This week is the start of Tech week back at the Royal Court. Once I arrived at the Stage Management Office I was given a small list of things for me to do at points throughout the day, as well as helping S. Tryfan and G. Sharman down in the theatre. This included:
- Buy more nectarines.
- Print 8 targets on calligraphy paper - buy from Cowling & Wilcox (Oxford Circus Station).
- Speak to L. Walshaw about costume for suitcase.
- Buy 2 more magnifying glasses and cover all with protective paper.
- Print Ian's masks off of Word.
- Chase lampshade and smoothie cups. To be delivered at Stage Door.
- Varnish Lamp Base down in Sub- Stage.
- Look for Dad chair
- Contact theatre's for 3 x cloche lids and one silver tray.
- Buy 10 bags of pinball sweets for Paul and Nicola scene.
Throughout the day I was also called down to the theatre to assist in the Tech. This included running errands for the whole of the production team, and stepping in for some of the cast members onstage when they were not available to focus the lighting for particular scenes.
Tuesday 1st April was spent doing the same jobs. I was also asked by S. Tryfan to sort out all of the petty cash figures and receipts so that we had an understanding of how much money we had spent so far on props, and how much we had left. I couldn't receive more petty cash unless the previous weeks totals had been added up, and the receipts returned.
I then went to a Nisbets store in Shaftesbury Avenue to collect a cloche lid that I had come across in my research. When I returned back to the office, I started to ring Furniture Charity Shops, Theatre's and Retirement Homes in the hopes of finding a 'Dad' chair for one of the scenes in the play.
Wednesday 2nd April was the day of the dress rehearsal. The cast had already performed earlier in the day for the Tech rehearsal, so my main responsibility for the rest of the day was to assist G. Sharman in clearing and washing all props so that they were ready to be used again in the dress rehearsal at 19:30pm. I was dismissed from the theatre at 19:00pm, as the Front of House had given clearance to open the House and I had completed all of my jobs.
Thursday 3rd April - Tuesday 8th April consisted of the same routine up until 19:00pm. If I wasn't needed down in the theatre, I would spend my time up in the Stage Management Office going through the lists that G. Sharman had left me with. During this week I returned props that we had borrowed back to the theatre's we had borrowed from. One of the lists G. Sharman left me with required me to:
- Wash up the dishes that are in the Prep Kitchen and return in a box to Sub-Stage.
- Hot glue the watering can flower (outer two rings only)
- Buy more dark corn syrup.
- Make up a couple of masks.
- Order x 4 rolls of orange barrier tape and pink shopping bags.
-Get credit card from Finance and complete necessary paperwork for purchases.
- Keep a note of totals spent and send to G. Sharman and S. Tryfan.
Wednesday 9th April was Press Night, and was officially my last day as a Stage Management Intern at the Royal Court.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 3 (Day 5) - Week 4.
This week I was called in on Saturday from 10:00-14:00pm for rehearsals. Myself, S. Tryfan and G. Sharman reconciled and came up with a list of things to do and props to buy for the next commencing week:
Items to be returned:
- Orange Tree Theatre lamp to be returned when the show one arrives.
- Roller skates to be returned to Royal Court.
- Roller skates to be returned to J. Arden at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
- Take office chairs back to Central and Hampstead Theatre when production chairs arrive.
Items to buy:
- Towels and face cloths.
- Baby oil bottles that we can fill with black oil. Clear bottles.
- Pocket ash tray.
- Food colouring. Blue or black. Has to be drinkable.
- Crushed ice.
- Small jar of decaffe instant coffee.
- OHP plastic sheets for CCTV images. (Ryman's)
- Coloured sweets (Shepherds Bush Market) Tilly's sherbet fruits? Jelly beans? Peardrops?
- More filters/ herbal tobacco/ rizzler papers/ lighters.
- Pair of scissors.
- Lampshade. 80s style. Floral pattern.
- Tressle table with wood top and metal legs.
- Bottle of Macallan.
- Verve Cliquot labels.
- Strawberry bubblegum.
I was then asked by G. Sharman to source some cloche lids. I called the Almeida Theatre, NYT and ETT. I was given £50 in petty cash to go towards the rental deposit to borrow a cloche lid from ETT.
The next commencing week (24-28th March) was spent sourcing and buying things from the lists above.
The next commencing week (24-28th March) was spent sourcing and buying things from the lists above.
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 3 - Days 3 & 4.
Today I got to sit in on rehearsals at the beginning of the day during A. Scott and D. Cerqueira's line run. I receieved an email from I. Andlaw (DSM) the previous evening with the rehearsal notes, particularly for Stage Management. We were asked to source children's bubbles for one of the actress's to use, and were asked if there was any possibility if the colour of the bubbles could be turned black to match the design elements of the show.
