Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am most proud of how much I have grown from my project. This project has made me get my foot in to door in my future career! I have met so many people that have helped me with this journey and are going to help me in my career journey.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.


AE       P          AP       CR       NC


I think I deserve an AE on my presentation. I understand that I was 5 minutes away from my 1 hour minimum, but every other aspect of this presentation was worked on to the max and I really put all of my knowledge into this.

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

I deserve an AE on my senior project because I spent literally hundreds of hours on this project. My research notebook is flawless and I have put my all into this project.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

Like I said before, I chose a topic that I am so passionate about. Being forced to get a mentorship has helped me meet people like Joanna Lopez, Linda Bisesti and many others that I have had the oppertunities to work with and will hopefully work with in the future. I have never had more of a craving to do theatre than after this project. My passion has really blossomed from this project and I could not have asked for a better expierence.

Exit Interview

Me about graduation coming up!

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

EQ: How can a Stage Manager ensure a show runs smoothly?

Answer 1: Proper Pre Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Answer 2: Fake it til you make it

Answer 3: Clear and concise cues

Best answer: Proper Pre Planning Prevents Poor Performance

Why?: This is my best answer because if a stage manager makes sure that everyone involved in the show knows what is going on before the show starts, then they can be expected to work together to create the illusion of a smooth show.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I knew from the beginning how important planning is for a stage manager because of my freshman year. Being in a management position in Infotainment I learned that production staff needs to have a plan on how time can be used to the fullest. My father has always said this phrase in any situation he could. This includes driving, homework, and chores. When I was researching about the pre-production that a stage manager does, I realized that with the proper pre planning, one can prevent a poor performance. I thought it was cool that I could take a part of my life and apply it to something I love.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

When I was first looking for a mentor I had a hard time getting theatres to reply to phone calls and emails. So I just looked at Cal Poly and they replied the fastest because everyone there really wants to help young people get involved in theatre and keep the art alive. I wouldn't ask for a better summer mentorship because I learned so much about how awful some people are and what it takes to be a stage manager in the real world.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

I think my mentor Joanna has been the best source for me. She has provided me so much information and tips because she is a student at Cal Poly. She really knows how to handle people when they are being difficult and she has such a passion for everything she does. Even the Production Manager at Cal Poly, Jeff Keane, said that Joanna has a great skill for stage managing. The second best source I had was a video from the University of Tennessee. It is a video of one class that the stage manager teacher had. I learned so much in a 1 hour video that I can not imagine how much I am going to learn in 4 years of college. The video basically taught about how to set up a cue book and how to think on your feet to solve a problem during a show. This video made me really excited to go study this in college and get into the real world of this and do it for a long long time!

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 17 - Interview 4 Reflection

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n2VLei6dMZxOjyZ8NQRln_Rt5X7e_qT_w4xPtzGVTTM/edit?usp=sharing 
1. What is the most important thing I learned from this interview?


I think the best thing I got from this interview is this beautiful quote from Hogan. "But I think that is what makes life in theatre fun,  the fact that every night is different." I really liked this quote because it is totally true! When I was running flies for Avenue Q, the first play on a main stage at Cal Poly I participated in, every night had a different challenge that we had to face under the direction of our fearless Stage Manager. Yes, in the moment, the problems we faced were serious and really scary, but after they were resolved and the show went on, it was kind of fun to have that adrenaline rush of "oh my god something could have gone terribly wrong, but we stopped it before it got there". I think the way Hogan said it was beautiful and it gave me chills during the interview.



2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?


I think that my favorite question I had asked Mr. Hogan was about a perfect show. What he had said about the impossible perfect show, I am going to apply to my final lesson. I have worked through this whole year to make a production, and I already know that it isn't going to be perfect, but I am going to be a stage manager while i'm up there and think on my feet if a problem occurs. I am going to aim to engage with my audience to the point where my presentation is real and organic and show my passion for what I am presenting. All I can do is rely on my confidence in this subject and hope the audience sees my passion for theatre. 

Third Answer

How can a stage manager ensure a show runs smoothly?

My third answer is that a stage manager must be clear and consise when giving well thought out directions.

When I was working on Avenue q, the stage manager did a really great job with keeping everyone busy doing productive work that would help the show as a whole.

I got a lot of help from the lecture on youtube. I also got help from my mentor ship with Avenue q.

I believe that this will be a very helpful answer to me because it is a more elaborate form of communication.

Answer 2

What is your EQ?

How can a stage manager ensure a show runs smoothly?

