Susie Cordon Broadway Collection

This collection includes examples of materials used or created by a production stage manager during the production of a Broadway play. The title of the Broadway play represents each series. Most of the series consist of one box and one to four 3-ring notebooks. The boxes contain Ms. Cordon’s spiral or cloth bound notebooks of handwritten rehearsal or performance notes and to-do lists. The 3-ring notebooks mostly contain printed documents as well as some handwritten notes associated with each play. The original order for this collection was maintained, per the creator’s request. The names of the plays (series) in this collection include: Amadeus, Amy’s View, Benefactors, Breaking the Code, The Captain’s Tiger, The Crucible, Equus, The Judas Kiss, Lettice and Lovage, Monday after the Miracle, Noises Off, Nothing On, Racing Demon, Skylight, Turing Dossier (this is not a play), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Young Man from Atlanta. A faculty member from the Elon University Department of Performing Arts was consulted to define terms and phrases used by production stage managers that can be found throughout this collection. The list is located at the end of the Scope and Content section. The Amadeus series consists of one box and four notebooks and covers the years 1999 - 2000. The series includes rehearsal reports, cue lists and stage plots, prompt scripts, performance reports, and a review of the play. The Amy’s View series consists of one box and two notebooks and includes materials from February - July, 1999. Among the items are a prompt script, various cue lists, and two copies of the playbill. The Benefactors series consists of one box and one notebook and covers November 1985 – January 1986. It includes a list of cast members, lighting instructions, dress rehearsal notes, and a prompt script. The Breaking the Code series consists of one box and three notebooks covering the years 1987 – 1988. Items in this series include a scene breakdown, various cues lists, props lists and furniture diagrams, costume plots, carpentry inventory lists, and prompt scripts. The Captain’s Tiger series consists of two notebooks covering 1998 - 1999. It includes a playbill from 1998, a script, rehearsal reports, performance reports, and articles about the playwright Athol Fugard. The Crucible series consists of one box and three notebooks covering 2001 - 2002. Materials in the series include a schedule of curtain calls, prompt scripts, performance reports, and act timings for the play. The Equus series consists of one box and three notebooks covering 2008 – 2009. Among the materials in the series is a photograph of Ms. Cordon, a playbill, and an announcement for the Top Broadway Show Fundraiser award. Other items include a prompt script, various cues lists, scene breakdowns, a list of characters, material safety sheets, and rehearsal reports. The Judas Kiss series consists of one box and three notebooks from 1998. It includes articles about the playwright David Hare and about the actor Liam Neeson. Other items include a playbill, a performance program, and performance reports. The Lettice and Lovage series consists of one box and three notebooks from 1992. Materials include prompt scripts, a list of characters, traffic and movement patterns, props lists, lighting instructions, and synopses of each scene. Also included are reviews of the play, assistant stage manager duties, and tour travel arrangements. The Monday after the Miracle series consists of one box and four notebooks with dates covering 1981 – 1982. Materials in the series include two playbills, several reviews, a program from the 1991 Spoleto Festival, prompt scripts, various props and cues lists, and scene breakdowns. The Noises Off series consists of one box and two notebooks covering 1983 – 1985. This series includes props instructions, a rehearsal schedule, a character plot, and a prompt script. The series Nothing On consists of one undated notebook. It includes a prompt script and handwritten notes. Nothing On is a play-within-a play, performed by characters in the larger Broadway play Noises Off. The Racing Demon series consists of two notebooks covering September – December, 1995. It includes rehearsal reports, cover and assignment lists, performance reports, memos about critics being present for performances, rehearsal and performance schedules, scene breakdowns, and a prompt script. The Skylight series consists of two notebooks with dates from 1996. Materials include a prompt script, performance reports, playbills, and articles from various publications about the play. The Turing Dossier series consists of one undated notebook. Turing Dossier is not a play, but includes miscellaneous published and handwritten information about Alan Turing, who is the subject of the play Breaking the Code. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? series consists of one box and three notebooks dated 2005 – 2007. Materials in this series include documents titled “The Rainbow Passage,” “The Kansas Dialect,” “The Latin Mass Translation,” and “Glossary: What’s what in the play.” Other items in the series include furniture arrangements, prompt scripts, rehearsal summaries, and national tour performance reports. The Young Man from Atlanta series consists of two notebooks with dates from 1997. It includes playbills, lighting and entrance cues, timing notes, a prompt script, and performance reports. Definitions of terms and phrases listed below. General Notes about the Collection - Producers and people in charge like to see performance and rehearsal reports - Ms. Cordon uses a very casual style when documenting her performance and rehearsal reports (talks in her own voice) - All these notes are AEA (Actors Equity Association) union documents - Every stage manager can choose to keep their own reports or give them away - At end of every show, the stage manager puts together a notebook with all documentation from the performance - Shows generally have 6-8 weeks of rehearsal - Spiral notebooks contain mostly Ms. Cordon's handwritten notes about the performance, her to-do lists, etc. Blocking Notes - Writing down what actors do in short hand Carp Cues - List of all the cues within the script; an index of cues Deck Cue - What happens on stage Fly Cues/Fly Plot - Used by the stage manager for the rail system, i.e. items that fly in and out from overhead Ground Plan - How the stage is physically set-up; floor plan Magic sheets - Used by lighting designers to show certain information such as pinpointing lighting instruments, where lights are pointed, and which lighting gel to use Iris Plot - Spot light cues; "Iris" is a lighting term that means to tighten up a lights beam Performance Report - Report written during the performance documenting what happens during the performance - Stage manager does this for every show - Top right-hand side of the report shows dates and number of shows that have been performed - "Preview" means that tickets were sold and an audience can come but it is not the final performance (still a work in progress, can make changes) - "Frozen" means that no more changes can be made Performance Rights Society (PRS) Document - Used so composers can be informed (and paid) when shows uses their music - Provides a way for the production to track the music they play Prompt Script - Usually has cues written into the script - Stage manager uses when the performance is taking place - "Calls" of the show; "go cues" Prop cubes - Used during rehearsal in place of furniture Rehearsal Report - Happens before the performance report - Documents facts of the rehearsal - Everyone but the actors see the rehearsal reports - Very specific times are given in order to determine how much everyone will be paid (union documentation) Rehearsal Script - Document that the actors read from when they are rehearsing - Contains only notes; not many "go cues" on the side margins Running Notes - Documents what happens during the performance - Crew helps with running notes Scene breakdown - Directions for the stage manager or crew on how things are placed on stage at any given time Script - Polished copy; contains no handwritten notes Strike - Remove completely (usually referring to physical items removed from stage in between acts and/or intermission) Technical Notes - Found within the performance report - Documents technical issues that happen during the performance (lighting, carpentry, etc.) Tech Run - Crew and stage manager do a test run of all the technical elements (lighting, setting up, moving on and off stage, etc.) - Some actors can be involved, but not usually Traffic patterns - Blocking notations that show where people move on stage