From sitting in on rehearsals, it was A. Scott's request if we could find a step ladder to place upstage of the bus shelter to make it easier and quicker for the actors to climb. It was then announced that the bus shelter would have easily accessible parts for the actors to use to climb when it transfers back to the Royal Court Theatre during Tech week.
The next day (Thursday 20th March) I attended the production meeting at 09.30am, which meant that I was called for 09:00 to set up for rehearsals that were to begin at 10. The main things that came out of the production meeting were:
- To sort out Mr Scott's costume fitting with H. Waddington and L. Walshaw.
- To look for a gun that's whacky, fun and colourful. (Plastic)
- Intercome speakers.
- To see whether the theatre's flight cases could be used as the wheely tables.
- To find 2 more iPhones. They don't necessarily need to work.
- To source/buy fruit loops and coloured sweets.
- To buy bubblegum or gob-stoppers for Nicola scene.
After the production meeting, I set out to source and buy some Fruit Loop cereal for Mr. Scott and Ms. Kettle which was to be bought back to the rehearsal room immediately as they had not practiced the scene with food before. Once I arrived, I assisted S. Tryfan and G. Sharman in setting up the props table at the back of the rehearsal room.
From sitting in on rehearsals, it was A. Scott's request if we could find a step ladder to place upstage of the bus shelter to make it easier and quicker for the actors to climb. It was then announced that the bus shelter would have easily accessible parts for the actors to use to climb when it transfers back to the Royal Court Theatre during Tech week.
The next day (Thursday 20th March) I attended the production meeting at 09.30am, which meant that I was called for 09:00 to set up for rehearsals that were to begin at 10. The main things that came out of the production meeting were:
- To sort out Mr Scott's costume fitting with H. Waddington and L. Walshaw.
- To look for a gun that's whacky, fun and colourful. (Plastic)
- Intercome speakers.
- To see whether the theatre's flight cases could be used as the wheely tables.
- To find 2 more iPhones. They don't necessarily need to work.
- To source/buy fruit loops and coloured sweets.
- To buy bubblegum or gob-stoppers for Nicola scene.
After the production meeting, I set out to source and buy some Fruit Loop cereal for Mr. Scott and Ms. Kettle which was to be bought back to the rehearsal room immediately as they had not practiced the scene with food before. Once I arrived, I assisted S. Tryfan and G. Sharman in setting up the props table at the back of the rehearsal room.
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 3 - Day 1 & 2.
Today I went to WAC Arts for 9.30am to set up for rehearsals. Afterwards, myself, S. Hopkins and G. Sharman returned to the Royal Court to prepare for my tutor's visit and a props meeting. We all reconciled with one another and made a list of the props we had been asked to source for that week. Some were those that we hadn't already sourced from the previous week:
- Cardboard fast food containers
- Coloured cereal.
- Tesco/Asda vouchers.
- Drinkable black liquid.
- Skinning up kit - tobacco.
- Wicker Basket to collect from Central.
-Brightly coloured suitcase for Jenny.
- Books (Props store)
- Toiletries (Props Store)
- Laptops (Props Store)
- Hello Kitty back-pack for Nicola.
- Goldfish bowl/ magnifying glass.
- Cans of soup.
- Album Frames.
- Balloons.
- Large roll of paper for human target.
- 2 x large blue slush puppies.
- Water pistol that can fire gunk.
- 4 x paper masks of A. Scott's face.
- Glitter glue pen.
- Buy more caps for cap gun.
- Black blood bags.
- Show snow.
- 4 iPhones.
- Hotel room service trays. Plates + bowls.
- Bigger or smaller 16oz brandy glass.
- Confetti - rip up bits of paper to take to rehearsal rooms.
- List of props we have so far to show to Ian.
- Table/ Trolley.
After preparing this, I then made a further list of the items that we could go out and buy. The rest of the day was spent sourcing these items from stores around London. At the end of the day, myself and G. Sharman were introduced to S. Tryfan who was going to replace S. Hopkins as Stage Manager for the rest of the show's duration.
Tuesday 18th March was spent doing the same jobs.
- Cardboard fast food containers
- Coloured cereal.
- Tesco/Asda vouchers.
- Drinkable black liquid.
- Skinning up kit - tobacco.
- Wicker Basket to collect from Central.
-Brightly coloured suitcase for Jenny.
- Books (Props store)
- Toiletries (Props Store)
- Laptops (Props Store)
- Hello Kitty back-pack for Nicola.
- Goldfish bowl/ magnifying glass.
- Cans of soup.
- Album Frames.
- Balloons.
- Large roll of paper for human target.
- 2 x large blue slush puppies.
- Water pistol that can fire gunk.
- 4 x paper masks of A. Scott's face.
- Glitter glue pen.
- Buy more caps for cap gun.
- Black blood bags.
- Show snow.
- 4 iPhones.
- Hotel room service trays. Plates + bowls.
- Bigger or smaller 16oz brandy glass.
- Confetti - rip up bits of paper to take to rehearsal rooms.
