One of the things I quickly learned when I took over as Executive Director of the Como Lake Players Theater in St. Paul was the importance of the Stage Manager’s Weekend Report.

Before you do anything on a Monday morning–grab some coffee, check the mail–you read the Stage Manager’s Weekend Report.

When I was running my own little theater in New York (with my dreaded ex), I was also the Stage Manager (when I wasn’t on stage), so that Stage Manager’s report was more of a mental to-do list, rather than a formal report.

However, you can learn a lot about the state of a theater company by reading the Stage Manager’s report of what transpired over the weekend.

Here are highlights from the report which greeted me upon my arrival at the theater this morning along with my annotated notes:

GENERAL
Three good shows this weekend. No walkouts that I could see. The only audience incident was on Saturday, when one audience member was shushed for repeatedly talking during the show, saying things like “Who is that again?”, “What did she say?” and (more than once) “Oh, I don’t like where this is headed.” The patron appeared to be quite elderly and eventually either quieted down or fell asleep.
This is an ongoing issue with the theater. It may be a result of our unique audience demographics. When I first asked who was our average audience member, I was told “It’s a seventy year-old woman who has brought her mother.” That’s an exaggeration, but not by much.

TECHNICAL
-No issues with the light board – the problem with fixture 29c seems to have been resolved.
-We are still having problems with the doorbell; it works about 4 out of 5 times. I’ve instructed the cast to simply knock on the door if the bell isn’t working, but one of the actors (I think you will know who it was) said she cannot have major changes like that to a show in mid-run. (Quote: “If, as a homeowner, my front door bell does not work, I would comment on that. It makes no sense for a door bell to be used in Act One, and then people start knocking in Act Two”). Can you please have props check the bell again?
Yes, I do know who the Stage Manager is referring to. You always have one actor like that in every cast. Fortunately, the play only runs for three weekends. I have instructed our props person to simply buy a new doorbell. And also to install an actual door knocker.

CAST
-See above (re: doorbell issue)
-I needed to remind the cast (again!) not to use the lobby bathrooms during the show. This time, the flushing sound (which seems to be getting louder) came right in the middle of someone’s favorite monologue (you can probably guess who). Unfortunately, the errant sound effect produced a pretty good laugh from the audience. I will remind the cast about the rule before next Friday’s show.
I actually don’t blame the cast on this one. The bathroom downstairs in the dressing room looks like it’s from a Turkish prison. I really need to find money in the budget to re-do it, but I’m also trying to find enough cash to fix all the pot holes in the parking lot. I have to pick my battles.

CONCESSIONS
Sales were good all three days. Still getting complaints about the quality of the white wine, although that does not seem to have diminished sales.
I concur. We have to upgrade the quality of the wine, although as indicated, sales don’t seem to require it.

These examples are pretty typical of the issues I’ve run into since taking over the Executive Director role here at the theater: Dealing with noisy audience members, crabby actors and a building that is (in some instances) literally crumbling around me.

On a related note, I’m having the time of my life!

Giveaway: Tell us, what is the favorite community theater play you’ve seen and what made it wonderful? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a Kindle copy of Acting Can Be Murder. The giveaway ends November 6, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read more about Leah in Acting Can Be Murder, the first book in the NEW “Como Lake Players” mystery series.

The Phrase “Dying On Stage” Takes on a Whole New Meaning

After fleeing a failed relationship in New York, actress Leah Sexton finds herself as the new Executive Director of the Como Lake Players–a small community theater nestled in a sleepy St. Paul neighborhood. The initial calm of this new position is shattered immediately when a local critic–who had just panned the theater’s latest production–is found murdered on the show’s set.

On the heels of this grisly discovery, the show’s lead actress tumbles down a flight of stairs–or was she pushed? In order to keep the show running and the theater afloat, Leah offers to step into the leading role. The arrival of her ex-boyfriend amid anonymous threats against her and the show require Leah to act as if her life depends on it. Because it does.

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Meet the author
Like her fictional hero, Bobbie Raymond also abandoned life as an actress in New York City and returned to the Twin Cities to start anew. While she didn’t take over a non-profit community theater, she did jump back into the non-profit world, where she happily spends her daytime hours.

Bobbie lives in St. Paul, not far from where the Como Lake Players theater would stand—if it actually existed. And on rare occasions, she still finds herself treading the boards with other local community theater actors.

She lives in a cluttered old house with an endlessly patient life partner and way too many cats.

All comments are welcomed.