News:
Attention students and faculty: we're cracking down on use of SMNet for homework, but also starting a scholarly journal for the best student essays. There is also a new hidden board for those who teach stage management or work with interns.
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Messages - MarcieA
(may I suggest - knitting?)
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It's a pretty rare year when both of our main on-topic boards get new staff members, but that's exactly what has occurred this year.
Yomanda has finishedthe gauntlet of abuse cleverly disguised as training and is now officially moderator of Stage Management: Students and Novices. Maribeth is now moderator of Stage Management: Plays & Musicals in addition to her ongoing assignment as moderator of our members-only Regional boards.
We give many many thanks and tea and cakes to these new volunteer staff members, and also to Bwoodbury and Rebbe, who are departing the SMNetwork staff after quite some time handling these busy boards.
Make sure to say hi and congrats to the new staffers when you see them around!
Yomanda has finished
We give many many thanks and tea and cakes to these new volunteer staff members, and also to Bwoodbury and Rebbe, who are departing the SMNetwork staff after quite some time handling these busy boards.
Make sure to say hi and congrats to the new staffers when you see them around!
The AEA Audition Department/Committee is getting smart about negotiating into contracts a requirement for theatres to publicly say how SMs can apply. That being said, I'd appreciate seeing a phrase like "accepting SM resumes for future reference (or future openings) only." That way we'd all know what we are doing, up front. Sort of like an actor knowing a role is already cast, but auditioning as a possible replacement or understudy.
Then one stormy matinee, the PM came to say: "Matthew with your nose so bright, won't you cue the rail tonight?"
Then how the deckhands loved him, as they whispered quietly, "Matthew the red-nosed SM, standing by for rail cue D!"
Then how the deckhands loved him, as they whispered quietly, "Matthew the red-nosed SM, standing by for rail cue D!"
From one SM mum to another - accept help when it's offered, take time away when you can, use a babysitter as soon as you can, sleep when she sleeps, definitely don't worry about keeping a spotless house for a while, a sling is your best friend, don't try to alter her schedule by keeping her up late or forcing her awake (trust me!), the first time you hand her over to daycare you're going to be a wreck but it gets better. Best of all, breathe and enjoy it. Nothing proves to you how quickly time passes than watching a baby grow up.
Oh, and "Go!" should be her first word
You're going to do great!
Oh, and "Go!" should be her first word
You're going to do great!
If you are really his friend, you should not stay quiet and let his life fall apart.
You should not tell him what to do. But allow him to talk to you. Mirror him. If he says, "I'm angry." You say, "I'm sad to hear that you are angry." Then let him talk. Keep bouncing things back to him. "How do you feel about that?" "What do you think will happen if you switch careers?" "What do you think will make you happy?"
Don't lead him, just follow him.
You should not tell him what to do. But allow him to talk to you. Mirror him. If he says, "I'm angry." You say, "I'm sad to hear that you are angry." Then let him talk. Keep bouncing things back to him. "How do you feel about that?" "What do you think will happen if you switch careers?" "What do you think will make you happy?"
Don't lead him, just follow him.
Try putting the mic transmitter pack in a sock and then put the condom over that. That will give you a moisture barrier between the rubber wall of the condom and the openings in the mic pack. Hopefully, any moisture/condensation that gets wicked inside the condom will have somewhere to go rather than getting trapped right up against the pack. If you suspect the issue is moisture getting onto the mic jack/connector or battery terminals (the metal conductive components), you can coat them with clear silicon grease--usually comes in in a small tube--and that will water-proof them and keep the water/salt from corroding them.
I've worked with designers and actors who still use an AOL account as their main email.
Hey, hey, hey, no judging those of us who still have an AOL account. Some of us have had AOL since the internet began (Yes, Virginia there was a time before internet). AOL links to Mail like any other e-mail account. Doesn't mean we are surfing the web with it.
Now back on topic...
