Since the beginning of Second Year, I have been allocated across five different shows, in roles ranging from Lighting Technician on ‘Balm in Gilead’, to a Swing Tech on ‘London Road’, to Deputy Technical Stage Manager on ‘Christmas at the Conservatoire’ (CatC), to an Assistant Stage Manager on the A2 Shakespeare plays. Over each of these allocations, I have gained a deeper understanding of the role of management, what makes a good practitioner, and my own strengths and shortcomings in relation to these. Drawing conclusion from my journals, I realise that there are three components to good professional practice – communication, planning, and collaboration – and it is my learning in all three of these aspects that this summary shall reflect upon.
Firstly, communication. From the outset, an ability to talk to members of my team wasn’t something I thought I would struggle with. Previous work has shown that I’m okay at expressing my ideas and having others understand them, altering my wording or phrasing in order to make these clearer should misunderstandings arise. However, as I noted on ‘Balm in Gilead’, my ability often fluctuates when I get stressed or tired. For example, there was an instance when a cue went wrong during a show and ‘the explanation of what had actually happened … was very poorly explained by my tired and angry self’. (1) Realising this, I have since made conscious efforts to remain calm throughout an allocation, and not let my feelings corrupt my ability to work. This was demonstrated on ‘CatC’ where I managed to speak through some issues we were having, resolving them without hassle. I noted that, though ’the crew member who had volunteered to be under the deck and tighten the strap didn’t actually know how to use a ratchet, I explained to them how the straps worked and how I wanted it done, and they were able to carry out the task.’ (2) Further, on the Shakespeares, I had to step in and run the room during a tech session when my H.O.D. walked out, writing that, though ‘I was not in the correct physical capacity to deal with the situation… I managed the departments within the room to maximise the time that we had remaining before the next show’ (3) All of these instances show the improvements I have made; not necessarily in the quality of my verbal communication, but in my ability to maintain that consistency whilst under pressure – something that had previously been noted was one of my weaknesses.
The Shakespeares also demonstrated the importance of good written communication. An incorrect running list ‘led to the wrong kabuki triggering at the wrong time and an actor having to quickly cover on stage’ which I reflected ‘highlighted to me the importance of … high quality and accurate running lists which serve the purpose they are designed for; which this one did not.’ (4) My personal understanding of the importance of accurate documentation was necessary when I drew up the plans for ‘CatC’, as I put great effort into amending them every time we found inaccuracies in the base venue file. I noted that ‘this tested my basic knowledge of Vectorworks and forced me to learn more detailed aspects of the programme’ and that ‘upon reflection, I am glad that we found the mistakes when we did, as had we gone any further with the planning process or into the rig with the inaccuracies still present, it would have slowed us down considerably or forced us to rethink our entire rig plan. In future, I will make sure to check the accuracy of any pre-existing plan before I use it.’ (5) By developing my knowledge of a programme like Vectorworks, and by dealing with issues when we found them, rather than letting them linger and grow worse later on, we prevented many issues that would have become apparent when we entered the venue. This, I feel, further demonstrates the importance of written communication methods, and how my improvement at using these positively impacted my contribution to the process of the project.
The second component to good practice is planning. As was demonstrated on many of these shows, it’s no longer good enough to just have a plan, but necessary to further devise solutions should any aspect of your initial idea not work. Working with Reece on ‘CatC’, we spent time devising different sets of ideas for issues that we knew we may find along the course of the production. I reflected that ‘It was this ability to look at a problem, settle on a solution, and set to fixing it that I feel Reece and I achieved quite well, and [our] ability to deal with any issues without making a big deal of their existence. We just got the job done.’ (6) This was a good way, I feel, to deal with planning issues and one I would like to reproduce in future as an H.O.D. This contrasted with my previous attitude, which was reflected upon during my ‘Balm and Gilead’ tutorial, where it was written that I ‘often seemed a little frantic, and somewhat frustrated by changes to the way something was planned to be done and to how it was done’, (7) demonstrating – in my opinion – that I’ve learnt from my previous errors.
