Diploma in Perfor

Performing &
Production Arts
Unit 12 Project Proposal

Candidate Chloe Barton

Name
Candidate
Number 358310

Pathway Extended Diploma in Performance and Production Arts (Stage

management focus)
Project Title Little Shop of Horrors

Section 1: Review
Two years ago, I ventured into this course believing I wanted to act. In secondary school where only
one person liked drama, I believe that it was my strong suit, and this was the career I wanted to
progress. However, entering BTA was a bit of a wake-up call, being surrounded by people who share
the same passion as I made me realise that these people wanted this “dream” so much more than I did.
In this industry, if you want to be an actress you have to be 100% certain and I was not. However, all of
the skills and knowledge I have gathered throughout this course have helped me reach this
understanding- It's been a two-year journey of personal exploration. During the course, I have taken
accountability over personal work such as vision pitches and Independent research projects, finding
comfort in developing my ideas and finding ways to present them. Devising throughout the years has
always posed a challenge to me due to my lack of confidence in improvisation and working without a
script. Nonetheless, events such as our successful SCRATCH night helped me harness my devising
skills in a way that was comfortable to me, using a range of diverse mediums- live music and
projections. My proudest moment at BTA was successfully producing a student-led musical theatre
cabaret. Stressful to say the least, but it has been a valuable learning experience as I had to manage
the acquisition of materials, delegate responsibilities (most of which I had to do myself in the end,)
negotiate venues and budgets etc. It was brilliant to see the event come together; I hope to have more
producing opportunities in the future. I’ve also continued my passion for musical theatre and dance
throughout the course by incorporating a range of dance styles into our Shakeslam performances,
giving Shakespeare a modern twist. I thoroughly enjoyed a term of Musical theatre singing development
where I grew in singing confidence and vocal ability with the help of practitioners. Since the beginning
I've also had a soft spot for Shakespeare so, being able to demonstrate this through monologue and
duologue work was a treat, using my clear diction to a storytelling advantage. Through studying and
watching a range of theatre styles and techniques I have found that my strengths lie within more
exaggerated performance styles such as musical theatre, Shakespeare, Pantomime and Comedy.
Highlighting show styles, I would like to work on in the future. However, during the course, I discovered
that I wasn’t just passionate about theatre, I loved business too so took it on to teach myself the A-level
business course. By the end of BTA, although I have not sat the exam, the knowledge I have acquired
by doing so has been adapted to my work, especially in my leadership and managerial roles. I wanted
to find a way to combine my love for theatre and business so for my Final Major project, I will be
focusing on Stage Management. Doing this will allow me to take a step back from performing and learn
a new skill that I have not had the opportunity to do yet while combining what I have learnt in my self-
taught business study with my studies so far at BTA.
Section 2: Project Concept
Little Shop of Horrors is a dark comedy musical that comments on the destructive consumerist nature of
1980s America through a strange and unusual bloodthirsty plant. I was so excited to learn this was our
FMP as I adore musical theatre and can’t wait to get stuck in, although I am a little disappointed that I
won’t get a chance to perform in the show. I knew from the get-go that my sustained research and
development would look very different to projects I have done before, as my knowledge and
understanding would have to be applied differently to an actor. My main aim of this FMP is to be as
open as possible towards design ideas, use appropriate knowledge and skills to create these and be as
much help as possible within the rehearsal room. My job is to make our Director’s (Lydia) life as easy as
possible throughout this process; During rehearsals, I intend to be on hand to stand in for any actor ill,
take notes to feedback to the creative crew and source any materials to aid the smooth running of the
rehearsal process. Throughout tech week, although not 100% certain of my responsibilities yet, I’m
anticipating being on hand to help wherever’s needed, ensuring a smooth run. However, these
responsibilities will be made clearer as we progress through rehearsals. I will be keeping track of
character notes and stage directions in a personal master script where I can keep tabs on everything
that is going on, meaning that if any confusion arises during rehearsal, I have everything tracked. By
doing this I can also effectively track our day-to-day activities and any progress or gaps that have
become apparent. Having access to a shared Google Drive will be of the utmost importance, giving me
those extra connections to the creative team and their ideas, and helping me realise a more established
Student Stage Managerial role within the production. My independent study will be imperative to help
gain a more thorough and sustained understanding of the show as a whole and its intentions to an
audience. I will achieve this through completing research and development tasks as well as those that
expand my contextual knowledge of the show. I shall apply these through design ideas and informing
logistical decisions that will be made throughout the process. I will hold a lot of value on peer feedback
throughout the process; I am there to be as much help to the cast as I am to the director. If there is
anything my peers need throughout the process. I strive to help them as much as possible, whether that
is through the provision of resources and making information accessible to them. Likewise, if there is
anything I could be improving on from their perspective. I am certainly going to value this and take on
feedback quickly to make my work beneficial for everyone; if I did not take on feedback, I wouldn’t be
doing my job.

