For the past year, SM-Sim has distributed Standby Cue 101: An Introduction to Calling Live Performances through Artfilms and Insight Media.  These major distributors offer DVD and Streaming versions of the training film for classroom, library, and public viewings.  But what if you are not using the film for a course or in a library?  What if you just want to watch it for yourself?

Enter Leaping Brain Labs, our newest partner!  We now offer individual licenses through our own SM-Sim Video Store.  You can download your personal copy of our film; in fact, your account allows you to download a copy for both your home computer and your laptop or even your iPad with the MOD Mobile app.  The download is immediate and it works in the background so that you can start watching the film before the download is complete.

We are still optimizing a few images for faster load times, but the new website is live!  We hope you like the new look, but most of the changes were 'backstage' - we laid the foundation for  e-commerce and the show module server connections.  As we prepare to launch the Stage Manager Simulator later this summer, check back as we add features such as memberships in the coming weeks.  We will announce these new features on our Twitter feed and ask questions of our stage management friends on Facebook.

Future work with one or more live entertainment corporations looks very promising, but the timeline is such that it won't impact our summer launch for academic programs and single users.

We also received our first royalty reports on STANDBY CUE 101 and we seem to be quite popular in Australia!  If you are reading this from Australia, please send us an e-mail or post a comment.  We would love to know if any Australian schools or training programs are using our work.  If we have enough interest, it is possible to release an Australian vocabulary for the Stage Manager Simulator.  It is not so much the accent as the different cue terminology that would make an Australian or British module useful.  But it takes about two full days to prepare a module's vocabulary, so we want to make sure there is enough interest.

We are putting the final touches on the latest build of the simulator to bring to USITT in Long Beach next week.  The main user interface is complete, so now we are working on menu screens such as the login, options, and scoring pages.  For a while, we were encountering a faint feathering effect on the video due to the voice recognition processing, but we have resolved that issue.  Our next big challenge will be the server connections for downloading content and uploading scores.  But initial tests indicate that we will be able to offer both the PC and Mac versions of the simulator at our summer launch.

In addition to seeking feedback on the simulator, we are also using the USITT conference to promote STANDBY CUE 101.  To help reach new markets, ArtFilms is offering limited-time discount on almost their entire inventory to American colleges and universities.  To access this special deal:

• Create an account on Artfilms and list your university/college on your profile.
  
• You will automatically receive a 15% discount on STANDBY CUE 101 and ALL of their royalty-based films!
  
• This offer is only good until April 25, 2012.

Insight Media, based in New York City, is also now carrying Standby Cue 101: An Introduction to Calling Live Performances.  Insight Media is has created their own packaging and chapter menu, so it will look different from what appears on this website from Artfilms.  But visit their website to order a copy!

The training film is now available through Artfilms, an Australian-based distributor that sells theatre and art-based films in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and other countries.  Shipping to the United States is only about $10.  The DVD includes a license for classroom use.  If you would rather purchasing streaming video rights, use artfilms digital.

Insight Media will also distribute the film later this year.

I will bring copies of the film to USITT this coming March.

First of all, the National Stage Manager Survey has hit a new high, 588 participants, with just over a week left to the survey.  If you have stage managed at least one live theatre production in the United States, we want to hear from you!  So far the 20-somethings are leading with the most responses (those whipper-snappers!), but the age brackets starting at 30 years and older are catching up with 43% of the total responses.

STANDBY CUE 101: An Introduction to Calling Live Performances is in the very final stage of post-production and will be available starting in January.  I have already received two confirmed offers from distributors and three other distributors have shown strong interest.

And this past weekend, I received the first round of color designs from Leighton Hubbell.  I can't wait to share the final design, but below is a detail plate from our weekend discussions:

Happy Tech to everyone working on A Christmas Carol and other holiday shows this week!

The annual convention for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) was a great experience.  We went into the conference to build brand awareness, but we also received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions about both STANDBY CUE 101 and the Simulator.  Our plan is to offer the Simulator for individual purchase only so that an academic user could take the simulator and show files with her at graduation.  But several schools recommended ways of installing the basic simulator in a full computer lab to provide an entry-level experience for multiple classes in addition to the full software package designed for stage managers.  Our primary goal is to develop the software for early-career stage managers and stage management students, but we will certainly explore ways of creating a short introduction to cue calling for all students.

In other good news, David Grindle, the Executive Director of USITT , stopped by our table and immediately saw possibilities for the Simulator (David himself is a stage manager).  We ended our discussion with the possibility of SM-Sim participating in the New Product Showcase!  Looking into flights to Long Beach in March....