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Messages - StageSerenity

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1
One thing that I'm always told from directors is that I can be more "agressive". However, when I ASM, I notice that when the stage manager is "agressive" the cast and even sometimes the director find their behavior overwhelming (which I agree with).

My dilemma, how do I become more "agressive" without being too agressive?
(The word I'm looking for is assertive.)

Thanks

2
This seems to be a popular topic, Thank you notes. So whays you opinion on them?  Yes, no, good, bad, somewhere in between?  If you give thank you notes, who gets them, everyone, actors only, crew only, Design team, Asm ect. Do you do it differently with different companies or environments?

While we're on this topic,  gifts? To whom?

I just general want some some opinions on this since in the world I'm currently operating in, it seemed to be something that no one can agree on.

(Mods. Feel free to move and tag appropriately, this seemed seemed like the best place. )

3
Come on new children
Costumes on bodies, hats on!
Thank you, places please!

This is wonderful,
Just because it is the end
Still, no pranks allowed.

Why, I work with kids,
I try to help them, I try,
It's time for a break.

4
The Green Room / Re: On surviving a life in theater
« on: Jul 24, 2013, 11:51 pm »
Very interesting story. If the peril of actors is so great, what about those behind the scenes like us.

This really gets me  thinking about what we do for our art and our love. As well as, the question everyone evolved in theatre has asked themselves at one time or another "Is it worth it? "

5
The Green Room / Re: Dealing with Thank You Notes
« on: Jul 17, 2013, 11:08 am »
Okay, so now everybody gets a card, but what about gifts?

After the final show is the cast and crew party, (parents and children invited for a small fee to cover food). At this party the sentiments begin, (working with children makes this a party like no other) "Oh great shows, I love you guys" ect. happens and gifts come out for the production team. I personally always give gifts to "the team" because we've just spent the majority of three months of our life together and usually it's a pretty decent time. I always find relevancy for someones gift and I do a great job of figuring out what people like and I always been very selective about what gifts I give.

Anyhow I want to give gifts, even to him (so I can give gifts to everyone else), any ideas?
(Male, 19, first time stage manager...that's all I got basically for information about him)

Perhaps a book on stage management?
(I do have a fallback choice in mind for him as well)

6
The Green Room / MORALE: Dealing with Thank You Notes
« on: Jul 17, 2013, 01:50 am »
How do you write a thank you note to someone who didn't really do their job and you had pick up the slack for?

(BACKROUND: I'm currently the ASM for this show. I've worked at this company before, they like me, as well as the kids and the parents love me. I've been hired back for part of the next season as their stage manager.)

I like to write thank you notes to go with the small gifts I usually give to the management team (directors, co-directors, AD's, stage managers, co-stage managers, ASM's) I know and follow all the all or nothing "rule" with cards and gifts, but I don't want to not give anything to an amazing director, a decent co-director (this is her first time directing and she's doing a pretty good job), but this stage manager is making this difficult.

Any tips on what should I do?

Edited to add topic tag- Maribeth

7
Employment / Re: Listing profanity on your resume.....
« on: Jun 20, 2013, 10:27 am »
No, I wouldn't. I did Damn Yankees in high school.
That's how it was advertised on posters,on t-shirts and in the newspaper. So that's how it is on my resume and that's the proper title.

8
The Green Room / Re: Production Haikus
« on: Jun 07, 2013, 10:00 am »
I know you are new,
If you have a question ask,
Lying does not help.

ASM not your
Personal assistant nor
Go-for, do your job.

9
Sorry it took so long to reply.

I am one of the ASM's.

As you guys mentioned that maybe I should take this show off. So I decided that I would take this final show off. Well, I went and told our TD that I was not going to be apart of this production.  I guess word travels quickly and before I could finish my business at the school, the other guy was there. He sorta apologize to me, looking down and mummbling something about ego's and maturity (it honestly didn't feel sincere but I accepted it).

