[Menvi-discuss] methods for navigating the stage

[Cristina Jones]

Hi,
I do everything Brandon mentioned, and I sometimes look like and idiot and 
suck up my pride and crawl around the stage to get really intimate with 
things.  Stupid, I know, but there was one opera where I had to polka all 
around the stage and I had to be thrown from one guy to another, and the 
stage was raked and the orchestra pit was nice and close and I did actually 
have to jump over it at one point.  I didn't feel like dying, so crawling 
was just fine by me.
I've been in scenes where I had to climb a ladder from offstage and up onto 
a molti-layered platform and walk out into the middle, turn, and walk down 
some steps.  The dangerous part was that if I didn't go right in the middle, 
I'd fall.  I did that once.  It was quite a shock to myself.  So I asked the 
backstage manager if it was possible for her to tape down a rope or 
something to mark the middle.  She cut up some rope and taped it down, one 
as a warning marker to let me know I was close to the middle, and then the 
next as the indicator.
In the same scene, I had to walk down this uneven platform thing and grab 
the hand of someone and lead everyone through a grapevine step through 
center stage and basically make a big circle and grapevine back up the 
platform from a different set of stairs and go back down where I had 
originally climbed down, if that makes any sense.  Marker ropes were taped 
down in a couple of places, and the rest, I had to rely on the sighted 
person I was guiding to put slight pressure on my hand to make sure I 
wouldn't lead everyone elsewhere.
I've also had to do a lot of skipping in weird figured eight patterns. 
Don't ask me why all these directors want me to be so stinking physical, but 
there you have it.  I'm totally blind myself so ...  Maybe they want to kill 
me.  Don't know.  Anyhow,  with skipping, depending on what the scene is, 
I've asked them to put a square or rectangular rug down ...  Just as long as 
the thing isn't circular--so I know when I'll fling myself off stage if I 
keep skipping that way.  And don't be afraid to be over exuberant about 
gestures, grabbing people, furniture, etc.  Just as long as you don't to it 
discretely and everyone notices you're trying to be quiet about it.  I've 
enthusiastically run my hand along the perimeter of a sofa when I was 
skipping in a circle around it.  It was in character.  It was a nice sofa 
and I was supposed to be in love with nice things.  No one had to know I was 
trailing the thing.
Good luck!  Hope this helps.
Cristina

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonboy13 at comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 10:13 PM
To: "This is for discussing music and braille literacy" 
<menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] methods for navigating the stage

> Hello,
> I don't have a dog, so what I do is all with the Cane.
> I first move around the set multiple times, feeling and touching all the 
> overhangs and floor with both my cane and hands till I have it all mapped 
> out in my mind. I then ask to walk through the stage on my scenes to find 
> where all the props are laid out. I feel all the stage props with my hands 
> and cane and memorize how far it is around everything. I run my rout 
> several times gradually becoming more daring. I try to get to the point so 
> I can run through my routs at twice speed without my cane.
> I forgot to say that the first thing I do ever before I see the props is 
> walk the perimeter of the stage. I feel where the edge is, and find if the 
> edge is strait or curved. I also check for floor mics, sand bags, ropes, 
> curtains and the back wall and drops. Also if there is going to be a scrim 
> in my scene I make sure I know where that scrim falls and whatnot.
>
> In rehearsal I make sure I know where all the other people are within 10 
> feet of me and I find someone who I can walk behind going off stage. That 
> way if I'm getting lost I can grab their upstage arm real unobtrusively.
> I am also very hands on with the other people on stage, being super 
> energetic so I can keep track of everyone around me. If you come across as 
> very hands on it doesn't look odd when you walk off stage arm and arm with 
> another character.
> I didn't have very complex blocking for my solo work on the multi tiered 
> stage, so I'm not sure what you'd do if you were walking solo in that 
> situation. Perhaps you can do the age-old counting steps! :)
> If you are having the problem of other characters grabbing the back of 
> your costume trying to keep you from running into things I would ask for 
> them to walk in front of you so you can grab their arm. Because people 
> grabbing you is much more unsightly than you grabbing their arm.
> Please don't use the cane or dog on stage, see if you can keep the 
> audience from noticing you're blind! It's fun when you walk back stage and 
> people walk up to you and exclaim that they had no idea you were blind 
> till so and so told them, or until they read the program.
> Hope this helps and break a leg!
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Julie McGinnity
> Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 9:22 PM
> To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
> Subject: [Menvi-discuss] methods for navigating the stage
>
> Hi everyone.
>
> I would like to know your ideas and possible methods you use when
> navigating the stage whe participating in an opera or musical.  I have
> no problems navigating the stage when I am performing in recitals or
> for master class, but at those times I have my guide dog with me, but
> right now I am in the beginning of dress rehearsal week for opera
> scenes.  I think about this every year, but this year it is more
> pressing since I have a small solo role.  I find it much harder to
> navigate the stage when blocking the opera scenes since I cannot use
> my dog or a cane in the show.  I do take my dog on stage before we
> begin blocking to get a feel for the general layout of the stage, but
> things can change, and in my opinion, things change so much when you
> don't have that input from the dog or cane to help you.  I do have
> some vision, but I can only use it when the stage is well lit, and I
> shouldn't depend on it entirely.  What techniques do you guys use in
> these situations?  I am also working hard to make my movements look
> natural on stage, and I know I don't succeed at this all the time.  I
> am not graceful.  Hey...  Being lady like is hard!  :)
>
> I am thinking that I can concentrate on working on these things for
> next year and for the spring opera scenes.  Thanks for all your help.
>
> -- 
> Julie McG
> Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
> Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
> Eyes for the Blind
>
> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
> life."
> John 3:16
>
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