great closing night pranks to pull?- Page 2

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 7:41pm

no, i disagree.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 7:50pm

Well DFW you are 100% wrong. Unprofessional and uncalled for.

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 7:52pm

again, i disagree and that's the great thing - we can all think what we want.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 8:01pm

Well, a professional is someone who is an expert in their line of work.

So if you are a professional stage manager, you are responsible for making sure the show runs smoothly both onstage and offstage.

Pranks do nothing but hinder how smoothly the show runs.

Thus, playing pranks goes against the stage manager's profession. That makes it unprofessional.

It's not an opinion.

*Edited for spelling

Updated On: 3/4/07 at 08:01 PM

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 8:03pm

nothing i did hindered how smoothly the show ran. i thought very hard about what to do and made sure it was small and not a hinderance, which is was.

not unprofessional, fun.

[Craig]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 8:30pm

aren't pranks usually done by the actors, leaving the SM to stress out about the cast becoming unglued. In a work environment, it's like the employees pulling pranks is unprofessional, but not unheard of. But a boss pulling a prank on an employee is a bit.. I dunno.. off

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 8:52pm

DFW, here's the thing. Obviously there are always shenanigans going on in theatre, whether it's obviously apparent or not. Pranks and such can be great fun, but they just don't belong in the theatre. In a place where people pay to see a live performance, it's just wrong for the audience to see a performance when things don't go right.

I once did a play where myself and a friend played sailors. During a scene, I would put my hand on his shoulder and give him a friendly push during my line. He, then, did the same during his line, and for each line thereafter, we pushed each other in a friendly, very in-character way, as sailors often do. It took nothing away from the scene, and to the audience, it looked like part of the play; to us, though, it was an attempt to not laugh. We had fun, but we were in control of our own performances, and it was in character.

Oversalting someone's food during a scene? What? What exactly were you hoping would happen? Would the actor carry on as usual, with a sour expression on his face? Would he audibly choke, so that you could snicker in the sound booth? What's the point?

What's the point of a prank if not to cause someone to scream in fear, flub a line, or even just give a tiny smile? Nobody pulls a prank in the hopes that nothing will happen because of it. Do you think people do April Fool's pranks, just hoping that nothing will happen because of them? Not in the least.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 10:57pm

I wouldn't flaunt being a prankster if you want to work much. None of the stage managers I have ever worked with or known would have put up with it. Especially the ones on Broadway.

Does it happen on Broadway? Sure. Doesn't make it right.

[Craig]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 11:10pm

" I have planned to put "racy" pics in Daddy's strongbox, "racy" pics in Lurlene's wallet along with a "cake topper" in her purse. "

I know very well that the theater tends to be a little more lax when it comes to sexual harassment - but given recent lawsuits on and off-broadway, and regardless of how close you are or think you are to your cast - you just never know, now do you?

just thinking out loud...

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 12:28am

Even I am saying that this is unprofessional and that is saying something.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 12:36am

Dallas/Fort Worth, Daddy's Dying Who's Got the Will...nuff said, I think. Prank away, it could only help.

[DG]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 12:53am

This whole 'professional' qualifier is being thrown around by DFW. I have one question - are you Equity?

If you are, and this was reported, you'd have an interesting time finding work. And if you're not, what is the basis of your 'professional' claim?

You're pretty much a defensive idiot, as far as I can tell - and certainly have NO relationship to the professional theatre that I've been involved with.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 1:38am

Agreed, DG. But even so, forget the 'professional' idea of it all. Broadway stage manager or elementary school curtain-puller, the pranks listed were just wrong.

[kelzama]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 8:52am

The poster claims to be AEA. Actors can get fined for screwing up lines and f***ing up scenes, let alone intentionally trying to derail the show. And he's an equity stage manager? Riiight. Closing night or not, exceedingly unprofessional.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 11:43am

Again.

Not.

Professional.

AT.

ALL.

[DAME]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 11:46am

Diva.. did they do one on you on your last night? Was Donna anywhere near your mug?

[DBillyP]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 12:54pm

Sueleen, I need to ask for a clarification: when you said "Dallas/Ft. Worth" in your post were referring to the extended version of dfwtheatreguy's name or taking a potshot at the quality of theater in Dallas?

[actor]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 10:09pm

Dfwtheatreguy, aren't you like 12 years old? How are you the stage manager to a professional show. GO AWAY!

[erikaamato]

Posted: 3/5/07 at 11:44pm

FWIW, I checked out the profile on his blog, and it says he's 30.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 10:53am

As an actor in Dallas, thank you, Stickto, for sticking up for Dallas theater. I was waiting for Sueleen to retract her statement before I b*tch slapped her.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 10:59am

Yea, but if this guy is a SM in Dallas, well then...


Good luck.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 11:02am

exactly, diva. high standards. high. way up there. like the f*cking stratosphere.

oh, i'm sorry, was someone saying something about the stunning quality of east bumblef*ck theatre?

please, carry on.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 11:10am

Well, you do know how many Broadway productions have come out of Bumblefu(k, right?







Wait...none.....

Hmmmmm

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 11:27am

The best closing night prank is having a good show.

I'm with the others here who understand that people prank, and I don't get mad at people who do it, but...for me, professional people value their art too much to prank with it -- even on closing night.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 3/6/07 at 12:12pm

May I see a show of hands of how many of you have seen any theater in Dallas?