I will be stage managing it from start to finish and Jordan will direct and write it.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

As you could see in Independent Component 1, I made far more than 30 hours. Yet, that was a very long play and not a 1 act as we have planned. My plan is to tie my experience stage managing our 1 act with hours of shadowing a stage manager in the booth during an actual production. This will not only give me more hours, but give me more than a one dimensional view on stage managing because by learning from being a shadow, I can apply those learned skills to the production of our own play.
 
3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

Again, by actually practicing stage management, I am bound to learn and grow from that. Also, when I am shadowing a variety of stage manager, I will get multiple different techniques and ideas from them.

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

Done!

Independent Component 1

This is a picture of the faries in Midsummer Jersey

• 
  
• LITERAL
  (a) Write: “I, Jenelle Huck, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 96.5 hours of work.”
  (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

"Sonoma State University." Theatre Arts & Dance: Our Season. Sonoma

Jeff Keane's interview helped a lot with how to control my actors

(c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours.

• (d) Explain what you completed.  

I completed 96.5 hours during the fall show at iPoly. This includes all pre-production that took place, rehearsals, and shows.    

• INTERPRETIVE 
  Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

There is no better way to learn how to stage manage, than to jump into it and just do it. That is why this was the best independent component I could come up with. I feel like this number of hours is very minimal compared to an actual play where they work 5 hours a day twice a week on rehearsals and they have more paperwork to do because they have rehearsal reports to do every night. My evidence could be my Stage Manager binder, or the actual show its self. 

• APPLIED
  How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 

Actually stage managing a show is the best way to learn about stage managing because it is impossible to sit in a classroom then come out the perfect SM. You really have to go out there and experience everything in order to become a stage manager. Practice makes perfect. One example of this is that when some actors were missing cues, I went in the green room and found that they were being so loud that they couldn't hear when their cue was. To solve this problem, I stayed back there and kept them quiet for a few minutes and chewed them out for talking so much. They did learn from this and I only had to go back there a few more times since then.

  

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

This is what being a stage manager feels like a lot of the time. Yet, I love it none the less.

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

I plan to spend more than 30 hours on my independent component by running every rehearsal for Midsummer/Jersey by Ken Ludwig. Not only will I be running the rehearsals, but I will also be running the technical aspect and overseeing the set and all other aspects of the show (except the acting, I can't act). This will culminate to more than 30 hours, guaranteed.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I will be showing the calendar that Hogan and I have created for the rehearsals along with a log of how long it takes me to make the charts and other necessary aspects of the show.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

I believe there is no better way to learn something than to just dive in and do it. I have been stage managing for the past 2 years at iPoly, but now that this is my independent component, Hogan is relying on me a lot more than previous years.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

I really do need to do this...

This is me by opening night of the show.