Section 3: Evaluation
To achieve a successful self-evaluation of my work, I will be maintaining a rehearsal diary throughout
the process where I note down everything that has been achieved for the day, tasks that I was not able
to achieve and what could be improved. This will allow me to identify gaps in my working practices so I
can adjust my work accordingly. My rehearsal notes will lead to further development within my weekly
reflection videos, where I shall outline clearly what went well over the week and areas for improvement,
but completing notes daily will help me adopt a more Kaizen approach of small continuous
improvements. As we approach the end of the show, my personal evaluation of success will come from
how smooth I believe the runs were. Were quick changes achieved? Was every prop on the correct
side? Are the cast comfortable? Etc. A lot of documents I need to access as a stage manager are
accessible through a Google Drive, so I Intend to record rehearsal notes given on a live document so I
can update it, also making it accessible to the relevant parties, making my work as useful as possible to
those who need it. Being a live document, any changes that need to be made can be easily
implemented. I am most likely to also take notes on a paper script in case there is no Wi-Fi, or my
laptop is dead. This way of evaluation and monitoring will aid in my aim of making everyone’s lives
easier throughout the process. Time management will be a priority for me as I will be balancing a new
job as well as rehearsals, so self-care will be one of my focal points to ensure I am ready to do my best
work. I pride myself on having a professional demeanour in rehearsal settings, so I strive to continue
this throughout the intensive process by effectively managing my personal, work and rehearsal time
efficiently, ensuring I am rejuvenated before every session and taking appropriate breaks when needed.
Self-motivation will play a big part this year in my journey as I am not a performer and will not have the
same connections you could have with your performing cast. I would still like to maintain a collaborative
feel

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Project Action Plan and Timetable

Wee Date Activity / What you are intending to Successes and What do I need to
k Week do - including independent study Challenges? prepare for next
Beginnin week.
g
Intro To start our first session, we did a I’m feeling positive We have been given
ducti 5/02/24 group warmup that was quite about this project. audition material for
on movement-based, which was a great Lydia and Ash are next rehearsal.
way to raise morale in the room. lovely; I’m very excited Although I’m not
Firstly, we discussed what we knew to work with them on auditioning, i still want
about the musical and then jumped this show. I found the to learn this and work
straight into what Lydia called a “Poo- first session fun as, on it to give myself a
poo run-through.” The premise was despite the fact I was better understanding of
that we improvised the show from working behind the the play I’ll be working
start to finish with the context we scenes, I was able to on. To further this, i
already knew. We then sang through partake and enjoy all would quite like to
a couple of songs, getting used to the singing and watch the movie or
singing in 4 part harmony, which was improvisation exercises past productions of the
fun. We then got into groups and that we did. I enjoy play, again to build a
discussed potential what-ifs for the singing, so hope I can better understanding.
show, letting our minds wander with do more of this
the most outrageous ideas before throughout rehearsals
staging improvised scenes based on when there are no
our Favourites. Lydia and Ash then direct ASM tasks for
had a short 1-1 session with each of me to be working on.
us to uncover what we wanted from
this experience. As I’m an Assistant
Stage Manager, we just started
talking about rough job responsibilities
 in the rehearsal room. During
everyone else’s session, we put
together a Little Shop of Horrors
playlist and Pinterest board to explore
what vibes we were getting from the
source material.
