Hey - Look! It's the
San Francisco Fringe Theatre Festival
Technorama addendum of
_Frequently Queried Queries_
* Do I have to provide my own Stage Manager? (my show is very simple/I'm
coming from Bulgaria/I find no one who'll work for free/etc.)
Regardless of the relative simplicity of your show, a dedicated Stage Manager
(SM) is ESSENTIAL to your experience at the Festival. Anyone who can help
you and deflect some items in the frenetic environment that is the Fringe
(even a NON-THEATRE friend or relative!) will be found, by you, to be a
life-SAVER. I encourage you strongly to find someone (not in your cast)
that is familiar with your show and can be there for every performance to
play this important role for your production. Without a specific S.M. you
are TRULY putting yourself in a difficult position - if for no other reason
than that you will need someone to handle things (see technician and fire
queries below) that your Fringe provided light board operator won't be able
to.
That all said, I realize that, given time and budget constraints, some of
you will have true difficulty filling these boots. Particularly for those
of you coming from far away, it's understood that one extra body can becomes
cost prohibitive - even if you CAN stuff them in the trunk. If you do not
have a stage manager -- let me know.
The two-headed bottom line: 1) If you do not provide a Stage Manager, any
PROMISES I can make about supporting your success go out the window (but)
2) Has this happened before? Yep. Did anyone die? No. Not yet.
* Is there any way I can find out my tech rehearsal time earlier?
(I'm planning my boat trip to Kansas City around it.)
Plan your trip (etc.), and give me the details through your HEY, WHEN's
UP? form (or, by e-mail, as things develop). Because of the variables that
go into making up the schedule, I simply cannot complete it before early
August. I apologize, but promise that any advance info that you can provide
will make everything work like gravy.
* Does EXIT have projectors/furniture/props/pianos I can use?
No projectors, though there are people that I can get you in touch with
who might be able to get you in touch with some people who might be able
to get you in touch with other folks who (ect.)
We have a rather Spartan collection of properties and such, and few larger
"stage altering" items, but I'm often surprised at the treasures
uncovered by nook-and-cranny scavenging around our space. If you have specific
needs, by all means, chat me up.
EXIT owns 3 pianos - of varying character and tonality. Each of our three
spaces has a designated piano designated to it. If you are planning to use
a piano and/or want more information about what piano lives in your assigned
space, let me know and we will have a lovely, informative conversation.
* What exactly can I expect from my Fringe-provided technician?
Coming into your tech rehearsal, the technician that we provide is given
two general directives: 1) Serve the show to the best of your ability, and
2) Serve the Festival to the best of your ability. Fairly obvious, eh? In
practical terms, this gives them a great deal of YES/NO authority regarding
the use of their time and skills and the space. As such, please treat them
as your primary Festival support and authority whenever they are present.
As hired staff, you should expect a high level of proficiency and congeniality
- though they will not all necessarily be "full-time technicians."
Good management skills rank slightly above straight technical skill in the
hiring process, but rest assured that all technicians will have a thorough
knowledge of the workings of your space.
In terms of time, technicians are only called (and expected) for the specific
2.5 hr time period of your tech slot and for the time period from one half
hour before to one half hour after each of your performances (barring disaster,
your production will have the same technician for rehearsal and ALL shows).
Any additional time is outside of their job requirements and both needs
to be requested directly from them and is outside the bounds of our pay
structure. Generally speaking, you will probably find them fairly flexible
in terms of their schedule, so appreciate both the times that this IS and
IS NOT the case. It is expected that you will not need to be in contact
with them before your scheduled tech rehearsal.
In terms of responsibilities, a technician is only required by the Festival
to make sure all tech equipment is working correctly at the beginning of
their shift, serve as board op. for their specific shows, and report any
equipment problems to me at the end of each shift. Everything else should
be considered your responsibility (though, again, it will not hurt you to
ask for assistance). Usually, it makes the most sense for this technician
to serve as light board op., but exceptions to this have been made in the
past. If you would rather have them run sound (or anything else), that is
certainly acceptable, but please alert me to this ASAP - particularly as
I need to both meet and approve any other light board op that you bring
in prior to your tech rehearsal. Please note that it is generally not acceptable
for your technician to run both lights AND sound for your show. Do not expect
this.
