Author Topic: Resident SM?  (Read 6542 times)

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pandora12

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Resident SM?
« on: Jul 02, 2011, 02:42 pm »
Are there any standard inclusions in the job of resident SM? If it's a smaller non-AEA company, where no one gets benefits etc. is it just that they have locked in a SM (and you have the job security) or is there more to it than that?

and on that note... is a resident gig of this type worth it, or is better to stay uncommitted and go where the best offer/show is?  is resident SM a big resume builder?

loebtmc

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #1 on: Jul 02, 2011, 03:27 pm »
depending on the contract there are usually a few perks, such as a slightly higher salary to cover non-prodn weeks, and accrued paid vacation. What contract are you on?

MatthewShiner

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #2 on: Jul 02, 2011, 03:50 pm »
Having spent a (long) part of my career as resident PSM with theatres, the pluses are more non-contractual, although you can always negotiate what ever you what - these are things that I have had in my contract:

1) salary no less then 10% over minimum.
2) salary no less then the second highest paid actor in the company (that is, one so Hamlet can be paid more then me, but not Hamlet and Gertrude . . . )
3) paid from the beginning of season to the end of the season . . . if I am not in rehearsal or performance, we negotiate a salary (not paid on AEA contract.)
4) Approval of all SM hiring (and usually responsibility to hire all SM staff)
5) My name in all press releases where full artistic staff is mentioned.
6) Longer "notice" - if they want to fire me, instead of 2 weeks, they have to give me six weeks.
7) Better choices in housing, car, etc.

Now, other perks/downfalls are you then become part of the staff - so expect staff meetings, budget meetings, management meetings, season planning meetings, HR stuff.  If you are being paid for those weeks between shows, you may to be creative and come up with work for yourself.

The pluses are huge, in that you have security, you can plan you life a bit ahead, and that you can have career development while working on professional relationships over a longer arc then just one show. 

In today's economy - that security might be great, especially if it is a company you believe in it.

The down side, being locked in to a contract or committed to a theater means you can't play the field . . . and if something more exciting comes along, then you have to sort of "break up" and there is always going to be some hard feelings.  Everything heals in time . . . but it's hard. 

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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

BayAreaSM

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #3 on: Jul 02, 2011, 04:17 pm »
If you're the Resident SM of a non-AEA company, it can mean a few things. As Matthew said, generally you will have work for the entire season. For my job at the ballet as a resident PSM, I start work 4 weeks before the dancers come in and finish 1 week after the school ballet, which generally only leaves me June & July off each year. I do accrue vacation, which I tend to take when the dancers are on layoff over Christmas.

Since the ballet has a smaller staff than your usual AEA theater, I keep myself busy with Company Manager tasks, maintaining & building rehearsal props, managing the Audition Tour, working on contract negotiations, etc. when I'm not in rehearsal, watching videos or doing the schedule. It does provide an amazing sense of security, which I love, but also there are problems. Some years we thought we might go on tour over the summer, but it took so long to decide, that my summer job couldn't wait to hear from me, then the tour fell through and I was on unemployment.

Also, our company seems to have a hard time deciding when it will return in the fall lately, so I have to turn down potential work because I don't know my start date. Granted, if you're with a more reliable company and can get your start and end dates in writing in advance, you may be OK. But there have been amazing opportunities that I've had pass me by because of my residency.

dallas10086

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #4 on: Jul 02, 2011, 07:23 pm »
and on that note... is a resident gig of this type worth it, or is better to stay uncommitted and go where the best offer/show is?  is resident SM a big resume builder?

There is no 'better' or 'best', but rather what is good for you personally and how the position would best help you towards future goals.
I just became a resident SM and I can already tell a few differences from freelancing:

1. You're much more aware of the politics within the company. You're also much more aware of continuous issues behind the scenes.
2. There's more meetings. More than I'm used to.
3. The calendar is set very early on, which still makes you available to freelance, albeit on shorter gigs. With the DNC coming to Charlotte next year, I've already put my name in with a few event planners/companies.
4. Vacation days - after looking at the calendar I'm not sure when I can use them, but it's good to know they're there.
5. Sick days. It's nice to have the option.
6. Health/Dental insurance, retirement plan, etc. This is big for me, since the last time I had any type of insurance was 2006 (and I have a 3 year old...not good) and I can truly begin planning for my retirement.
7. There's adjustments to get used to. Personally I have to get used to having an on-site workspace. Most times after a rehearsal I'd go straight home and do my work from there. After several years of that, I had to remind myself that I needed to work at my desk.
8. Certain things are no longer my responsibility financially. For example, there's no need to carry a kit anymore since there are office supplies and spike tape on-site. I don't have to go to Kinko's to make copies or keep my own FedEx account.
9. I have a voice in my organization. Before if I felt something was done that I didn't agree with - a procedure, for instance - I went about my business and worked around it. Now if I feel something could be done better or more efficiently - especially if it relates directly to my department - I speak up.
10. Job security. Though nowadays the word is quickly becoming an oxymoron, I'm not constantly looking for 'the next gig.' I can relax a little.