After that, the director caught me right before I got to my car, and asked me if I currently had time to go get a coffee with him. I said yes and we drove (independntly) to our local coffee shop. We bought our coffee and sat down.  He asked me to be one of the ASM's, the TD was going to SM, and said how much he really wants me on this production. This is the guy who praised me so well on an interviewer's phone call that they eliminated rounds 2 and 3 of interviews and hired me on the spot.

I told him give me a week to figure out my plan of action.

And that night I had a dream... so real I woke up like I had already made the decision.

So I said yes.

And now tech week is here.
It was worth it.

10
Still waiting... two snow days are getting in my way.  :-\

I'll tell you when I know.

11
Update: today is the day I find out how the fates knoted my life. I will make sure that I post the final result.

Thank you all for the stories, words of wisdom and advice,

StageSerenity

12
Ok… I have a problem. It does say community theatre as my primary experience but this is the end of my senior year in high school.

I want to stage manage the spring play. I decided to make stage management a career, and during the last two shows at my high school have not been able to be on running crew due to important conflicts (like marching in a national marching band and a state science contest) and picking up those show seasons at a local community theatre. I have had this position “reserved” for the last year. All of a sudden now someone else wants to do it, and he’s being quite confrontational about the whole thing. The first time I even heard utter a thing about stage management was when he cornered me on the back stairs to “inform” me that he was stage managing this show. I calmly spoke that I had already asked to stage manage this show. He then proceeded to argue his point to me pointing out “my lack of devotion to the program” questioning me “where the @%#! were you the last two shows!” One thing I forgot to mention, this guy is a junior. For me that’s you have three more shows for you to stage manage next year. I don’t want a fight but it seems that the crew is starting to pick sides, something that I definitely don’t want. 

The director is so glad to have me stage managed the show again (I stage managed his 2012 spring play, which is where I think all of this conflict is coming from). It’s not a significantly hard show (dare I say it’s easy) but I’m still building my resume and portfolio for my BFA interviews right after this show. I talked to our Technical Director (that’s his only job at the school and he has plenty of on the road, on the job, and in the classroom experience) that he said that we were all acting like children and he would do it himself if he had to. I completely get where he is coming from. I tried to talk to this guy but he won’t let me even speak a few words before he’s angry and ranting again.

I wonder is it even worth it. I can’t go work the community theatre show due to a leadership conference that is a mandatory event on a show weekend, but I would love to add one last show before my interviews.
 
Some insight would be helpful and this situation has just popped up and decisions need to be made by Monday February 25, 2013.

Thank You,

Serenity

EDITED: Obscured cuss word in quote - yomanda - moderator

13
The Green Room / Re: Production Haikus
« on: Feb 14, 2013, 09:42 pm »
Stop complaining, now.
Just because your life does suck,
Doesn't allow moaning.

Life sucks. I know that,
Whining about it changes nothing,
My life sucks, too. *sigh*


Post Merge: Feb 16, 2013, 05:38 pm
I'm going to kill you,
Dear god, prepare to die,
It is closing night.

Thank god, one day more!
So glad when this is over
You, hypocrite, bye.

14
The Green Room / Re: Production Haikus
« on: Jan 31, 2013, 10:10 pm »
You can not prompt them,
Next week is tech week you know
They will have to learn.

Don't worry not your show,
Focus on fixing your own,
No comments allowed.

Just because we sing
And act, on personal time,
Let us sing le mis.

15
Tools of the Trade / Dropbox Teams
« on: Jan 26, 2013, 07:05 pm »
Update for Dropbox, Dropbox teams.

 The price isn't free, but it work like a charm. The company I work for just swiched from a common single shared account to teams. Our basic rule of thumb is if it's not in Dropbox, it doesn't exist. I suggest everyone at least try the free trial.

 https://www.dropbox.com/teams


Moderator note: this post was originally part of the "How to best use Dropbox" discussion. -kmc307

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