Oooh, this is such an interesting topic to me too, Maribeth! I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread - such great perspectives!
I fall into the camp that technology is ONLY a tool. Don't get me wrong: I spent a decade working in technology companies immersed in the technological revolution, and am a huge proponent of technology... when it makes sense. I think the most important thing to know is how you and your cohorts function, and then use it if it helps more than hinders. As clever and responsible people, our job is to assess the situation, choose our tools, and understand the trade-offs.
Pyromnt, in the near future, I think we will go paper-less, but we won't go paperless. Until there's a day that we can have virtual callboards, or all theaters are equipped with monitors and doors to post the running orders of each show that inhabits it - or the invention of "virtual paper", paper is essential. Once upon a time, paper was a new invention too - it was a major, major technology with many advantages, including being a very lightweight, versatile, compressable 2-dimensional surface for the representation of information. There are some things about paper that modern devices don't compete with (e.g., foldable, inexpensive, ultra-lightweight). And of course, there are also things it does not do as well as modern devices (e.g., distribution, legibility, a flashlight or timer in a pinch). Still, I don't see paper becoming obsolete any time soon - economically, it's too cheap and universally accessible. Paper has been around for eons because it's a great technological choice, and I just don't see that changing in the blink of an eye.
Some trade-offs of paper are hard to see: My awesome mentor is so super old school, she doesn't even use Post-Its! She writes everything directly into her score. She manually erases and rewrites changed cues in tech, and it's tedious. Really you would think Post-Its are a great invention. Well but her system is not all bad - she isn't not limited by the size of Post-Its or stickers! She writes directly above the music where she starts her call, so her calling is impeccably consistent from show to show - it's just so easy, she doesn't even need to think.
Things I use paper for: I have never worked on a show that does not require a score. A search feature is not as useful when people sing the reference. I like to be mobile in case I need to cue an entrance (common in opera), and I like having a portable score that I can take into the wings or (if I am assistant-less) to the other side of the stage. (If someone invented an extra-large touch-screen kindle, I might like that, but that seems to be going in the opposite direction of the trend.) I also like carrying around a clipboard for notes more than a device - it's not a big deal if I drop it or have to put it down, and it's faster for me to write on the surface because I don't need to press any buttons to turn the screen on or to navigate to the right app. (Context switching actually has huge costs.)
For me, the most useful part of modern technology is: a) distribution, and b) collaboration. Distribution: I find that multiple versions of documents are confusing. So I use Google Docs so that I have one link that is always updated. The cast especially likes this for the schedule because they always know where to find their latest calls. I don't need folders for my paperwork because I haven't needed to create more than 10 different documents (usually the number is closer to 6). Collaboration: when I am creating new paperwork to share, I make my documents editable by others. I'm a proponent of transparency, so I always share my paperwork with whomever wants to see it.
In terms of etiquette, I often use a laptop but I keep angled away from me or closed when I am not typing, to signal that my attention is focused on the stage. I try to only use it for rehearsal notes or things that are important to the moment. I consider unrelated paperwork (run lists and the like) to be homework because, although I have my laptop, my job is to be focused on what's going on now.
Also, I don't know how much of this is generational. My first manager wanted me to make all these binders of creative concept images, and my first thoughts were: we're in the digital age! we work at a cutting-edge technology company! I thought she was hip, but also SO old-school (that was 10 years ago; she was in her 30s and I thought she was a dinosaur). But nowadays, I want my binder! I want to be able to take things out of it and give them to people. I want to be able to pass out cheat sheets of crew assignments. I want to be able to look at images side-by-side without needing to scroll or tab between pages. I want to be able to share whole, unshrunken images of what the Costume Designer's inspiration, in all their 17" x 24" glory! For me, it's a functional decision. The creative human mind likes to spread out; mobile devices just don't have enough screen real estate for me. I personally feel that the current generation of devices limits my ability to grasp creativity, but I didn't have a full enough view of the world to understand that 10 years ago.
