Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 December 18

= December 18 =

Stage Manager....Assistant Stage Manager???
In a formal, large-scale theatrical production.....what are the differences in duties between the Stage Manager vs. the Assistant Stage Manager? --Bddmagic (talk) 03:14, 18 December 2013 (UTC)


 * See Stage manager and Assistant stage manager.--Shantavira|feed me 12:46, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Well for one, a stage manager will be union in a large scale production, but the assistant may not be (but generally is). The basic job of the stage manger during the rehearsals and during the show differ greatly while running along the same lines. In rehearsal the stage manager runs the site as an assistant director and has authority over the management of the stage production while actors are present. The assistant will usually take on smaller tasks such as taking notes for the SM and assisting with the placement and tracking of props which will be part of their production duties during the show. Stage managers will "call the show". They will be in contact with or in the same room with the lighting and sound techs who take their cues from the calls given by the stage manager. The lights come up and dim at the SM's call. ASM's will work back stage and help assist with props placement as well as set cue changes and other tasks to keep the show running seamlessly. I have had the pleasure of ASming in a large theatre and SMing at a small theatre. Both were very interesting jobs.--Mark Miller (talk) 13:40, 18 December 2013 (UTC)


 * What does " will be union" mean, Mark? --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  06:34, 19 December 2013 (UTC)
 * A member of a labor union.  Hot Stop   06:39, 19 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Couldn't everybody involved be members of a union? How does union membership translate into some sort of duty?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  07:10, 19 December 2013 (UTC)
 * In the United States (not sure about elsewhere), many people who work "behind the scenes" in the theater, TV, and movie industries must belong to certain unions in order to be hired. I believe Mark is saying that the stage manager must belong to the union, while the assistant stage manager usually does, but may not.OldTimeNESter (talk) 21:54, 19 December 2013 (UTC)
 * OK, I get it now, thanks. But that is still a pre-requisite for being hired, not some duty one performs as part of one's job.  No?  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:13, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

Posy Simmonds's "Gemma Bovary"
When did "The Guardian's" serialization of this cartoon strip begin and when did it end please? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.112.189.180 (talk) 10:43, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Surprisingly difficult to answer. There were about 100 weekly episodes and it was anthologised in 1999, suggesting 1996 or 97 as a start date - but I haven't found anything more specific.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:14, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

Actor linking Ro(m)y Sch(n)eider
It's totally forgotten that Romy & Roy were about to play a couple in Michael Cimino's 1977 film project Perfect Strangers when it was cancelled (somewhat unfortunate, but so he could move on and shoot The Deer Hunter). But otherwise, it seems they didn't have anything to do with each other. They did not appear on screen together in any actual film, but is there an actor or actress who did so with any of the two? My search at Take11, findthebacon and oracleofbacon was negative, but each of those databases is way to incomplete and/or restrictes to give any reliable results. Still it seems quite unlikely. Any ides? --KnightMove (talk) 10:50, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * The Oracle of Bacon does suggest Friedrich von Ledebur as the linking actor. He and Romy Schneider were in Ludwig (though his part is uncredited according to IMDb). Von Ledebur and Roy Scheider were both in Sorcerer. (Some more fun with the Ro_ S_ei_ers: Gary Busey links Rod Steiger and Roy Scheider, while Rod Steiger and Romy Schneider played an (unhappily) married couple in Dirty Hands). ---Sluzzelin talk  13:08, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

name for warbling singing style
What's the name for the singing style one can hear here, for example, where the singer fluctuates all about a note? It seems to be symptomatic of bad singers and people assigned to sing the Star Spangled Banner, especially. Thanks.
 * Melisma --Viennese Waltz 22:37, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Great! And the article is not only informative, but has relevant commentary. Melisma. μηδείς (talk) 23:07, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
 * This subject seems to come up every year about this time, due to them angels we have heard on high. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:08, 19 December 2013 (UTC)