SM v. ASM

JP12687 said:
Depends on the show, i once worked a show, where the SM was..how do i say this nicely...an idiot.

IE- showing up to shows 5min b4 curtain.

I have to agree, with JP12687, sometimes the ASM does end up doing the SM's job. For one production, I ended up being the ASM. Now when I am the SM, I do try to make sure that as opposed to being my slave, they are learning the role for when it is there turn. Obviously sometimes, I do need a slave, but as a whole I try to keep to the above.
 
hi there. well for the past 3 years i've been ASM (or DSM as we call it). ive basically been in charge of everything back stage from scene changes to prob management and actor controal and curtain cues. the stage manager cues all the sound and the lights.
so if anything goes wrong back stage i generally get blamed for it. unfortunatly actors can be a right pain and screw up all my hard all work.
 
At our school the SM stays in the booth and calls cues, the ASM has a sesk SL and manages crew and actors there, then SR there is the SR Floormanager.
 
The AMS has been and always will be the SM's go-to monkey. The AMS's main responsibility is to manage back stage and make sure that the actor's hit their cues. I have tried to do shows without an ASM and I have regretted it. They really are a valuable asset to the show.
 
hi there. well for the past 3 years i've been ASM (or DSM as we call it).

D.S.M. ?? Ok somebody fill me in. What's a DSM ? I thought I had a real good handle on all things theatrical but that one is throwing me

As far as the thread goes, I'd love for someone to come call one of our ASMs a slave. Ha ! We have two designations, being an Equity House, ASM is just that being an assistant stage manager and usually running props and making sure things backstage run smoothly. Under our Equity contract an ASM is only required when we have a cast size of 10 people or more. We also use P.A.s < Production Assistants>, for smaller cast shows. they tend to run props and make sure things run smoothly backstage ( "Why Van, that's what you said the ASMs did !" Yes but P.A.s do it for less money ! )
 
I notice lots of young folks talking about how it's done at their school in this thread... remember that every school and teacher is different and run their programs on variety of levels of professionalism. The result is all these crazy differences you see in this thread and positions like the "cue master". I'll try to help sort out what S.M and A.S.M. typically mean in the professional and semi-professional world.

The S.M. is essentially the director's assistant throughout the rehearsal process, the most critical job being recording every detail possible in their script. Once the show opens the director moves on to their next show (they get paid to direct, not sit around and watch performances). The S.M. then is placed in charge of the show. It is the S.M.'s job to make sure that the show is performed the way the director intended every night... even if it's a Broadway show that runs for years. On a long running show, a director is occasionally called back in to tune the show back to the original vision. The S.M. calls all the cues in the show from the detailed notes in the script. Depending on the house and S.M. preferences, sometimes this is done from backstage at a S.M. desk and sometimes it's done from the booth. Either way, the S.M. is busy calling cues and following the script. The S.M. can't effectively also manage what's going on backstage as well... and so the A.S.M. was born.

No professional would ever call the A.S.M. the S.M.'s slave. The A.S.M. is the eyes, ears, hands, feet, and voice of the S.M. back stage. Some of the best S.M.'s I know have a limited list of specific A.S.M.'s they only work with. It's a team not a competition. The primary duties of an A.S.M. are to call warning's back stage, oversee props, lead the crew, and put out fires (literally and figuratively). This job and the working relationship between the two is especially important if the S.M. is in the booth.
 
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The SM/ASM relationship depends on the show, the theatre and it's traditions, and the two people filling those roles.

The last show I worked on had 2 ASMs (I was one), and the stage manager had me do all of the sweeping/mopping/cleaning of props and the other do all of her coffee/food running, and we both handled props and costumes and actors backstage. She kept track of all of the director's requests and changes and called the show from the booth, and yelled when someone needed to yell. All in all, our role was much more active and interactive, and she did her job from an audience seat and the booth.

However, while this was her style, I'm stage manager now and there has been no objection to me taking a more active role in the setting up process or directing from the ground with my ASM helping instead of slaving away alone, though when it comes to show time I still sit up in the booth with the board ops and call cues to my ASM backstage.

The last theater I worked with had the stage manager backstage calling cues and in between them working harder than anyone to get props and actors, etc. prepared to go on. There are a alot of things that effect the relationship. Take your own route as a stage manager within the bounds of your theatre's setup, and decide whether you want a slave (which you could prpbably get) or a helpful understudy.
 
As the ASM for pretty much everything in our school this year, I'm pretty much my SM's *****. I write things down for him, focus lights while he directs where they should be, follow a script and call cues if he needs a nap...I'm usually his caffeine supplier as well (technically, he just steal's half my Mountain Dew).

I might make it sound like I'm his slave, but it's a pretty good relationship- we rely on eachother as a team and it gets stuff done. He just tells me what to do more than I tell him what to do, really.
 
i generally found that the SM was in charge of cueing the lights and the sounds and the scene changes. the ASM is basically in charge of getting the stuff backstage done (i.e. getting the set in place and making sure that the side curtains closed and that all the rest of the crew are off the stage).
 
Shall we go to a different country.
As I was trained in Australia Lo these many years ago on small shows you have the SM "on the book" calling the show and making sure all the tech runs smooth. He/she might have one or more ASM's running props making sure of scene changes and resets and ensuring the actors are where they are supposed to be backstage. On a bigger show with major set changes and stuff the SM is on the floor bossing the crew and supervising the changes and the DSM (Deputy Stage Manager) is on the book calling the show and ensuring its smooth flow of the tech.
This is also how the pro and top end amateur world worked in the decade or so I lived and worked in the UK.
This of course does not mention all the work the SM does during the rehearsal period.
 

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