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Messages - themikejones

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1
Employment / Backdoor Reference Checks on ACTORS
« on: Mar 02, 2017, 12:49 pm »
I work as a Stage Manager but also as a Company Manager.  This topic really falls under the CM part of my job, but I thought the folks in this forum might have some insight into this question, so here goes.

I've been asked to check references on every new hire.  This includes Actors.  But here's the thing-- actors don't' list references on their resumes.  Just previous roles/theatres/directors.   My question is this-- is it legal (and morally right) for me to blind contact theatres and directors that an actor has on their resume and ask for a reference-- even if I don't know these people? 

According to some internet research, this might fall under "backdoor reference checks".  Also, I may need written permission from the candidates to check any references. 

Has anyone ran into this "checking actors references" thing before?  Do other theatres do this? 

Thanks for any insight you might have. 

2
The Green Room / Re: SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies
« on: Nov 23, 2012, 02:54 pm »
Quote
My favorite fictional stage manager is Scooter from The Muppet Show. I'm a stage manager and I love puppets, so he is my favorite.

There is some debate if Scooter was a go-fer and more of an ASM, and if Kermit was the true Stage Manager of the Muppet Show.  (Maybe Kermit was the PSM).

I LOVE this discussion!  Scooter for the win!

As a Disney fan, I also want to mention that during the pre-show at the Mickey's Philharmagic attraction at Walt Disney World, you hear Goofy calling places and then he said "Being a Stage Manager is fun!"  Haha!

3
The Green Room / Re: SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies
« on: Nov 19, 2012, 01:01 pm »
There's a book called Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos, and the main character is a stage manager. Until she becomes a...well, spoilers. But the book describes her job in a positive and knowledgeable manner.

I'll have to check that out!  I forgot about SMs in books.  The main character in A Habit for Death by Chuck Zito is a stage manager.  It's a fun read-- and a pretty good portrayal of a an SM.  Well, an SM who also solves mysteries like Jessica Fletcher.  Haha!

4
The Green Room / SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies
« on: Nov 19, 2012, 12:24 pm »
I had wonderful the opportunity to see the national tour of White Christmas yesterday.  I loved-loved-loved the show!  Irving Berlin's music jumped to life and the dancing was spot on!   But one thing really bothered me-- as it always does.  I cringed every time the "stage manager" character was in a scene.  It's not that the actor was doing a bad job-- he played the character as it's written and, I'm sure, how he was directed.  But why can't anyone write a good stage manager character?? 

If you don't know the show, the SM character in White Christmas runs around frantically clapping his hands and yelling things like "Places people!!  PLACES!!!!" with the kind of frightened shrill that only an oncoming apocalypse should bring.  I don't know if the writers wanted to create an SM who is the antithesis of what a real SM is like--  just as a joke.  (I have to admit- I don't remember the SM in the movie so maybe they're just copying that.)  I guess it might be funny for actors to see an SM character loosing their shit because a drop hasn't been flown out.  But I think the joke is lost on the general public.  The average joe (like members of my family) go to see White Christmas and then say things to me like "Now I understand your job!"  or "So that's what you do for a living".  Ack!!  Shoot me in the face!!

White Christmas isn't the only guilty party here.  I think others on the board have talked about the SM on Smash (maybe I should have combined this thread with that one actually.)  Even in old Hollywood movies  there is usually the SM is reduced to being that person who knocks on the dressing room door and yells "5 minutes to curtain Miss So-and-so".  It just seems funny that playwrights and directors (who works with real stage managers all the time) would get us SO WRONG every single time! 

Maybe one day there will be a good representation of our profession on the stage or screen.  Is there one out that that I dont' know about? 

5
I've used the same shape template for years.  http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/831495/Staedtler-Mars-Template-Sketch-Master/  It's cheap and easy to find. 

6
Tools of the Trade / Wrist Watch Suggestion?
« on: Jun 19, 2012, 12:06 am »
I've never liked having a stop watch hanging around my neck.  Instead I've always just worn a wristwatch that has stop watch features.  My current watch is a Timex Ironman Triathlon.  It's kind of an ugly digital watch but it has a good chronograph plus a count down timer that I find to be invaluable for breaks.  Not to mention I use this count down timer when cooking and doing laundry.   

Here's my problem... like I said, it's kind of ugly.  Whenever I'm not currently doing a show I like to wear fun watches like my vintage style Mickey Mouse watch from Walt Disney World.  It's really a fashion accessory more than a tool.  But I'm lucky enough to be working more often than not now-a-days and so I'm stuck wearing the ugly watch A LOT. 

Does anyone have any suggestions of where I can find a wrist watch that doubles as a timer and stop watch that also has some character or design to it?    I might just have to break down and buy an around the neck style stop watch and wear my nice-- but less functional-- wrist watch as well.  That seems silly though. 

Thanks for you help with my silly question.  :)

7
Tools of the Trade / Clipboard that holds your iPad?
« on: Mar 29, 2012, 08:54 pm »
I've tried to to switch over to using the iPad instead of carrying a clipboard/notepad--- but I just can't do it.  If a director hands me a scribbled out plan of attach for the day I want a clipboard to attach it to.   I also just like to have a printed out copy of the day's schedule to scribble notes on-- and a notepad app like Penultimate is just not as easy to use as a pencil and a pad of paper.  That being said, I love my iPad am am spoiled by the convenience of having a PDF version of the script, score, all draftings and drawings, sound effect files, archive videos, cast recordings, dramaturgical research, web links, etc-- as well as electronic copies of all my paperwork to be at my fingertips. 