2.  What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

Proper Pre Planning Prevents Poor Preformance.

3.  What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

Fake it til you make it.

4.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

My first answer: My father was the one who has always told me about the 6 p's. He learned them when he was in the national guard because it is essential to plan everything out precisely if you want it to go dmoothly.

Second answer: Fake it til you make it is something my 5th grade teacher taught me when I was nervous about going in front of a large crowd to speak. She said that if you act like you know what you're doing, no one will tell you otherwise. This helps in stage managment because a lot of people rely on you to know what you're doin and how to do it well. 


5.  What printed source best supports your answer?
Fazio, Larry. "Stage Manager The Professional Expierence" Feb 2000. Page 13-14
6.  What other source supports your answer?

My interviews all talk about how important confidence is when calling cues and how much it helps to have everything planned.

7.  Tie this together with a  concluding thought.

Being a stage manager is all about time management, flexibility and confidence. Without those three, none of the cast and crew will respect or trust you and your skills.

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.

  

Lesson 2 Reflection

1.What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am most proud that my answer 1 is clearly communicated in my really pretty powerpoint.

2. a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

      P

     b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I think I deserve a p because I did everything that was required and o thi k I did it well, but I didn't exactly go above any standard.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

I liked my lesson 2 because my answer worked really well with my presentation.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

I would ramble less at the end of my presentation.

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

My answer 2 is probably going to be communication with everyone.

Third Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise? 
I plan on interviewing Jeff Keane from Cal Poly. He is the Production manager and is heavily involved with stage managers and their learning at Cal Poly.

2.  Verify that you have called your interviewee to schedule an interview.  What is the date and time of the interview? 
I have been asking my mentor for his number, but I have not gotten it yet. I will continue to bug her for the number so I can schedule something asap.

3.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.
How should a stage manager pick their assistants?
What kind of organization is best when it comes to the stage manager box?

4.  Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ (IC2, possible experts to talk to, etc).
What is it like for a stage manager to be confined to the booth during a show?

5.  Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 
From the perspective of other production staff, what is a smooth running show?
Whats one way to stay on top of checking up on the different aspects of the show, such as costume and props?

10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship? 
I have not gotten a new mentor since the summer. I am thinking about asking my mentor from the summer if I can shadow her during a show that she has coming up. That way I can see what it is like for a stage manager while in the booth running the show.

2.   Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
My contact was my summer mentor Joyce Hwang. I consider her an expert because she has been stage managing since high school and has been going to school for this for almost 4 years. She is very eager to help me with this project and does an amazing job doing so.

3.   How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
My "summer mentorship" did last until October, so technically, I did mentorship during the year, but I have not counted those as during school mentorship.

4.   Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours. 
My mentor is honestly so amazing. She is always answering my random questions and concerns. She is very patient with me and I am excited to be asking her for another mentorship with her. If things don't work out with Joyce, I can also ask my other mentor Johanna if she is able to help me out with that.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

Since I just finished my independent component before break, I reviewed how I think I did during my last performance as iPoly stage manager. Even thinking about my last show as stage manager now I get really emotional because I really do enjoy putting on these shows and it makes me feel nostalgic about all of the work I have put into Drama club. I will still be involved with Drama, but as Producer instead. This way I can better delegate tasks to my assistant and prepare him for my position next year. I just have to take a more supervising position in Drama.
Over break I really thought about how I did with my goal of delegation. Delegating tasks is a big deal for stage managers because there is no possible way for one person to do all of the duties of the stage manager. I believe I did an okay job at delegating. I know I can definitely do better next semester especially since I am being forced to step back from being completely in control.

Over break I learned that I like being in charge and that I am uncomfortable stepping down from a high position when I worked so hard to be respected. I also found out that sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone in order to let other people get an opportunity to shine. In my case, I have to step down as stage manager, and become my assistant's assistant for a show.

I would like to talk to the stage manager teacher at Cal Poly because my mentor suggested him and said he is always willing to help out a techie. I would get a hold of him by emailing him about it and asking my mentor to introduce us.

THIS will be what I am like as a stage manager. (the God mic is the mic that can be heard by all, like an over com)

Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

I am honestly most proud that I made time. I was very afraid that I wouldn't make time and I would fail completely.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

I think that I would have earned an AE on this assignment because I thought about what I was going to say and how it would flow together. I think I got a fair assessment because I didn't do this blog until it was too late.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?

If I could go back, I would try to speak slower and use a better visual for my presentation. Maybe something like a timeline. I think that since the next lesson is longer, I will be able to take my time and breathe between sentences.