Sometimes, however, the plan just works. This was exhibited in the Shakespeares when I was asked to build a mirror ball box. Rather than immediately start cutting and screwing, as I may have done previously, I took the time to draw a plan, class it in a way that all my parts could be easily seen and sizes taken, and apply this as I began to construct it properly. As I commented in my journal, ‘I drew up a plan and set about constructing … skinning it with tatt and installing half couplers on either side so that it could support itself on crossbars by the side … This was a really heartening experience, showing that accurate planning can actually pay off.’ (8) This made me feel more in control and minimised the stressful effect of being unprepared, something I am grateful to have now learned first-hand. This is a positive, productive way of working, and one that I feel I have shown my improvement on throughout this module.
Finally, the role of collaboration cannot be understated. Every member of the team is a vital one, and the ability of people to work together to achieve an outcome is the backbone of theatre. One instance where I believe we worked well as a team came during ‘Balm in Gilead’, where I commented that ‘It felt like we’d all reached a point of trusting one another’s competency and ability to get the job done that no one felt the need to micromanage … it once again made me feel like part of an electrics team rather than a Stage guy who is doing a turn as an electrician.’ (9) This demonstrates, for me, the impact of being respectful and helpful when part of a team, and the positive effect it can have on the success of a production. This was contrasted somewhat by Riona’s approach as a Stage Manager on ‘Twelfth Night’. There, I didn’t feel like I was valued and, as such, was motivated solely out of a knowledge that the show must be successful, rather than wanting to have our team do well. I commented that ‘I didn’t feel particularly respected or that my applicable skills were being valued … I was made to feel like an assistant of the Stage Manager, rather than an ASM.’ (10) I did, however, find positive reflection from this experience, noting that ‘I would say I have a greater appreciation for the importance of a team that sticks together and stick by each other’ (11) and I feel these shows have developed my team-working skills positively by demonstrating the adverse effects of having colleagues that just don’t want to work with you.
Progressing further from this, I will endeavour to maintain motivation in any team I lead, as this created the best environment for me to work under. For example, Reece’s hands-off attitude during ‘CatC’ allowed ‘me the chance to coordinate the crew and what they were doing. This was a great environment to learn these skills in, as I felt like I was actively learning how to be an H.O.D. and how to put those skills into practice, whilst not having the fear of being on my own without someone there to support me.’ (12) Having an H.O.D. who cared about my development as much as the show was great, and I would endeavour to take that attitude forward into further management opportunities.
In conclusion, over each of my allocated roles in this module, I have gained a deeper understanding of the importance of good communication, good planning, and good collaboration, and have seen instances in each area where I have improved, and where I still need to improve. Progressing from this, I endeavour to take the skills I have learnt on these shows and apply them to new projects, as I move into H.O.D. roles, ensuring to constantly reflect on my own shortcomings and find solutions to improve on them, in order to improve my overall professional practice.
Citations
- ‘Balm in Gilead’ – Part 3: Fit Up, Strike and Everything In Between (12th November 2017) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2017/11/12/part-three-fit-up/
- ‘Christmas at the Conservatoire 2017’ – Part 2: Snow Laughing Matter (13th December 2017) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2017/12/13/christmas_at_the_conservatoire_part_two/
- ‘A2 Shakespeares’ – Act Three (9th February 2018) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2018/02/09/act_3/
- ‘A2 Shakespeares’ – Act Two (9th February 2018) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2018/02/09/act_2/
- See Citation 2
- See Citation 2
- BA Production Technology and Management Formative Feedback Form – Balm In Gilead (27th November 2017) Dave Evans and James McQueen
- See Citation 3
- See Citation 1
- ‘A2 Shakespeares’ – Act One (9th February 2018) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2018/02/09/act_1/
- See Citation 10
- ‘Christmas at the Conservatoire 2017’ – Part 3: Snow Long, Farewell (13th December 2017) https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/JMcQueen/2017/12/13/christmas_at_the_conservatoire_part_three/