More on the limits of technology: I am wired. I have a smart phone with a data plan and a laptop (that I spend way more time on than I should). I know my hotkeys and can manipulate a spreadsheet like no one's business. I live in California, own a hybrid car, and am super into green. I am going to continue to use new technology. But I still print out the schedule and cast phone numbers - it's just easier to reference and foolproof. Sometimes we need tactile or kinesthetic information because that is just how our brain works and we are human beings, after all - not robots or pixels. We inhabit the world through all of our senses - not just the visual and aural ones. There is something about analog life that engages people's gut and soul - and at the end of the day, that's what motivates and moves us. Or maybe that belief is just why I moved into theater...
I fall into the camp that technology is ONLY a tool. Don't get me wrong: I spent a decade working in technology companies immersed in the technological revolution, and am a huge proponent of technology... when it makes sense. I think the most important thing to know is how you and your cohorts function, and then use it if it helps more than hinders. As clever and responsible people, our job is to assess the situation, choose our tools, and understand the trade-offs.
Pyromnt, in the near future, I think we will go paper-less, but we won't go paperless. Until there's a day that we can have virtual callboards, or all theaters are equipped with monitors and doors to post the running orders of each show that inhabits it - or the invention of "virtual paper", paper is essential. Once upon a time, paper was a new invention too - it was a major, major technology with many advantages, including being a very lightweight, versatile, compressable 2-dimensional surface for the representation of information. There are some things about paper that modern devices don't compete with (e.g., foldable, inexpensive, ultra-lightweight). And of course, there are also things it does not do as well as modern devices (e.g., distribution, legibility, a flashlight or timer in a pinch). Still, I don't see paper becoming obsolete any time soon - economically, it's too cheap and universally accessible. Paper has been around for eons because it's a great technological choice, and I just don't see that changing in the blink of an eye.
Some trade-offs of paper are hard to see: My awesome mentor is so super old school, she doesn't even use Post-Its! She writes everything directly into her score. She manually erases and rewrites changed cues in tech, and it's tedious. Really you would think Post-Its are a great invention. Well but her system is not all bad - she isn't not limited by the size of Post-Its or stickers! She writes directly above the music where she starts her call, so her calling is impeccably consistent from show to show - it's just so easy, she doesn't even need to think.
Things I use paper for: I have never worked on a show that does not require a score. A search feature is not as useful when people sing the reference. I like to be mobile in case I need to cue an entrance (common in opera), and I like having a portable score that I can take into the wings or (if I am assistant-less) to the other side of the stage. (If someone invented an extra-large touch-screen kindle, I might like that, but that seems to be going in the opposite direction of the trend.) I also like carrying around a clipboard for notes more than a device - it's not a big deal if I drop it or have to put it down, and it's faster for me to write on the surface because I don't need to press any buttons to turn the screen on or to navigate to the right app. (Context switching actually has huge costs.)
For me, the most useful part of modern technology is: a) distribution, and b) collaboration. Distribution: I find that multiple versions of documents are confusing. So I use Google Docs so that I have one link that is always updated. The cast especially likes this for the schedule because they always know where to find their latest calls. I don't need folders for my paperwork because I haven't needed to create more than 10 different documents (usually the number is closer to 6). Collaboration: when I am creating new paperwork to share, I make my documents editable by others. I'm a proponent of transparency, so I always share my paperwork with whomever wants to see it.
In terms of etiquette, I often use a laptop but I keep angled away from me or closed when I am not typing, to signal that my attention is focused on the stage. I try to only use it for rehearsal notes or things that are important to the moment. I consider unrelated paperwork (run lists and the like) to be homework because, although I have my laptop, my job is to be focused on what's going on now.