1 We had a brief physical and vocal I feel like i have a bit I would like to go over
26/02/24 warmup before starting on the group more clarity about my the documents in the
singing for ‘The Meek will inherit’ I job roles now which is shared google drive so
sang the alto lines. Then Lydia and exciting. I also again, I can familiarise myself
Ash held singing auditions for the loved being part of the with them ahead of
performing cast so Katie (SM) took singing and hope i can Monday’s session. that
those focusing on backstage continue this. way i will know exactly
specialisms and gave us a brief Although, i do find what to listen and look
overview of what might eb happening staying within my out for during
for us in the upcoming weeks. She harmony quite difficult. rehearsals and know
talked us through what is in included I started creating the what I’m filling in. I’m
in a scenic design plan so we started scenic plan with ease also needing to make a
making them, honing in on our so i have no worries or start on my first
backstage focus, so i focused stresses about this at research and
primarily on props and audio cues. the moment. I think development
After lunch the cast completed some one challenge moving assignments. First one
partner work while Katie talked me forward will be being a weekly
through my roles and responsibilities remining attentive at all reflection video, made
as an ASM for the next few weeks. time in the rehearsal easier by me tracking
She told me that i can be working on room even when every rehearsal so far.
my scenic plan, creating a rehearsal carrying out my own I also need to start on
diary every lesson and making sure i tasks as I’ll need to be a research
track all the ideas Lydia comes to me taking notes for Lydia presentation to deliver
with so they can be forwarded to the and Ash as well as my next Tuesday
creative team. own for Katie. We’ve
received our
assignments to
accompany our show
work and our first one
is to create a research
presentation. I am
really excited to
explore my question
which is exploring the
differences between
different productions
and films of ‘Little Shop
of Horrors’ However,
this next week is a very
busy and stressful time
for myself as I have a
cabaret to produce that
is being performed on
Thursday, with only a
week’s notice of this
research task, I know I
will struggle to get it
prepared in time. I will
overcome this by strict
time management over
the next week,
ensuring that all priority
tasks are managed
 efficiently as equally
prioritised.

2 Rehearsal room: After our warmup My work on the I will aim to spend
4/03/24 and Check-in, we went straight into research presentation additional time working
our first ever readthrough, every time really aided my on the scenic
we got to a song, we played it which rehearsal room work breakdown to ensure i
really a gave us a feel for the overall this week. I felt like I have some material to
vibe of the show with our new cast. had such a more show Katie next time
Throughout, I was in charge of complex understanding we meet. As well as
reading stage directions. After reading of the play which this, I need to upload
Act 1&2, we discussed challenges helped with following the harmony clips to
within the script that we would have to the story and the google drive, both
change or work around, such as the understanding for the cast and in the
Jewish stereotyping within Mushnik’s character intention as creative folder to
character and what changes need to well as having a better reference. I will now be
be made with the gender of our grasp on the main developing my context
characters. We then talked through themes. I’m still feeling posters as i feel this is
how certain challenges would be very positive about this the best task to
overcome. Molly (Assistant Movement project. after receiving complete first to solidify
Director) and I discussed the casting I was my contextual
possibility of having Mushnik always interested how this understanding before
referring to Seymour as ‘son’ or ‘boy’ would affect the moving onto
but for Seymour to constantly remind rehearsal room subsequent tasks.
him that she is a girl for comedic atmosphere but
effect. After this, we all went to the everyone worked really
media room to sing through ‘Little well together However,
Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Skid Row’ as a I didn’t fill out any more
group. I really enjoy the singing of my scenic
elements so i joined in with this as breakdown, due to
alto as well as taking recording of being occupied with
each vocal part so the cast can other tasks. I’ll admit
practice with this. I sourced some that i did use a bit of
large sheets of paper for Lydia and as rehearsal time to work
a class, drew out our characters and on my presentation
key elements of their personality to and organise some
start exploring. As i don’t have a cabaret materials
character, i helped Jessie (Ronnette) which should’ve been
with her exploration. throughout the completed outside of
day, I updated the rehearsal log to be rehearsal time.
shared on the Google Drive. Theory:
On Tuesday, I presented my research
presentation which took much longer
than expected. I had talked for 23
Minutes!
