Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - SingingPixie

Pages: [1]
1
if you're comfortable, it might help cut the verbage if you don't warn every cue- for example, your light op might not need one if he's hitting the button every 2 secs and it's only a "go" button. If necessary, standby groups of cues (ie LXQs 3-7). I find it helps keep my mind clear if I can streamline what's coming out of my mouth. Also, "call" the show as often as you can by yourself, visualizing everything as it happens so you can get into a rhythm. It helps if you're very specific about where everything happens so you don't have to guess in the moment. just make sure everything you write makes sense to you and then practice- it'll become natural. Also, until you're comfortable keep all the other headset dialogue to a minimum- anything that helps you focus. Once you get into a rhythm it'll be as easy to call as other shows you have. And maybe you'll stay awake all the way through the run without struggling!

2
The Hardline / Should I start EMC?
« on: Mar 17, 2006, 09:01 pm »
Hi everyone,
I'm 21 and graduating this may with a BA in theater and have been SMing for the past 3 years. I have quite a bit of educational theater under my belt, but over half of my resume is  professional work now. I have two shows coming up that I could qualify for EMC points with, totalling somewhere in the 12-14 week range. Should I join EMC now? or should I wait so that I don't get to 50 sooner than I could realistically find work? What should one have under his/her belt before starting the program? What about before he/she turns equity? Thanks so much! -Meg

3
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Your book Left or right?
« on: Mar 17, 2006, 07:10 pm »
I think I might be weird... instead of having a separate call script and blocking script (I've worked with a lot of LDs with visual cues, so sometimes it's helpful to have the blocking to reference, as long as there isn't a ton), I have the text on the left, and the cues and blocking on the right in two columns. The cues are in the left-hand (slightly narrower) column of the right page, and the blocking is on the right. I do like MatthewShiner's point about the way your eye looks though.... might have to switch it up on my next show. The columns always work for me though- then I know what I need to look at without having to sort it out- I once called from a SM's book who had her blocking and cues all muddled up together with the text, all on the same page- since this was the first show I ever called I vowed never to let this happen again.

4
It is definitely helpful to start getting real world experience before finishing college- that way you can get some of the really low-paying stuff out of the way so you can focus on theater work after graduation instead of trying to work for almost free somewhere and waiting tables full-time. For me, what worked was getting work for places however I could- in my case, having skills in electrics and sound has helped. Starting as an overhire electrician/stagehand led to a season-long ASM gig at a 2000-seat road house in less than a year once they got to know me-  applying directly as an ASM probably wouldn't have worked because my resume at the time was still pretty sparce. I board-oped a show over the summer at an equity house, which led to another show there as a board op and now I'm ASMing. Both of these gigs helped me land a PA job at an even bigger equity house. It's all about getting your foot in the door any way you can, so they can get to know you as a person and not just another resume saying you have 3/4 of a degree. Just make sure they know from day one that you're an aspiring SM and not just another spot op, otherwise they may never start to look at you that way. And remember that every day you work you're meeting new people who can get you jobs.

5
Employment / One of the things I hate about the biz...
« on: Mar 16, 2006, 02:37 pm »
One thing that helps me is to make sure I tailor each letter to which job I'm applying for. Since I'm in the DC area too, I'll use this example. For the past year I've been ASM at GMU Center for the Arts in Fairfax. I've also worked with Theater of the First Amendment a bit. In my application to the Clarice Smith Center at U of MD I made sure to highlight the parallels between my experience and their space to show that I might be able to offer a different kind of experience than someone else who has worked more specifically on seeing a show from rehearsals to closing, one night at a time. When talking to the Folger about my next job there, I talked more about theater J and the Mason shows I've SMed. The personality thing is helpful too. I don't talk like a banker, so my letters don't sound that way either. There are ways to sound professional without sounding stuffy- which is helpful in a business where you'll have to deal with personalities extensively. Well, hope that made some sense! -Meg