Also, I don't know how much of this is generational. My first manager wanted me to make all these binders of creative concept images, and my first thoughts were: we're in the digital age! we work at a cutting-edge technology company! I thought she was hip, but also SO old-school (that was 10 years ago; she was in her 30s and I thought she was a dinosaur). But nowadays, I want my binder! I want to be able to take things out of it and give them to people. I want to be able to pass out cheat sheets of crew assignments. I want to be able to look at images side-by-side without needing to scroll or tab between pages. I want to be able to share whole, unshrunken images of what the Costume Designer's inspiration, in all their 17" x 24" glory! For me, it's a functional decision. The creative human mind likes to spread out; mobile devices just don't have enough screen real estate for me. I personally feel that the current generation of devices limits my ability to grasp creativity, but I didn't have a full enough view of the world to understand that 10 years ago.
More on the limits of technology: I am wired. I have a smart phone with a data plan and a laptop (that I spend way more time on than I should). I know my hotkeys and can manipulate a spreadsheet like no one's business. I live in California, own a hybrid car, and am super into green. I am going to continue to use new technology. But I still print out the schedule and cast phone numbers - it's just easier to reference and foolproof. Sometimes we need tactile or kinesthetic information because that is just how our brain works and we are human beings, after all - not robots or pixels. We inhabit the world through all of our senses - not just the visual and aural ones. There is something about analog life that engages people's gut and soul - and at the end of the day, that's what motivates and moves us. Or maybe that belief is just why I moved into theater...
Quote
I started SMing without paper and have never looked back. I am junior in high school and have Stage managed 7 shows (not including 1 more for a community theater) and have used my iPad as my main device. I use pages to type up the script, export it as a PDF to Iannotate, and use Iannotate for blocking, lights, sound, flies, etc... I also use pages for a rehearsal schedule and just email it out to the cast. Everyone in the cast has a smartphone and receives my daily emails quickly. My style, without paper, has never had an issue. From what I see, if other highschools have SMs like me, the sm world will soon be paperless
What happens if a cast member doesn't have a smart phone?
What happens if you have to hand a show off to another SM who doesn't have a iPad? Or a different tablet computer?
What happens when you drop your ipad?
Or the battery goes out?
Do you keep your iPad in the booth at all times? In case you don't show up?
I would not feel comfortable working with an assistant who was entirely paperless and completely digital . . . but again, this is a generational different and depends on the project.
I worry about a stage management style that is too specifically tied to one kind of technology (Apple for example, which I am moving away from due to their high cost, limited upgradable options, ties to the app store), or technology that doesn't play well each other. I also don't want to impose any sort of technology requirements on my team - if I required every ASM I had to have an iPad, then I better offer to buy them an iPad.
I want team members that are interchangeable - who can jump on different tasks. If someone is taking blocking on a iPad, and they need to go to another rehearsal room, then I am stuck without the blocking . . . again, I want everyone to be able to do everything. Have a paper blocking script is easy to hand off to someone else.
I will also re-state something I said before, iPads, laptops, etc - are tools that have multi-functions, and that is how we interact with them. If I want to focus, sometimes shutting the laptop, turning off the electronic device allows me to focus on the room - and take notes on a note pad, without being distracting by incoming emails or text messages. It's easy to get drawn in on a computer or tablet, and distracted from the tasks at hand and what's going on in the room. Also, I know, when working directly to the computer - for example when I tech directly into a file - I spend more time making it look perfect, then I do with a pencil and an eraser. Which can actually slow me down.
Again, I think the technology is a tool but never should be a requirement for the job.
So I've spouted off two links to free repositories of scripts/scores that have been reasonably popular lately, and I'm sure there's other online directories of free stuff and deals for artists, students and the generally destitute. Do you have a site or know of a program that would fit? Please share it with us here!
(Disclaimer: We have not tried all of these resources personally. We cannot promise that they will serve you, that they are legit, or that the programs will continue for any particular span of time. We do try to avoid linking to site full of viruses and known scam sites, but inclusion here is not an endorsement from SMNetwork or any member unless explicitly stated in the thread.)
Mods, feel free to add new contributions to this post or just let them pile up, your call.