* Can I get any additional rehearsal time in the space before my tech
rehearsal? (And what about a simple tour of the space?)
Between 8/22 and 8/29, there is time available on each EXIT stage. Cost
is $30/hr, there is NO ACCESS to any tech, and times need to be specifically
scheduled through me. Despite the Draconioliciousness, there is still, often,
a high demand for these slots, so you're encouraged to make requests early
and to commit to them. Cancellations will be accepted up to a week in advance
without "penalty" - otherwise a $30 fee and karmic, sporadic nausea
will ensue. There is no opportunity for additional rehearsal in any EXIT
space prior to the 22th or after the 29th(that is, other than your tech
rehearsal).
On the warm and fuzzy hand, TOURS are possible any time between now and
8/29. Contact me to set up a time (please don't just show up, assuming that
someone will be around). And as always, catching a show at the space provides
a great opportunity to see your space in action.
* What is the Festival's policy on use of Fire?
ANY incendiaries (ranging from lit torches and larger fire effects to even
the use of lit cigarettes and flash paper) need to be approved (often by
seeing a test-run) by me before you become committed to using them. It consequently
behooves you to contact me ASAP if you have any thoughts on this - you don't
want your tech rehearsal to be spent debating the relative combustibility
of opossum sweat, now do you?
As ANY use of flames (even a small match or candle) requires a fire watch
(dedicated person on extinguisher duty during the entire time that the effect
is used), allow for this as you work things out in rehearsal so that, when
we meet and talk, you are prepared for flamy goodness.
Finally, actual cigarette smoke in your venue (being an indoor public assembly
room) is, for what it's worth, technically illegal in San Francisco and,
additionally, fairly frowned upon by San Franciscan audiences and their
haughty ways.
Other than that, no policy!
* This "marked" script thing… what do you mean? (And
do I honestly need to bring TWO?)
As part of more close-range, preparatory info that you'll get in August,
I'll provide some thoughts on good "marking" form for those who
would like it. We don't require anything specific - just make it easy for
someone who will have just 2.5 hours with you before your first performance
to read and understand.
The second script goes into my files and would be used in the case that
the original disappears or is destroyed in the extinguishing of your Opening
Night "simple fire effect." Having a back-up in the past has been,
as the kids say, "useful."
* I'm running my own sound - what's up with the 30 cue limit?
2.5 hours, baby - that's ALL the time you have at your tech rehearsal to
build and practice all sound and light cues. While the 30 cue LIGHT limit
is fairly stringent, other cue limits (as long as you are providing the
sound operator) are more like guidelines. Experience tells me that trying
more than 60 total (or even, say, 57 of one and 3 of the other) in that
time is somewhat super-human. But then, who the sam-heck am I to say?
* Ok, really… where can I store my stuff?
Ok, really… nowhere. With 10 groups in each space, there simply is
not enough room in ANY of them to accommodate EVERYone. That said, I'm now
opening the negotiation portion of our program - you must contact me by
8/27 if you'd like to discuss options. After that, I put my Hardass mittens
on and there will be ABSOLUTELY NO STORAGE AVAILABLE.
* No holding of the house - Seriously? And this "En Vista"
thing… I don't even SPEAK French…
I mostly just included this one just because I enjoy typing "En Vista,"
as much as possible.
No closing the doors, no kicking people out, no bullying the house manager,
no invisibility potion. All shows end on time, everybody comes and goes,
all shows start on time. Don't test me on this one, ok?
Got it? "En vista!"
* You'd really shut ME - sweet little ol' me - down if I ran over
60 minutes?
Yes. Yes I would.
Thanks for asking!
Amanda Ortmayer - Production Manager
mail@sffringe.org
phone - 415-440-8825
fax- 415-673-3847
156 Eddy Street
San Franciscio CA, 94102