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

This is the link to my interview clip: https://soundcloud.com/jenelle-huck/interview-2
1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

I spent my mentorship hours being an assistant stage manager in a professional show with SCSF. It was a very hands on experience that gave me a lot of responsibility and a sense of what it is like in the profession. I, with the other two assistants, was responsible for the pre-show preparations,  making sure actors costumes were right before they go on stage, and the post- show clean up and costume check ins. I consider the three people I worked close with to be my mentors and they were all very knowledgable in my topic.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?

I emailed the chair of Cal Poly Pomona's theatre department who referred me to Linda, the producer of SCSF. Linda then hired me as an assistant stage manager where I was basically doing whatever the stage manager Joyce told me to do. Joyce was my mentor and I watched what she did and how she handled situations.

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person?

I am very comfortable with my mentor! I have been fortunate enough to have such a nice mentor. Even though I am not currently working with her, Joyce told me to text her if I ever need anything. I was able to get comfortable with her because I spent so many hours of rehearsals with her and the other ASMs. They were all super down to earth and eager for me to get the most out of my mentorship. I pretty much had three awesome mentors at once.

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

This interview went extremely well! I met her at the restaurant she works at, and we talked for about an hour. First she answered all of my questions, then she kept thinking of ways to help me find research and ideas for my presentation. Joyce is incredible. I need to improve on follow up questions and coming up with better questions to ask in the first place. I know that because there were a few awkward pauses. I will fix this by being more creative with the questions I ask, and thinking about what follow up questions I can ask before hand.

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
I dont have a mentor currently, but I also dont need one because I have all of my hours done. I am doing the interview with my previous mentor next week.
 
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.  
A few areas i am looking into are the tools a sm needs and generally how to be a good stage manager.
 
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
 I think more interviews would prove the most helpful. I should just go to Cal Poly and talk to someone there.
 
4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.
What tools does a Stage manager need to be effective at what they do? 

Hogan sent this to me and it made me laugh so hard because its true.

 

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.

Last day of mentorship

This is not a required post for the senior project, but I felt the need to post about it because it applies to my project.

Tonight was the last night of "Macbeth" with the Southern California Shakespeare Festival. It was extremely bitter sweet to say goodbye to the set, costumes and props as the cast and crew took everything down and put it all away. 

As the first professional show I have been assistant stage manager for, I feel an extreme attachment to this show. I have had so many good memories with the cast and crew and will never forget my experience with this company. They have helped my passion for theatre grow immensely and I cannot thank each one of the cast and crew enough for that. The memories we have made will forever be in my heart and I hope to keep in contact with many of my new friends and hopefully work with some in the future. 

I recommend that everyone experiences a show by SCSF one day because everyone works very hard and gives each show their best.   

Please excuse the man in his underwear, he decided to be in his costume for the "Drunken Porter"

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert? 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. When was your interest in theatre started?

2. How did you get into stage management?

3. When did you know stage management was the career path for you?

4. What schooling are you going for to be a stage manager?

5. Do you think that you will be stage managing for the rest of your life?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

Me when everything is happy and good during the show.

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you? 

Something that has worked well for me this year concerning the senior project was that  i really opened myself up to new experiences with new people. I have met so many new people through my mentorship and I am really happy that I have met these people because they have given me so much advice about stage managing. The people I work with have made this a very positive experience because they have been super kind, supportive and helpful. 

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

I think that keeping up with all of the logs and wb pretty difficult. I should stop putting off the things I need to keep up with. I should also start actually working 4th block like I say I'm going to. The senior team really can't do too much to help my procrastination problem... unfortunately ...

Me when everything is going wrong during the show.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing that I learned from this interview is that you really need to have a passion for theatre to be able to be a stage manager. Spending your days and nights inside of a theatre takes a lot of devotion and discipline, especially when you have to watch the same show over and over again to get cues exactly right. 

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

Johanna told me that I should talk to Jeff in the theatre building at Cal Poly because he is always eager to help young theatre lovers. This one was the most helpful because Jeff has been teaching the technical theatre class at Cal Poly for many years and is an active stage manager at the same time.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

Johanna is an assistant stage manager with me at the theatre and is always with me. She is great at answering my questions and is qualified because she has stage managed so many more shows than I have. She is going to Cal Poly right now for technical theatre and is going to graduate soon and wants to be a professional.

This is the link to a portion of my interview.

https://soundcloud.com/jenelle-huck/interview-1-sound