Literature, Scripts & Scores
http://imslp.org/ - International Music Score Library. Scores & Libretti with links to recordings.
http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/index.html - Gilbert & Sullivan Library at Boise State. All things G&S
http://www.simplyscripts.com/plays_a_h.html - Scripts. Many of them.
http://www.cpdl.org/ - Choral Public Domain library. Mostly short songs, no lengthy works.
http://www.wikifonia.org/browse - Lead sheets. Mostly new works by artists looking for exposure.
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page - Project Gutenberg. Free books, mostly classics
http://openlibrary.org/ - A wiki with the goal to make a page for every book ever published. They have an ebook lending library to help accomplish this goal.
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ - Millions of free books.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/50-places-free-books-online.htm - Random guide to more free books.
Recordings
http://musopen.org/ - Musopen - recordings and scores, focuses on the former.
http://www.jamendo.com/en/ - Jamendo - (mostly) royalty-free mp3, great for background music etc.
http://archive.org/details/etree - Live Music Archive. Does what it says on the box.
http://www.operacast.com/ - Not downloadable, but a decent calendar of internet radio broadcasts for opera
http://opera-mp3.blogspot.com/ - I have no idea how long this will remain online but it is AWESOME.
Assorted free stuff
http://www.freecycle.org/ - I think everyone should know about these guys already, yes? Give something free, get something free.
http://www.actorsfund.org/ - for all performing artists, NOT JUST AEA Members.
http://www.ireuse.com/wishlistlanding.aspx - Create a wish list, and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint may give their furniture to you instead of junking it. Nonprofits get free furniture.
http://www.nyfa.org/source/content/search/search.aspx?SA=1 - NY Foundation for the Arts"NYFA Source." Big directory of grants & free services for artists.
Tool Sharing
http://www.neighborgoods.net/ --> eventually to become http://www.favortree.com - Southern California sharing tools & gear between neighbors
http://www.hammertimeprojects.org -> Cooperative workshop in Fort collins, Colorado
http://groundworkprovidence.org/programs/tool-bank/ -> Providence, RI Tool sharing
http://toolbank.org/ -> Toolbank USA coordinates several local tool sharing and rental programs
Housing
Seattle
New York (The Actors Fund)
LA (The Actors Fund)
Chicago (The Actors Fund)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/ - Short stays in people's homes worldwide
LIHEAP - US based program to help low-income folks with energy costs, especially heat & lights
School
US Dept of Labor Scholarship Search
Education department links to State Education programs
101 Grants you've never heard of
Services
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Lawyers_for_the_Arts - Wikipedia directory of state programs providing free legal services for artists. (Many fold in accountants, too.)
Technology
Microsoft Giving for Nonprofits and Microsoft Student Deals
Apple Student Deals
For Union Members
UnionPlus - Search for union-only bennies
(Disclaimer: We have not tried all of these resources personally. We cannot promise that they will serve you, that they are legit, or that the programs will continue for any particular span of time. We do try to avoid linking to site full of viruses and known scam sites, but inclusion here is not an endorsement from SMNetwork or any member unless explicitly stated in the thread.)
Mods, feel free to add new contributions to this post or just let them pile up, your call.
Literature, Scripts & Scores
http://imslp.org/ - International Music Score Library. Scores & Libretti with links to recordings.
http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/index.html - Gilbert & Sullivan Library at Boise State. All things G&S
http://www.simplyscripts.com/plays_a_h.html - Scripts. Many of them.
http://www.cpdl.org/ - Choral Public Domain library. Mostly short songs, no lengthy works.
http://www.wikifonia.org/browse - Lead sheets. Mostly new works by artists looking for exposure.
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page - Project Gutenberg. Free books, mostly classics
http://openlibrary.org/ - A wiki with the goal to make a page for every book ever published. They have an ebook lending library to help accomplish this goal.
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ - Millions of free books.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/50-places-free-books-online.htm - Random guide to more free books.