3 11/02/24 Monday: We were lucky to meet our It was great to see a Moving on, I’d quite
Movement director, Sophie Cottle this bunch of movement like to over the stage
week where the cast started to come together. A design and start
explore movement/choreography for moment I loved was thinking about what
the Ronnettes as well as exploration when we made Audrey props is needed to
on how we achieve the effect of 2 as big a possible by achieve this. Better
Audrey 2 eating people. In this hanging fabric from all understanding the
session, I worked mainly on my different directions to space can help me
scenic breakdown which i am very create this awesome advise other members
near to finishing now. I thought it was silhouette. It has really of the cast if they have
best to stay in the rehearsal room so i got me excited for the any questions. I’m also
can still see what is going on and be final song and i think continuing with my
aware of ideas that are floating there is so much theory work and would
 around. For example, the actors used possibility form this like to complete my
a lot of fabric and materials in their exercise. I’ve found out creative response task
exploration so I’m already considering that i really enjoy being in the next week.
how we can achieve this props wise. I around singing more
spent a lot of time recording rehearsal than he acting. On our
videos to note what movement session on Wednesday
sequences had been explored for our I loved being able to sit
directors to look back upon later. I there getting on with
appropriately labelled them and work, while listening to
uploaded them to the one Drive people sing. During the
Wednesday: We had a singing white card meeting
Session with Lauren Davies where we there were quite a few
sang through ‘The meek shall inherit’ designs and concepts
and ‘Don’t Feed the plants’ as an that i wasn’t keen on at
ensemble (These I joined in with) and all, they were very out
then the Ronnettes rehearsed there and nothing like
‘Dentist! Throughout i was recording Little shop of Horrors
audio clips of different harmony parts has been done in the
and appropriately labeling them with past which makes me
bar lines, song and vocal part to be nervous for the show
uploaded to the google drive for moving forward.
reference. Friday: I attending the However, i’m still going
White card meeting in which Ethan to retain that positive
(Our designer) shared his ideas for attitude throughout
how the show is going to look. rehearsal and hope I
Theory: This week i have focused on can understand the
my Moodboards and contextual design choices in the
posters. I’ve started to consider what future.
areas i want to look into for these
posters as there is a lot that can
happen in a decade! I want to chose
topics that have relevance to our
script so can be applied to our
rehearsals.
4 18/03/24 Monday: The cast worked on lots of A challenge this week By the end of next
little bits. We did some choreography was trying to not get week i would like to
for Mushnik and son, Dentist! and the distracted during have completed a
meek shall inherit as well as working rehearsals. Not that I document or poster,
on some character development for get sidetracked by non outlining my ideas of
the gentrified characters. I spent time rehearsal related tasks, Audrey 2 so we can
helping people develop their however, I spend a lot view my designs
characters, recording and uploading of time watching and digitally. I also aim to
and labelling my script. Wednesday: observing rehearsals have completed my
In our session with Lydia we split into because I want to see timeline task by next
small groups, each with different the amazing work my week, to really solidify
elements to focus on while our castmates are doing. and finalise my
designer talked through ideas with I’m enjoying the work understanding of the
some of the cast. I started thinking I’m doing for small play before moving into
about how we could achieve the first Audrey 2 as it feels like intensives.
Audrey 2 before it takes human form. I’m contributing to
We had a lot of debate whether we something that could
should go for the idea of a hand, have a strong impact
which Lydia and Ethan (Designer) are on the show.
very keen with, or stick with a
traditional puppet, which I am more
fond of. After some debate we agreed
that we prefer the idea of a puppet
because logistically it’s easier to
achieve, however if we were going to
have to go down the route of a hand it
 needed proper attention and
development. We want to hand to be
very reactive and comical towards
events happening on stage. I also
watched rehearsals for Mushnik and
son which is helping me create a
better picture of how the show is
going to look.
5 Monday: We had Sophie back in I feel like my stage A focus for over the
25/03/24 today so a lot of focus was spent on management work has half term will be to get
movement and incorporating small plateaued at the all of my theory work
actions into a bigger piece. For my moment and I’m just complete. Also, if
work, I started putting together a searching for any tasks having the time, I
digital representation of how we can to do at the moment would like to make
achieve the plant form of Audrey 2. which is expected. sure i have two copies
It’s almost certain we are going to be However, being in the of the script, one for
using a hand so I’ve started rehearsal space is still official notes and one
organising my thoughts and design very motivating and I for making down my
ideas for achieving this. I completed jump at the chance to personal ideas and
my usual tasks of recording rehearsal take part. designs.
footage, uploading this to the drive
and updating the rehearsal notes.
there was also a moment where the
cast were rehearsing the songs and
due to illness we only had one alto, so
to even this up in the harmony’s, I
stepped in.