6
It seems like there's three topics being discussed here now.
1) the original: I agree about choosing your battles. a board op who's seen the show a million times isn't going to want to watch it again- I'd much rather he read a book than start chatting and distracting me. Of course if the person isn't fulfilling his duties then we'll have to have a discussion, but it's part of my responsibility to give standbys so that the ops know when to give their undivided attention to the show.
2) Responses to standbys- it's definitely a case-by-case thing with me. If I can see you, I really don't need a response. If you're accustomed to confirming and I don't have a bunch of talking going on, fine. I'd much rather you say "lights" than "lights standing by, thank you" though- the one word gets it across just fine. For deck cues I like to have a standby if it involves a lot of people having to get into place- especially if the deck crew might be a bit flaky. I had a 2nd ASM backstage once that I needed to have confirm everything because he kept falling asleep on headset. It all depends on the show and the people and situations involved. And in any case, if I ask you to respond I have a reason, so I expect the crew to comply with the request.
3) Cell Phones- Why in the world would anyone answer a cell during a show? If your grandmother is on her deathbed, come talk to me- I'll let you put it on silent and if there's a convienient way, step out to return the call if the show won't suffer. But generally, cell phones on the job are unacceptable. I don't even like it when crews answer while in a lift hanging lights- it just feels unprofessional to me. Focus on what you're doing and check your voicemail on break.

7
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Dealing with stress
« on: Mar 16, 2006, 12:52 pm »
I find that one thing that really helps is to plan ahead. If you don't look at least a month in advance, something is going to blindside you and bring you past your breaking point. For example, right now I just closed my college mainstage show (40 or so hrs a week SMing), am doing props for the next one, ASMing at a local road house (about 20 hrs a week now that my show closed) working at an Event Production office on campus (maybe 10 hrs a week), Production Managing for a new company (10-20 hrs per week), and taking classes full time. In the next month I'll be adding another job one day per week possibly, and PAing at a professional theater in DC. Of course once the PA job starts I'll cut back to 5-10 hrs per week at the other two jobs, and keep the PM gig pretty consistant. What's keeping me sane is that I'm doing homework for the rest of the semester this week (spring break) as well as the vast majority of my props. Get what you can done WAY before deadlines so you can focus on a couple things at a time. Also, multitask- can you bring schoolwork with you to work? That helps. Finally, delegate when you can. It's amazing how helpful it is when you can trust the people on your team, so you don't have to do everything yourself. In any case, be realistic about what you can do and plan it out in advance- there's nothing wrong with turning some things down so you can do your best on everything you do.

8
I think it really depends on the show... I board op'd a show last summer where I literally had 40 mins between cues in the second act... and in a show that runs a month and a half, I finished quite a few books. Other shows are just too busy. I think the rule about "no activities in standby" is good, as long as the op has shown that they are on top of things, sound ops pre-set cues ahead of time, etc. If there has been a problem where cues are missed/almost missed, then the distractions need to stop.

9
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Calling Rail Cues?
« on: Feb 24, 2006, 01:03 pm »
I think it depends on the show and how much time you have to rehearse it, as to whether or not you can spell out the cues instead of just calling them by name. it also depends on how much else you have going on to say at that moment. In general, a clearly-written cue sheet given to all the flymen should be sufficient, in addition to a "rail QX- warning/standby/go" sequence, assuming there is sufficient rehearsal time. I have done a show, however, where neither I nor any of the crew knew the show well (both had been brought in for the first time only a couple days before opening) so I spelled things out a bit to ensure we were all on the same page. There is no hard and fast rule- just do what works and be consistant with whatever you decide.

10
SMNetwork Archives / First time opera? need some help.
« on: Dec 03, 2005, 12:37 am »
Hi everyone! I'm a college senior stage manager, and have been stage managing in the theater department for a couple years as well as working at the local 2000 seat road house as the in-house ASM, so I'm not new to stage managing. Next week though, I'm starting work on my first opera, for the music department. I was just asked to do this yesterday (the professional SM they hired backed out), but it happened to work for my schedule so I've accepted. I read music well, so that's not a concern. My worries are concerning how late in the process I'm starting- I don't even get a score till monday, and I'm pretty sure that's the start of tech, that night, when I start. I know that at some point very soon I'll need to time out 30-sec intervals in my script so I can page actors to the stage. Should I worry about paging them until dress though? I don't know when I'm going to have time to time it out while I'm working out cues and such. Any thoughts on whether getting hold of a recording and timing it out to that would be helpful? I guess I'm just trying to get into the process as smoothly as possible without looking incompetant since I don't really have the opportunity to do any prep work at all. What do you think would be a good step-by-step approach for me to get started with until I actually know what is going on? Sorry this sounds so rambly, I'm just frustrated with the director who doesn't really seem to notice that it might help me to have an idea of the schedule, etc before I show up. Thanks for listening/helping! -Meg

Pages: [1]
riotous