This is just what I've noticed right away. Knowing how I operate, I know I'm going to have to take a few side gigs for extra money (trying to fix up my house) and to keep myself from getting too much into a routine.

BlueRidgeSM

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #5 on: Jul 04, 2011, 09:50 am »
Being a resident SM is my dream job, hands down.  But I know I will probably have to move to make that happen, so I have tried to offer my services as a resident SM at several places in town but no one was interested.  Mainly because of the economy and the fact that most theatres in this area simply don't have resident stage managers or PSMs.  The theatre staff consists of the board and the managing director, and then sometimes with the addition of a full-time box office staff and/or a full time TD.  But no one else is "resident" or full-time, they are all contracted in on a per-show basis.

Someday......

dallas10086

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #6 on: Jul 04, 2011, 10:31 am »
Being a resident SM is my dream job, hands down.  But I know I will probably have to move to make that happen......

I had the same situation this Spring. If I hadn't been offered this position I would have had to move, possibly to a job in Arizona. Quite the job relocation. I hope you find something that works for you.

MatthewShiner

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #7 on: Jul 04, 2011, 02:31 pm »
Be careful about "dream" jobs . . . being a resident PSM was my life for 12 years, and there are a lots upsides to this type of job, but there are lot of negatives as well, and I can spell those out to anyone as well . . . but it really depends on the job you create for yourself, and the life you want for yourself. 

Remember, a job is something someone needs to pay you money to do . . . regardless of how "dreamlike" it may seem like from the outside, be weary of being sucked in . . . "dream jobs" can lure you, have you put down your defense in contract negotiations, and end up biting you on the but when you wake up (WHICH IS NOT MY STORY . . . but a story I have heard many times . . .)
« Last Edit: Jul 04, 2011, 04:13 pm by MatthewShiner »
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

BlueRidgeSM

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #8 on: Jul 05, 2011, 09:04 am »
Oh, if someone came to me and said "we want you as our resident SM" I would definitely go "great! let's talk about my contract" instead of just blindly saying yes.  Even though I would want to.   :) 

But honestly that is not a very likely thing to happen in my current location, and I am kind of unable to move at the moment.  So I just continue to work my day job and do as many shows as I can on the side and honestly be grateful that I can do what I love (SMing) and get paid for it.  Even though I don't make anything approaching a living wage, hence the day job.  I like to think that someday I will find somewhere up here (Western NC, but more broadly in the Appalachian mountains) that would hire me as a resident SM, but again I am just not in a position to move right now.  So I continue to sharpen my skillset, learn from others, and solidify my own financial position so that when the opportunity comes I can go for it.

pandora12

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #9 on: Jul 08, 2011, 06:47 pm »

2) salary no less then the second highest paid actor in the company (that is, one so Hamlet can be paid more then me, but not Hamlet and Gertrude . . . )

Do SM's as a rule get paid more than the non-lead actors, or does that depend on the company?

babens

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #10 on: Jul 08, 2011, 08:01 pm »
The SM minimum on all the Equity contracts I have ever worked on is higher than the minimum for actors (and I assume it is that way on the other contracts I have not worked).  So yes, a stage manager working for minimum will always be paid more than an actor who is working for minimum.

The stipulation MatthewShiner described is not something I would recommend a young stage manager push for.  That is the type of thing that you can only ask for and expect to get once you reach a pretty high level of experience and expertise (which he certainly has).

MatthewShiner

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #11 on: Jul 08, 2011, 10:36 pm »
The stipulation MatthewShiner described is not something I would recommend a young stage manager push for.  That is the type of thing that you can only ask for and expect to get once you reach a pretty high level of experience and expertise (which he certainly has).

True.  And this is something you need to ask for mid-career and later, in an environment where there is a possibility where you are lo-balled on your contract and actors are wine and dined.  If your theater is favored nations, then you would never mention that at all.

And to be fair, I only once ever pressed for that.  (I typically, in non-favored nation theater start salary requests somewhere in the 10% to 20% over minimum range), but this theater was pretty all over the board in salary ranges, from minimum to production contract for big names, and sadly, board members would just jot out the money.  It was disheartening to be told over and over, we don't have money to give you a raise, and see an actor, playing a very small role, get paid twice my salary.  Luckily, I had a general manager and a board member on my side - right time, right place and, to be honest, the right set of circumstances - it could have failed, but I was offering them a huge service.

Just to give you an idea, at a different theatre, my first full year as resident PSM, we figure I saved the theater something like $70,000.00.  (A huge savings was in how we had 2 SMs rehearse a show, but only 1 SM call and run a show).  Between work weeks, travel, health care/pension, salary, and then just operation costs slashed - a resident stage manager is a huge asset to a company - so don't be too afraid to make certain demands given the huge amount of time, effort and energy you are going to pour into the company.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

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Re: Resident SM?
« Reply #12 on: Aug 14, 2011, 08:55 pm »
As a company SM for a dance company that creates it's own works I find it great as I get to have a contributing role in production development and credit on any remounting. Similarly if you are working for a theatre company that creates it's own work if a show gets published you, as the original SM is usually credited in all future printing of the script which besides being an ego boost can be great publicity. 
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