6 15/04/24 Monday[15]: Today was the first The fact the cast now Next week I aim to
day of intensive rehearsals so knew what the set have a more prop
would look like, during orientated week,
was mostly focused on getting rehearsals helped me starting on some
settled into intensives. The cast to start visualise the sourcing. I’d also like to
found out the set and costume performance space start taking blocking
and the challenges that notes in my new script
designs today so that was fun to may arise form this.
no longer hold that secret from Entrances and
my castmates. I started working entrances are
on a digital script that would be becoming easier to
understand now that
more updated to our specific we have the platforms
performance that the current in the room reflecting
one. I’m hoping by doing this we upon Fridays session, I
can use this for our prompt copy, feel I could’ve used
this much more
having the appropriate script productively, If I had
changes. Tuesday[16]: I had a wanted to I could’ve
meeting with the stage stuck all the ring
management team where we reinforcements in a
home, giving me more
found out our roles and time within the space.
responsibilities throughout the However I am finding it
show and I found out what tasks hard to find myself jobs
I would need to complete in at the moment and am
hoping this changes
place of a character analysis. I and my work load
was on hand all day to take notes increases in the
for Lydia which can be seen in upcoming weeks.
my rehearsal notes documents
which are sent to the creative
team. Katie showed me how to
do this and this responsibility
will lie with me from now on. I
also stayed behind an extra two
hours after rehearsals to
complete a mark out.
Wednesday [17] : I continued
working on my online script,
completing the formatting of it
and ensuring all names and
appropriate lyric changes are
made and then after rehearsal j
compiled the rehearsal report
and call sheet and sent them to
the relevant parties. Thursday
[18] : I had a SM meeting with
Katie. We were introduced to
how a DSM would take the book
and started exploring how we
would note take with our
specific set in mind. I also
discussed the prop I would be
making as part of my assessment
(Orion’s gas mask.) Within the
rehearsal room I had quite a few
small tasks to complete such as
updating email sheets with the
correct emails and sharing
documents with the cast. Friday
[19] : Today was a movement
heavy day, so quite quiet for me.
It was clear that after a week of
singing the cast wanted help and
advice regarding their vocal
health so am wondering if I can
organise a chat with Ashley for
this to happen to help the cast
preserve their voices throughout
the run of the show. I used today
as an opportunity to print my
one sided script and strengthen
it with ring reinforcements
which took up quite a lot of my
day.
7 22/04/24 Monday [22]: This morning I checked I felt like my design Once I've recieved
with Kris what time he has the dance pitch went really well Ethan’s new design I'd
studio on a Tuesday lunchtime as i and I’m excited to find like to begin sourcing
knew this would clash with out mark out what Ethan’s new straight away so I can
out later in the week. I let Katie know design will look like so I make this prop as soon
so she could resolve the problem. We can get sourcing as possible.
started exploring act two so naturally i
had a lot of questions about prop Tracking prop journeys
usage which I marked down for Closed for
throughout rehearsals. Today was a Renovation was very
quieter day so used this to practice difficult because we
my blocking language in my new don’t have rehearsal
script. In the afternoon I had a design props in the room yet
meeting with Katie where I showed so determine what
her all my research for the gas mask people were holding
Tuesday [23]: There were quite a few was very difficult.
rehearsal notes to record today as we
were going through some prop heavy
movement work, especially closed for
renovation which will be our busiest
number. Wednesday [24]: Today I put
together a warmup schedule for the
cast as each of them will be leading
the morning’s warmup over the next
few weeks. I started exploring how to
make a prop newspaper through
YouTube videos as i was told i was in
charge of creating all the paper props.
I also wanted to explore potential
designs for Orin’s inhaler. As I’ll be
making the gas mask i felt it
appropriate to look into this too. Quite
a few questions arose after
yesterday’s rehearsal notes so i
started to go through and think about
the answers i knew before finding out
that Lydia was going to be having a
conversation with our designer to
answer these. In the evening we had
a production meeting. This was quite
beneficial because it allowed me to
find out what our mic situation was
which then informed me as to what
gas mask designs would be more
suitable. It was also helpful to find out
about stage access. e.g. characters
wearing heels wouldn’t be able to
climb up the ladders. Thursday [25]:
Today I spent my morning creating
contracts for ‘The Meek shall inherit’ I
also made each one different with a
different company logo. I then did
some sourcing in the afternoon with
my new updated props list. Friday
[26]:My priorities for today were to
finish sourcing and to attend a design
meeting. In the design meeting Katie,
Ethan and I sat down to discuss the
set and prop aesthetics. I wasn’t really
needed in the majority of the
 conversation and Katie and Ethan had
a lot of sort together so I noted the
entire conversation so we could
ensure nothing was missed. At the
end of the meeting i had 15 minutes
with Ethan to discuss our gas mask
design where I pitched to him my
presentation. From that he told me
what elements he liked and went
away to draw up a design from that.