So I find myself carrying around my clipboard and my iPad and kind of juggling them.   Searching for a solution to this problem  I found this web site: http://www.hardcaseforipad.com/  Here is a video of the one I'm thinking about buying.  http://youtu.be/DYrqwjcmkFE  I thought I'd ask for your thoughts on this item.  Useful?  To clunky? 


8
Stage Management: Other / Re: Spiking a Dance Floor
« on: Oct 21, 2011, 11:15 am »
I'm doing a large dance show right now so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.  We use 3M color vinyl electrical tape for lines & spikes.  Then we clear tape on top of that with clear vinyl dance floor tape.   For the dance numbers & letters we special order vinyl numbers-- but you can pick up something similar at a craft store. Here are some links.

3M vinyl electrical tape: http://www.all-spec.com/products/165-102.html?gclid=CKHjof2H-qsCFQor7AodHQR9pA
Dance floor tape: http://www.thetapeworks.com/tape/index.php?cPath=25_58 
Vinyl Numbers/Letters: http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Adhesive-Vinyl-Letters-Numbers/dp/B002Y2NYJG

But I second what others have said about checking with whoever is in charge of the space to see what they allow on their deck. 

9
Tools of the Trade / Re: iPads
« on: Jun 18, 2011, 08:50 pm »
I tried to use my iPad as much as I possibly could on my last show-- which just closed.  I found that I used Dropbox and iAnnotate a lot.

I also downloaded an app that wasn't on my original list that I found invaluable.  It's called Note Taker HD.  It makes it easy to 'write' on the iPad with a stylus.  When a director is quickly rattling off the next day's schedule, for example, I think that jotting down into Note Taker is much faster than typing it on the iPad's awkward keyboard.  (Though, it's perhaps not as fast as simply writing on a piece of paper.)

I found it useful to have my iPad with me whenever I was walking around the building.  In one small device I had the script, groundplan, props list, checklists, video clips of choreography rehearsal, all the sound cue mp3's, all my reports, AEA agreement, and an archive or e-mail correspondence.  This allowed me to quickly answer any question that might be asked of me by a Production Manager or anyone who I could bump into. 

All that being said, I found that using the iPad to create a checklist, report, or prop tracking sheet was extremely frustrating.  It's best to create these documents on the macbook, drop them into Dropbox and then read/annotate them on the iPad.   


10
Tools of the Trade / Re: iPads
« on: Apr 28, 2011, 10:36 am »
I just bought an iPad and asked a fellow SM for suggestions of useful apps.  Here is the list I came up with:

Docs to Go    $16.99
Pages       $9.99
Numbers    $9.99
iAnnotate    $9.99
CalenGoo    $6.99
Goodreader     $4.99
GContact Lite    $1.99
Desktop.     $.99
First Aid     Free
ShowTool SM $4.99
iBooks    Free
PaperPhobic     Free
DrawCast     Free
AutoCAD WS Free
Time Calculator $.99
Dropbox     Free
Google    Free
Nefflix    Free

Other
NYTimes    Free
TV Guide   Free

11
College and Graduate Studies / MFA vs MA
« on: Apr 26, 2011, 10:19 am »
Quick question--- My partner is looking at grad schools.  He's considering a program based in London where he would earn an MA in Musical Theatre Producing.  He's also looking at MFA programs here in the states in either Directing or Theatre Management.  Our question is this-- how important is the "F"?   I'm looking at job postings for teaching at various colleges and most of them say they want someone with an "MFA"-- but would they accept a candidate with an "MA"? 

12
Tools of the Trade / Prop Wine Recipe Needed
« on: Apr 15, 2011, 03:07 pm »
Does anyone have a good recipe for making fake wine?  I need to make both a white and a red.  HELP?!  Thanks. :)

Mike

13
Employment / Re: Websites
« on: Apr 03, 2010, 04:14 pm »

http://www.themikejones.com/index.html (So this website, I found randomly one time. And there's just something about the opening page that makes me want to know the person, if that makes any sense. Now he probably pays a lot of that website or knows how to design them way more than I understand, but I love the way it looks.)
Mike has been working on his site for years now.  He was one of the first people to contribute stuff to SMNet many years ago.  Based on how it looked back then, I would not be surprised if that's all his own work.
I love his website!

Thanks for checking out my website!   I apologize that my response here is so delayed.  I've been somewhat absent from SMNetwork recently.   I was just browsing thru and catching up on what I've missed when I found these kinds words about my web site.  Again, thanks. I did actually have some help in created the initial design.  My friend Thomas Adkins (http://www.facebook.com/RhomasDesigns) helped me a lot.  Since then I've continued to tweak and update the page as my career has evolved. 

:)

14
The Green Room / Re: Best one-liner from a performance report
« on: Nov 04, 2009, 06:57 pm »
"Towards the end of the 5.2 an audience member walked onto the stage, crossed to the table and touched the food props.  He then asked Petruchio “Yo, yo! Can I get a biscuit?”"

15
Uploaded Forms / Re: "All Paperwork" Excel document
« on: Jun 01, 2008, 03:58 pm »
I like having as much paperwork as possible for each show I do in one Excel worksheet. 

What a great idea!   Thanks so much for sharing!

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