Give not unto the actor his
props before his time for as sure as the sun doth rise in the East
and set in the West, he will lose or break
them.
When told the placement of
props by the Director, let not these things in ink upon thy
script be writ, for as surely as the winds blow, so shall she
change her mind.
Speak not in large words to
actors, for they are slow of thought and are easily led
astray.
Speak not in the tongue of the
TECHIE to actors, for they are uninitiated, and will not perceive thy
meaning.
Black and none but black
shall be the colour of thy graments, for it shall render you
invisible to all.
The Booth is a place of
fasting, for the juice of the coke and the crumb of the cheeto is
deadly to the Board of
Light.
Speak not of foolish things
when wearing the Headset of the Running Crew, for the speech there
shall be only of the play.
Touch not the bulb of the lamp
of light with thy skin, for the flesh is unclean and the bulb is
sacred.
Tap not the head of a nail
to drive it, but strike it firmly with thy
strength.
Keep holy the first
performance, for afterwards thou shalt
party.
Keep holy the last performance,
for afterwards thou shalt party.
Remember always that the Stage
Manager is never wrong. If it should appear such, then thou hast
clearly misheard the first time.
Leave not the area of the stage
during the play to go and talk with actors, for if thou shalt do so,
thou wilt perhaps miss thy cue and thou shalt be summarily
executed or worse.
Beware of actors when flying in
walls, for they will stand and watch and be crushed.
Beware of actors during scene
changes, for they are not like unto thee and are blind in
the dark.
Take not thy cues before their
time, but wait for the proper
calling.
Take pity of the actors, for in
their roles they are as children, and must be lead with
gentle kindness. Thus, endeavor to speak softly and not in
anger.
Listen carefully to the instructions of the Director as to how she wants things done - then do it in the right way. In the days of thy work , she will see thy wisdom, give herself credit, and rejoice.