How can I read in the marathon?  Donate $40 at bigdayofgiving.org/acmetheatre.  Our Stage Management team will email you, get you oriented and into a reading room!  You can reach our team at reading@acmetheatre.net

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Can I read in the marathon if I’m not Acme-age? Yes! Most of the readers signed up for this event are not Acme-age. This event is designed to include as much community as possible while we all socially distance.

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Where do I go to read in the marathon? All marathon participants should have received a link and dial-in information for the Zoom meeting where all the reading magic will happen. Just click on the link or dial the number and hop into the fun!

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Do I have to have a Zoom account to read? We think so? It’s possible that you don’t, but so far we have had to set up Zoom accounts to access the meetings we have held. You definitely don’t need to pay for it, though! You should definitely go for the free account - all the fancy stuff is on us.

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How do I get access to the scripts? All scripts for A Play For All Seasons are kept in a shared Google folder. The scripts are organized by room number - your room number will be included in your confirmation email.

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How do roles in the script get assigned? Every reader in a room will be assigned a reader number, and parts will be distributed evenly among each of the readers in the order that the characters speak.

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Where do I go to watch the marathon? Hooray! The livestream! If you just want to watch, head on over to www.acmetheatre.net to watch all the readings happen in (more or less) real time! There you will have access to livestreams of all of the reading rooms, comment sections to engage with other viewers (and reading staff who will definitely be watching and contributing to the comments as well), and links to the Big Day of Giving event, which will also be going on!

 

What if I can’t read for my whole shift or I have to reschedule? We get it. Life happens! In either scenario it is helpful if you tell us as soon as possible so that we can try to shift things around. The best way to inform us is to email reading@acmetheatre.net, and the Acme members on the other end will get back to you shortly with options.

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What do I do if I need help? If you need non-scheduling help, the best thing to do is to email help@acmetheatre.net. One of the four Acme staff members who receive those emails will get back to you asap. If you need scheduling help, email reading@acmetheatre.net.

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Why is the sound on my device looping and/or giving feedback? Ah, yes! The old feedback trap! You probably have your Zoom reading and the livestream open at the same time - or maybe you have the Zoom reading open on multiple devices? Basically what’s happening is that the sound that is coming out of the speaker of your device is getting fed back into the microphone of your device in a never-ending loop of horribleness. For an immediate fix, mute yourself and then make sure you’re using headphones or earbuds before you turn the sound back on. You could also try just turning down your speaker volume if headphones are not an option.

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What do I do if my internet is glitchy? Hmmmm. We may not be able to completely solve this one. Here are some things you can try: 1) Close all unnecessary windows/tabs on your device 2) Close all unnecessary devices that are using the internet - particularly if they are also streaming video or games 3) If you’re using wifi - move closer to your wifi router 4) If you are using a device that has cellular data, try turning off the wifi on your device and using just data instead (be careful! Depending on your data plan, this option may result in higher data fees!) 5) If you can, plug your internet device directly into your router with an ethernet cable

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Why can’t I hear the other readers? The source of your problem is almost certainly the device/speaker system of whatever you are trying to read on. Check to make sure there are speakers included/attached to your device - most desktop computers do not automatically come with speakers. If you do have speakers, check to make sure that your device isn’t muted. Most computers have two places to check for this - one is likely to be buttons on your physical keyboard which will look like speakers with different amounts of sound coming out, the other common place to check is likely to be an icon on the bottom (often bottom-right) of the screen of your computer itself.

 

Why can’t the other readers hear me? Does your device have a microphone attached or built-in? If not, you might switch to reading on a phone or laptop if you have one - nearly all smartphones and laptops come with built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers. Alternatively, maybe you are muted in Zoom - check the mute button on the bottom-left of your Zoom window.

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How long is my shift? Most shifts are 4 hours long. The exceptions to that are Room A from 12 am to 2 am and Rooms A, C, and D from 10 am to 12 pm.

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What happens if our shift ends before we finish our script? Ah yes. We think this will probably happen a few times. Five minutes before the end of your shift, we will ask you all to stop and assess where you are in the script that you are currently reading. At about that same time the host for the next shift will also be entering the room. All current readers will be invited, but not required, to finish reading the script under the leadership of the new host and the addition of new readers coming on for the next shift.

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Is Acme really reading 40 plays in 24-hours? Yes we are! Isn’t it bonkers but awesome??! At our peak (2 pm - 6 pm) we think we will be reading (and livestreaming) seven scripts at once!

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What happens if we don’t finish reading before 24 hours is up? We prefer not to consider this possibility, but if pushed the answer is we will probably just finish reading all the scripts - however long that takes. It should not go much beyond midnight.

Is this event the same as the Big Day of Giving? Sort of? It is certainly tied to the Big Day of Giving. Acme is running a simultaneous Big Day of Giving (BDoG) campaign that we will be reminding folks in A Play For All Seasons about throughout the day. Also, folks who donate $40 or more as a part of BDoG will be invited to hop into A Play For All Seasons right away. If you would like to help mitigate Coronavirus-related costs to Acme’s ticket sales and other income, we would really appreciate any help you can give: www.bigdayofgiving.org.

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READING ROOM HOSTS

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If I’m hosting a room, does that mean I have to start my own Zoom meeting? No, definitely not. You will join the Zoom meeting that we have set-up. All readers and hosts should have received a link to the meeting in an email. If you have not, email help@acmetheatre.net and we will get back to you asap.

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What am I responsible for as a room host? You are responsible for 1) Assigning reader numbers to all of the readers in the room, including yourself (assuming you are reading along with the rest of the folks in the room) 2) Leading your shiftmates in reading through the Shift Script starting on page 3 of the How to Be a Marathon Reader document 3) Making sure the script reading keeps moving - all of our main job is to keep reading! 4) Referring time-consuming problems to help@acmetheatre.net 

 

Can I also read the scripts as a room host? Yes! The vast majority of hosts will also be readers simultaneously. Hosts who choose to read should give themselves a reader number just like all the other readers in their shift.

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Who can I go to if I have questions? You can pop out of your breakout room in the Zoom meeting and ask one of the Acme staff on duty in the main room, or you can email help@acmetheatre.net

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Happy Marathoning!

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