8 Monday [29] I was called earlier than I found Wednesdays Moving on from this
the cast today to help move props into session very point, I would like to
the room and continue our mark out. challenging. I was start recording more
Then I started work on my actor tracking many things sections of our show
tracker document as I had used the all while controlling the so I can reference
wrong script for reference last week! I music over two them later, to avoid
also read in for people who were different sourcing missing out on pieces
missing and filled in choreography which made it of information.
wise so the rest of the cast could incredibly difficult to
continue rehearsing. I continued my focus effectively.
sourcing sheet as well. At the end of Our mark out went
our rehearsal, we decided to successfully, and we
mismatch the show and see how far completed more than
we could get, this proved a massive anticipated, which is
morale boost and such a lovely great. Hopefully now
rehearsal room atmosphere. The we have retaped the
creatives also participated so I had a floor there is little need
hand at playing Mr Mushnik, which I to re-do it again.
thoroughly enjoyed. Knowing our new
Tuesday [30] : Today i spent some staging design will be
time in the basement, I painted our very beneficial to
wooden clipboards black for the determine entry and
contracts as well as sanding down the exit points in my
bike helmet that will be sprayed red of blocking notes.
Orin. When i had done this, i was told
i wasn’t needed for anything else so
headed back to the rehearsal room to
resume with my prop tracker, and
sourcing sheet for the rest of the day.
Wednesday [1]: unfortunately, Lydia
was ill today so our rehearsal was
slightly different. The actors did a run
through of the show while I controlled
the music as well as starting to take
note of prop journeys throughout the
show. Thursday [2]: I was supposed
to be in the basement prop making
but due to director illness I was
required to stay in the rehearsal room
while James Moore did character
work with the actors. in the morning
the room was very quiet so i used this
as an opportunity to complete my
document of all props in the space.
We then had a production meeting
where i was notetaker. We found out
that shadows aren’t able to be created
on our kabuki which changes quite a
few things in terms of blocking
 especially for the end of act one. I
have this in mind as a change we’ll
have to go through next week and
update in my plot trackers. In the
afternoon we watched our fellow first
year’s performances which was lovely
to see them perform. Friday [3]: When
working on my blocking i realised I
didn’t have a way to label the different
treads, entrances and platforms so
spent some time arranging these and
creating a digital version of our
labeled set. I then went and recording
some blocking using this. I also used
today to create some rough prob
tables for the rehearsal room. i didn’t
need to label them but I tried my best
to have every prop on the appropriate
side.
9 06/05/24 Tuesday [07] I spent all day recording Our final run-through Next week Is show
blocking for my book. i also spent a lot went very successfully week so I've just to
of time re-editing the script that we with a lot of our plot ensure that I'm as
were going to be using because It had tracking documents prepared as possible
a lot of errors on it. Wednesday [08] In being completed by wearing my stage
the morning I was called to rehearsals ahead of production blacks, bringing plenty
to note take and work on my trackers. week next week. of food and water and
I also compiled a bunch of NYC styled Starting to work on my my script. I’m not sure
posters into a document ready to be gas mask was very what to anticipate next
printed and used around the stage. in exciting week so It’s likely that
the afternoon I went to the basement my needs will change
to start work on my gas mask. Katie, so I will take each day
Ethan and I talked through possible a it comes with an
suggestions for the mask part until we open mind and try to
agreed on the visor design which I be as prepared as
was very happy about. I started possible.
marking out the dimensions of the box
on a special board to start making the
backpack part of it. Thursday [09] In
the morning I helped to move all
costumes from the basement to the
Roper room ahead of costume fittings
that day. I then stayed in the
basement to continue painting the
final layer son our green phones as
well as continuing my mark out for my
backpack cutout on plasterboard. In
the afternoon I cracked down on my
plotting documents, getting a large
chunk completed especially with my
prop tracker Friday [10] Today the
cast were tidying up movement in the
morning so I used this as an
opportunity to note the rough blocking
positions in my prompt copy. As well
as recording transitions So I could
note all the entrances and exits. This
proved very useful in the Afternoon
when Eden (Volunteer ASM) arrived
as I was able to help her with her plot
tracking document for entrances and
 exits. In her absence I had been
recording all of these which had made
her life easier. In the afternoon the
cast did a full run through will a lot of
the creative team present so we could
assess what position we were in.