Recordings
http://musopen.org/ - Musopen - recordings and scores, focuses on the former.
http://www.jamendo.com/en/ - Jamendo - (mostly) royalty-free mp3, great for background music etc.
http://archive.org/details/etree - Live Music Archive. Does what it says on the box.
http://www.operacast.com/ - Not downloadable, but a decent calendar of internet radio broadcasts for opera
http://opera-mp3.blogspot.com/ - I have no idea how long this will remain online but it is AWESOME.
Assorted free stuff
http://www.freecycle.org/ - I think everyone should know about these guys already, yes? Give something free, get something free.
http://www.actorsfund.org/ - for all performing artists, NOT JUST AEA Members.
http://www.ireuse.com/wishlistlanding.aspx - Create a wish list, and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint may give their furniture to you instead of junking it. Nonprofits get free furniture.
http://www.nyfa.org/source/content/search/search.aspx?SA=1 - NY Foundation for the Arts"NYFA Source." Big directory of grants & free services for artists.
Tool Sharing
http://www.neighborgoods.net/ --> eventually to become http://www.favortree.com - Southern California sharing tools & gear between neighbors
http://www.hammertimeprojects.org -> Cooperative workshop in Fort collins, Colorado
http://groundworkprovidence.org/programs/tool-bank/ -> Providence, RI Tool sharing
http://toolbank.org/ -> Toolbank USA coordinates several local tool sharing and rental programs
Housing
Seattle
New York (The Actors Fund)
LA (The Actors Fund)
Chicago (The Actors Fund)
http://www.couchsurfing.org/ - Short stays in people's homes worldwide
LIHEAP - US based program to help low-income folks with energy costs, especially heat & lights
School
US Dept of Labor Scholarship Search
Education department links to State Education programs
101 Grants you've never heard of
Services
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Lawyers_for_the_Arts - Wikipedia directory of state programs providing free legal services for artists. (Many fold in accountants, too.)
Technology
Microsoft Giving for Nonprofits and Microsoft Student Deals
Apple Student Deals
For Union Members
UnionPlus - Search for union-only bennies
Actually you can do this in Word with a few macros.
Create a doc with multiple sections. As in, use Section breaks. Each section will be used to hold the notes for an individual designer or department.
You don't need a "from" header as any email program will assume it's "from" the person who's sending the message.
Create a macro. It should:
a) selects the text in the a section and copies it to the clipboard.
b) creates a link that reads "reply to notes" at the bottom of the section. The link should be as follows:
The reply will automatically go to the stage manager & director with a CC to the PM. The subject ill be "Daily Notes MM-DD-YY" and the content of their section will be auto-populated into the body of the email.
Some email clients will only c/p the first 256 characters of the body but most will handle far more.
If you don't want to do a CC take out the bit between the ? and the &. If you don't want to auto-pop just clip the code after YY.
Create a doc with multiple sections. As in, use Section breaks. Each section will be used to hold the notes for an individual designer or department.
You don't need a "from" header as any email program will assume it's "from" the person who's sending the message.
Create a macro. It should:
a) selects the text in the a section and copies it to the clipboard.
b) creates a link that reads "reply to notes" at the bottom of the section. The link should be as follows:
Code: [Select]
<a mailto:stagemanager@foo.bar, director@foo.baz?cc=productionmanager@foo.bat&subject=Re: Daily Notes MM-DD-YY&body=Paste contents of clipboard here">Click to Respond</a>Save report as PDF and the link should survive the conversion. Email report.The reply will automatically go to the stage manager & director with a CC to the PM. The subject ill be "Daily Notes MM-DD-YY" and the content of their section will be auto-populated into the body of the email.
Some email clients will only c/p the first 256 characters of the body but most will handle far more.
If you don't want to do a CC take out the bit between the ? and the &. If you don't want to auto-pop just clip the code after YY.
I like my theater like I like my men: 5 acts; but only one intermission.
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