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Producing Christmas -
Production Management For Church Production
by Brad Herring
With Christmas around the corner, so is every Christmas-orientated production imaginable. This article is designed to share the insight gained from centuries of professional theater. The theater has a production person called “Stage Manager”, the implementation of such a person will save you headaches beyond your wildest dreams.
The idea of “Stage Manager” is a continuation of director, an extension of the actor, all rolled into a person that posses solid technical ability - oh yeah, this person has to be organized too, and did I mention have the ability to perform under pressure?
The Stage Manager is the one who holds it all together. This person makes every decision for the production - when to take a light cue, when to take a sound cue, how everyone reacts when the cast skips 6 pages, the person who gets the director coffe, helps manage rehearsals, oversees costume fittings, and oh so much more.
The church is the only organization that would even consider running such a production where everyone (the sound tech, lighting tech, actors, video engineer, etc.) make their own production decisions. It’s like having a ship with no captain. Without a captain, the ship would never get anywhere. It is the same with any production (I would argue even a media dependent Sunday morning service) - without a leader, chaos will ensue.
The first step is finding someone suitable for the job. This person needs to posses leadership ability. Not someone faint of heart or afraid of taking charge. The stage manager needs to understand that if at the end of the production they are everyone’s friend they have most likely failed their job - at the same time they need to not be a tyrant. The last thing you or your production need is a little Hitler on your hands. It’s a delicate balance. The person can not be on a power trip, but understand how to use power when given the position.
This person needs to be organized - there is a lot of information to keep track of: contact information, rehearsal schedules, calls, designer notes, blocking notes, script changes, attendance logs, etc. Sloppiness just won’t work.
This person needs to have an understanding of all aspects of production. Sound, lighting, video, stage direction, acting, directing -- they don’t need to be experts, but they need to have a grasp of what it takes to do each job.
Finally and most importantly the person MUST be responsible. They must be At the rehearsal and show early, leave late, and more dependable than your Rolex.
Once you find such a person, you can incorporate them into your production any number of ways. The key is that this person must know the show inside and out. When I stage manage I memorize the show. I know every cue, every entrance, every dialog - when an actor misses a cue I just know it - and react immediately. This person MUST be able to make good crisis management decisions in such a way that people follow without question and without panic.
There is etiquette to calling a show. First, the stage manager is responsible for letting everyone know the time. The stage manager works with the head usher to ”open” the house. This means everything is set, the stage is ready, and they can begin seating. No one else crosses the stage from this point on. Everyone backstage stays out of view. At this time the stage manager should make the “half-hour” call (assuming you open your house half an hour before curtain).
The correct way to make stage calls is the following format: “Half-Hour Please”, the correct response is “Thank You Half Hour”. It’s nice, polite, and insures everyone has heard the call. It also maintains a professional atmosphere.
Standard calls are:
Time of Event Actual Announcement To Be Made
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The etiquette continues with calling cues. Every stage manager has their own method, my preferred method is as follows:
Warning Light Q 25.. (This happens about 1 page before the Q)
Standy By Light Q 25 (This happens within seconds of the Q)
Light Q 25....... (A brief pause)
GO! (The Q is actually executed at this point - ONLY on the GO)
This method of calling cues allows for multiple cues to be taken at once, or in quick succession, for instance I could do the following:
Warning Light Q 25, Sound Q 15, and Video Q 2.
Stand by All those Q’s
Light Q25 and Sound Q15 - GO!
Video Q2 - GO!
The technicians would then execute Light Q25 and Sound Q15 together, the video Q2 would happen quickly there after - but with a conscious delay.
The concept behind this role is two fold, first - you have a captain. One person coordinating all efforts, but second it frees each technician to do their job. Now you have a sound tech not buried in a script, but WATCHING the show and listening to the sound. They aren’t bothered by administrative details, they are freed up to create the “art” of live performance. Likewise, the lighting tech is watching the action making sure the lights change as they should and insuring the look is consistent with the original design.
A good stage manager holds down the fort while making sure the show is executed as designed.
Are you interested in learning more? Sign up now for the Inspiration 2005 conference in Charlotte, NC. We will be teaching breakout sessions on how to develop a strong worship management team.
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Fundamentals of Audio - DVD
This DVD based training system was developed by Brad Herring - National Speaker and “Recording & Production” Editor for Technologies for Worship Magazine.
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