Author Topic: Which is better?  (Read 4463 times)

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kdshort1

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Which is better?
« on: Oct 19, 2014, 11:17 pm »
I'm currently working on my professional resume, and as I only have experience SM-ing at my college, I was wondering which is better:

7 or so SM positions from the same place (an educational setting)?
or
6 from the same place and then one or two at a community theatre?

We talk a lot about how community theatre isn't as... professional?  But then again, is it better to have worked with different people in different settings?


What are your thoughts?


(Also, if this is in the wrong board, feel free to move it or whatever - I wasn't sure if it should go here or in Employment)




On_Headset

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #1 on: Oct 20, 2014, 02:19 am »
In general, your CV should reflect every halfway-recent show for which you've received credit, including any "Special Thanks" credit which you'd be comfortable enough discussing at a job interview. (i.e: If you got the Special Thanks for being married to the producer, then don't include it; if you got the Special Thanks for helping with a complex technical problem, or providing organizational support, or otherwise involving yourself in an infomal role, then include it on your CV.)

And there are very limited circumstances under which you might omit certain credits. For example, if you did a gig for the "Throbbing Loins Burlesque Showcase", you might omit this credit from a CV you send to a K-12 school or a church or a summer camp. But this is something you'd do for editorial reasons, rather than to save space.

This means that some SMs have CVs which run six or seven pages, and that's quite normal.
« Last Edit: Oct 20, 2014, 02:27 am by On_Headset »

Maribeth

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #2 on: Oct 20, 2014, 12:08 pm »
From your post it's hard to tell if you already have the community theatre credits, and are trying to decide whether to include them or not, or if you are trying to decide if you should take a community theatre gig.

It's good to have credits from different places and working with different people. If what you have is school credits and community theatre credits, then include those. When you're a young stage manager early in your career, it's okay to include school credits, but as you get more experience, you can phase those credits out.

I would argue that your resume should be more limited than a CV- generally one page. Rather than listing every show you've been involved with, I would limit it to your 'greatest hits'- once you have enough credits that they don't all fit. (I have about 40 on my resume. As I add new shows, I decide which old ones aren't as useful and phase those out.)

leastlikely

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #3 on: Oct 20, 2014, 10:03 pm »
Are you asking how to arrange your resume? Or are you asking whether you should SM a show at your college this year, or to use that same timeframe doing two shows at a community theatre instead?

MatthewShiner

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #4 on: Oct 21, 2014, 03:18 am »
i would think early in you career showing a little diversity in your resume would be ideal.

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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.

kdshort1

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #5 on: Oct 21, 2014, 04:41 pm »
To clarify:
I've stage managed 4 shows.  I'm working on number five currently - these have all been at my university.

I guess what I'm really asking is this:
As someone hiring a young stage manager, would you be more impressed with a list of credits all from one place, or a list of credits mostly from one place and then one or two from community theatre?

I think the general consensus is variety is the spice of life.  I haven't been offered the gig at Community theatre yet, but I've expressed definite interest to the director that I would very much like to be involved in any way (the director and I have a fantastic working relationship - I've SMed for him before). 

Thanks for all your responses! :)

MatthewShiner

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #6 on: Oct 21, 2014, 10:16 pm »
It's important to show variety in your career.

It will be important, professionally, to show that you get hired at the same place more then once - I am nervous when I see a resume where it's a person who has worked 20 shows, but at all different places. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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.

ambrosialx

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Re: Which is better?
« Reply #7 on: Oct 22, 2014, 10:01 am »
I agree with what everyone has said about variety early in your career is great. I'm 4 years out of school and I've actually just taken all educational work off my resume. It is usually great experience but I am always wary of hiring an sm or tech who has ONLY done school productions as in my experience (which is not to say that it is everyones) that people who go through school only working on school productions tend to come out with a more inflexible attitude and have a bigger learning curve getting into the professional world than those who worked outside of school as well. So much of our job is flexibility getting to work with more people gives you the opportunity to learn more from them and learning tends to make one a better SM!

Good luck!
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come"