Saturday, September 12, 2015
Epic #Ham4Ham Lottery Shares 'Love for the Techies' with Help from Full HAMILTON Company Video
www.broadwayworld.com: Today's edition of HAMILTON's mega-popular #Ham4Ham lottery celebrated 'Love for the Techies Day' with creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and the entire company of the show, including production stage manager J. Philip Bassett calling the cues to 'Ten Duel Commandments.'
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It always makes me very happy to see any cast appreciate their techs in front of others. I kind of wish that they brought out more than just the stage manager, even though I am sure the rest were starting to set up the show for that nights performance. I really liked how they had the stage manager call the cues for one of the songs. Most people only have a mild knowledge of what we do, and activities like the one Hamilton did educates and exposes theatre audiences to the world of the backstage. It was also just a lot of fun to watch as you could hear the stage manager's voice almost constantly through the song the cast of Hamilton performed. This really show how technically complicated the show is. I never knew that there were two rotating tables for the show. It just makes me want to see it more!
Well, this was incredible. The sheer number of cues that went over the span of that song... I lost count around thirty. Stage managers are amazing. Emma Reichard, a freshman DP who hopes to be a stage manager has already started organizing the class's lives. She reminds us of events (like convocation), maintains the assignment board, and, by some miracle, got us to create a contact sheet. She is a fantastic person to be around and I look forward to working under her. Another Carnegie Mellon Stage/Production Manager is Rachel. Even though she's a senior, Rachel is constantly stopping by 33 and has become, in essence, a guide and role model to many of us freshmen.
Stage and Production Managers deserve so much credit. None of us could do our own jobs, much less collaborate, without them. They are truly an amazing group of people. A good stage manager adds infinitely to the beauty of a show.
This was one of the greatest performances I have seen. It is rear that the crew, stage manager, and technical crew get much recognition, other then a hand point at the end of a show. As an aspiring stage manager I love that the production of Hamilton decided to highlight their stage manager and show how much work they do during the show. Having seen many high school productions, you can tell a difference at that level of theater when a show has a great stage manager and a not so great stage manager. So the fact that on Broadway, which is full of unbelievable stage managers, they wanted to show off the talent they have is so incredible. It showed an audience how the behind the scenes works, some people who are not well versed in theater probably didn't know their was someone who calls all the cues, so having the stage manager show off and call all the cues over a microphone during the performance was a great way to showcase their talent.
This is really a great thing. I have been following Lin Manuel's Twitter account for a while now, and love seeing all the things he and the company do for Ham4Ham between shows, but this is definitely my favorite. As others have said, stage managers are probably the least understood profession in theatre to the outside world. When people ask me what I am studying in school, my answer (SM/PM) is always met with a comment about acting or singing and dancing, to which I usually reply, "Trust me, you don't want to hear me sing; I just make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing," which only sometimes clears up the confusion. My own mother didn't fully understand what it is I do until I walked her through some of my call scripts and showed her a video of a young woman who graduated from my high school calling a musical number. Suddenly all her annoyance at the fact she had to pick me up at inconvenient times from rehearsal melted away, and we started talking about how I might be able to go to school for this. While it is cool for people to get a taste for what we do as stage managers, I still kind of enjoy being the person who makes things happen without anyone else realizing I exist. There is a satisfaction in knowing that you've done your job well enough that no one knows it had to be done. All that aside, love the recognition for the Hamilton stage manager, what a great idea!
Wowza! This is incredible in so many different ways. At the beginning of this video, I definitely thought the SM was going to be calling the cues, over mic, during an actual production. Though that didn’t happen this was still a pretty cool video. I continue to be surprised at how many cues musicals demand, and then Broadway goes on and demands even more. Craziness! I love how all of the actors are totally behind this little informal showcase of the Stage Manager’s talent and craft, that’s the kind of camaraderie that reminds me why I love theatre. Side note: I think it would be pretty cool if there was a way to have a live video/sound feed of the Stage Managers calling a Broadway show just once a year. Maybe have a big screen on either side of the stage, and watch the SM in addition to each of the monitors they have. “The SM Experience,” I think there would be a market for this!
As always, Lin-Manuel Miranda is without flaw. While I personally would not want to perform in front of hundreds of people (probably why I'm a DP), it's always nice to see crew members get recognition. Miranda usually has fellow cast members or other actors in his pre-lottery shows, so it is very exciting to see the people behind the scenes, even if it is just for two minutes before the lottery.
The Hamilton lottery has become something like a Broadway block party, and it is truly amazing. I’ve never seen a cast so dedicated to entertaining their audiences before! Even if they aren’t paying for the show. And this particular event really means a lot to me. As an aspiring stage manager, I’ve always been told it is a thankless job, which is very true. No one gets to see the work you do, and there’s not really tangible evidence left that you’ve done it. At the least designers can present their costumes/ scenery/ lights and say “Look, I did this”. Stage managers cover so many different areas of work, most of it involving preparation and organization, but they get little to show for it. There’s no Tony for stage management. And so few people really know what a stage manager does, even actors and other technicians sometimes don’t understand the depths of the job. So to have the Hamilton cast perform with the stage manager live calling is amazing. Not only does it show that the cast supports the stage manager and the technicians, but it also exposes the audience to the hidden backstage world of theatre.
I just loved this whole video for a few reasons. For a cast to be so hyped up and interactive with potential audience members is just wonderful. The actors don’t have to take time out of their day to perform a small number of the show for streetwalkers but they do anyway, with a good attitude as well! But what really makes me love this video is how they appreciate their crew. The stage manager and crew of a show are looked over a lot of the times, which is part of their job to be invisible but to have the chance to show regular people what a stage manager actually does and explain that without them the show wouldn’t move forward is encouraging. It is a great way to show appreciation and teach non-theatre people who works on a show and what their job capacity is. It was nice moment for the stage manager to get some attention and appreciation. That type of thing would make my day whether I was in the audience watching it or a part of that mini performance in some way.
This video just made my life. Not only was it for the techies but it was for the stage manager. The stage manager rarely every gets credit for their effort with the show. They don't even get an award for all of their hard work. Watching the stage manager calling out cues during the song was just a great sight to see. The cues even went so well with the song that it could've been apart of the performance with out a problem. There is so much responsibility on the stage manager's shoulders that to finally get credit for it must be an incredible experience. I would probably being crying with tears of joy if I were in his shoes. This actually would be a pretty cool idea for a playground piece. The techs would be more of the center of attention and that would be interesting to watch from an audience's point of view who is not really familiar with the production team who works backstage.
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