During the run, I took note of all action
that happens in the stage right wing
as this will be where I’m stationed
throughout the shows. After
rehearsals I helped transfer all props
to the theatre ready for tech week
Saturday: I was supposed to be to aid
with the get in but was unable to due
to not having a college staff member
present so instead to decided to fully
complete the actor tracker using the
recording of our full run-through.
10 13/05/24 Monday: I was called first thing today The shows went Since the show is
to complete my Gas Mask prop which brilliantly as was well finished my main
took the majority of the morning. We received by the priority will be to
had a walk around the stage to get to audience from what I complete my final
know what entrances and exits are heard. Luckily there reflection as well as
like as well as looking at the health wasn't too many some additional
and safety of the set. During tech I mishaps and any that research tasks to
was placed in the stage right wing to happened would be support my ASM work
be on hand if anything was needed. unnoticeable to an
We found that the cast were audience. I'm very
responsible of their own props and happy with how the
SM interference wasn’t really needed. show has gone.
Tuesday: In the morning, we had a
stage management meeting where we
discussed what our tracks would be
for the show, following Monday’s tech
session. I found that a lot of my
responsibilities would lie in the SR
wing and would be ensuring that
Mushnik’s trolley is always tucked
away. We discussed the busiest
change of all which would be ‘closed
for renovation’ during this number,
multiple props are coming off stage as
well as the floor being ripped up and
taken off. Eden and I have been
assigned to ensure the Trolley’s and
carpet are taken off promptly and
stored in the Roper Room for the rest
of the show to save space. After our
meeting, i started on my props table
where I used the setting list to
establish scene numbers and usage
to then effectively mark out areas for
the props on our table. The rest of the
day then consisted of being in tech.
After ‘closed for renovation’ there is
nothing to do in SR wing so i sat in
the stalls and watched tech being run
as well as taking videos and photos
for the cast. In the evening, the cast
had their Sitz probe so I helped the
SM team with any last prop fixes that
needed to happen. This involved
repainting the soil blanket and
reattaching the command hooks to
our A2 trolley panels. Wednesday:
This morning we had another meeting
to discus tracks. There were a lot of
mic changes that were discussed this
time which did not fall as my
responsibility but were useful to know.
We assigned roles to do during our
interval change over. mine consisted
of cleaning all blood from myself, Lilah
and the tray and then presetting a
couple of props around the stage to
be used in act 2. We talked through
the day and Katie gave me a brief talk
on how to run tech. We decided that I
would take over tech for 3 scenes.
When this happened I communicated
with the team on coms as well as
running the room, maintaining noise
levels and becoming that bridge
between the cast and creative team.
For the rest of the session I stayed in
the stalls to watch and take notes of
anything that needed to be changed
on my end. In the evening, we had
our first dress rehearsal, I preset all
my props and did a shout Check with
Anna (ASM) before getting into my
beginners position which was out in
the foyer. Once dress was over I
started to preset all the props for the
following day Thursday: I got In early
to film some social media content for
the socials before resuming with my
preset. i like to make sure I’ve
checked everything before I run a
shout check to make sure nothing is
missing. I was on hand for the rest of
the morning for any off jobs that
needed to be`1 completed before our
second dress rehearsal in the
afternoon. I completed my track for
the show and then started to preset
again for our opening night
performance. The process then
repeated. I did a shout check, was
ready for beginners and the
completed the show. Friday: We all
got a lie in this morning which was
lovely! When i got to the theatre I
preset all props and helped stick
down the flooring after the fight call.
We then had our Second performance
to a sold out audience. We even had
the pleasure of meeting Director Sally
Cookson!! Saturday: We had a double
show day which meant a lot of pre-
setting props. And just like that the
shows were over. I started bringing
props up the roper room ready to be
packed away.