- List of props we have so far to show to Ian.
- Table/ Trolley.
After preparing this, I then made a further list of the items that we could go out and buy. The rest of the day was spent sourcing these items from stores around London. At the end of the day, myself and G. Sharman were introduced to S. Tryfan who was going to replace S. Hopkins as Stage Manager for the rest of the show's duration.
Tuesday 18th March was spent doing the same jobs.
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 2 - Day 4 & 5.
Today's task was to carry on searching for the props that I was given in my list from the previous day. Additionally, I was asked to look for intercom speakers for one of the scenes in the play. I created a Microsoft Word Document of the speakers that I had found in my searches.
The following companies were those that I had made a list of and contacted in the hopes of finding plastic brandy glasses.
- PoshPlastics
- Alliance Online
- Plastico
- Party Plastics
- The Alternative Glass Company
I had no luck with any of these companies. As a result, I broadened my search to catering companies throughout London which included:
- Smiths Catering London
- Penni Black Catering Services
- Cooks and Partners Ltd
- The London Catering Company
I had no luck with any of these companies. As a result, I broadened my search to catering companies throughout London which included:
- Smiths Catering London
- Penni Black Catering Services
- Cooks and Partners Ltd
- The London Catering Company
After speaking with the Assistant Director, it was bought to our attention that the roller skates that we need to buy for one of the actress's have to be indoor skates. This is due to the raised and slippery floor in the set. As the skates had to be bought ASAP, my main job that day was to contact the companies I had found and ask if they sold softer wheels and/or if the skates they sell have replaceable wheels.
On Day 5 (Friday 14th March), I came in to rehearsals for 14:11pm. The day consisted of me completing the tasks from the previous day which included ringing skating and catering companies.
On Day 5 (Friday 14th March), I came in to rehearsals for 14:11pm. The day consisted of me completing the tasks from the previous day which included ringing skating and catering companies.
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 2 - Day 3.
Today I was sent straight out of rehearsals to go and buy some protective pads for one of the actress's who is required to roller skate in one of her scenes. I went to Lillywhites in Regent Street, London.
When I returned back to WAC Arts, I was given another list of props to source after G. Sharman's meeting with the set and costume designers.
- Rollerblades. (Quad Skates) Stick to colour scheme of the costumes.
- Plastic brandy glasses. (I contacted the English National Opera and GET Melamine)
- Herbal smoking kit. Honeyrose. Herbal cigarettes.
- Tesco/Asda vouchers for peaches.
- Drinkable black liquid.
- To print photos onto acetate paper.
- To fill blood bags with black ink that can explode. Ink must be washable.
- Pipet to be used as the pen in Louis scene.
- Contact plastic companies.
- Find CCTV images of couples in hotels. From a height. In a hotel, lobby, room, corridor.
- Foam ball to replace peaches at the beginning of the play.
I created a Microsoft Word Document for all of the props that I had found in my internet searching that day.
When I returned back to WAC Arts, I was given another list of props to source after G. Sharman's meeting with the set and costume designers.
- Rollerblades. (Quad Skates) Stick to colour scheme of the costumes.
- Plastic brandy glasses. (I contacted the English National Opera and GET Melamine)
- Herbal smoking kit. Honeyrose. Herbal cigarettes.
- Tesco/Asda vouchers for peaches.
- Drinkable black liquid.
- To print photos onto acetate paper.
- To fill blood bags with black ink that can explode. Ink must be washable.
- Pipet to be used as the pen in Louis scene.
- Contact plastic companies.
- Find CCTV images of couples in hotels. From a height. In a hotel, lobby, room, corridor.
- Foam ball to replace peaches at the beginning of the play.
I created a Microsoft Word Document for all of the props that I had found in my internet searching that day.
Royal Court - Birdland. Week 2 - Day 2.
Today I was in charge of setting up the rehearsal room before the cast, the director and the assistant director arrived. This included preparing a basic lay out of tea/coffee/water and snacks. This was a job that I was asked to be responsible for for the rest of the rehearsal process.
Once the rehearsals had begun, myself, S. Hopkins and G. Sharman stepped outside and collaborated on the props that we were going to be looking for that day. I was given my own list of things to find, which included:
- 2 x polycarbonate brandy glasses (1 small & 1 big)
- to carry on looking for companies that sold swivel chair bases with brakes for the shell chairs that the production team had ordered.
- range of iPhones for Louie scene.
- Joke ink pen.
- to buy some peaches for the opening scene.
Once the rehearsals had begun, myself, S. Hopkins and G. Sharman stepped outside and collaborated on the props that we were going to be looking for that day. I was given my own list of things to find, which included:
- 2 x polycarbonate brandy glasses (1 small & 1 big)
- to carry on looking for companies that sold swivel chair bases with brakes for the shell chairs that the production team had ordered.
- range of iPhones for Louie scene.
- Joke ink pen.
- to buy some peaches for the opening scene.
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