Messages

1

Employment / Re: Earning a living.

« on: Sep 05, 2014, 01:14 pm »

have you tried searching on this site? There have been at least one or two lengthy discussions on this topic.

Sorry! I did a search on the topic, but found most of the discussion to be pretty US based. I may have missed some replies which were UK related!

Hi JavissDaviss,

UK based answer - and I'm making an assumption you're a student, or newly into the job market?

Yes, it is. At the start, it's hard. I kept a casual crewing job on the side for the first 12-15 months, because I wasn't confident I could survive without it...

C

Thanks for your reply!
Yes, I just graduated university this year from a drama and performance course which was not stage management related at all! So I really am starting from scratch as far as any 'professional' experience goes!
It's been a bit of a struggle finding information about jobs, and an even bigger struggle to find someone willing to take a chance on me even for unpaid work!
Thanks for the offer of extra advise too! I may just take you up on that.

2

Employment / Earning a living.

« on: Sep 04, 2014, 05:14 pm »

I'm curious, is it actually possible to earn a living solely from Stage Management?
I'm mostly thinking about the UK here, but feel free to answer about other countries!
I've read a few articles mentioning that very, very few people are able to earna living solely from professional stage management jobs.
Opinions?

3

Employment / SM Interview UK

« on: Jul 11, 2014, 11:18 am »

Hi there,
I've been offered an interview for an SM position on small-mid size company for a national UK tour in the coming months.
This is the first 'proper' interview situation I will ever have done for professional work.
 I've been trying to decide whether or not i should bring anything with me to show me past experience.
And if so, i can't really decide what sort of documents would be appropriate or of interest to my interviewer...
I have electronic copies of literally all paperwork I used in my last SM project, so I no problems on that front.
Any advice on what supporting evidence to take with me to this interview?

4

The Green Room / Re: Girl in the Dark Blog

« on: Jul 06, 2014, 12:15 pm »

I've just spent an unreasonable amount of time "binge-reading" her blog posts.
I absolutely love it! She's very funny, and offers an insight into her private life and her practice.

5

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Duties/organisation Immersive Theatre

« on: Mar 09, 2014, 11:23 am »

I'm working with a cast of three actors for our final graded performance at university, I'm Production Stage Manager on the production.
I'm currently just a bit confused about my role and goals for the future.
The main point of confusion on my part is that the show is going to be completely devised in a 'non-theatre' space (We've found a disused warehouse which we're now using to house the show).
We're in the process of devising the show in the space and i'm just a bit at a loss as to what i should be doing at this point.
I write up 'rehearsal notes' for each rehearsal, although they're not traditional in the sense that there are no scenes or lines to comment on as yet. But other than these notes i'm not completely sure what other paperwork i should be doing.
It's a tricky one because as ever, working in a show in under an educational facility means that production roles aren't really taken to seriously either by staff or cas, and a lot of the rights and responsibilities of a PSM aren't granted to a measly university student!
Any advice on the sorts of regular paperwork/organisation one should be doing in such a situation? (Immersive theatre/devised theatre/site-generic theatre!)

6

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: PM for a devised site-specific piece.

« on: Jan 02, 2014, 11:09 am »

Thank you both for your input!
I have arranged to have a meeting with the company to discuss what they want from the project,
And as i'll be the only member of the company not expected to have any creative role in the process, what they want and expect from me in my role.
Maribeath's reply actually helped a lot in that aspect, I'll be lending myself and my own set of skills to the company and the project itself to realise what will hopefully be a killer production! And as such, I should think of myself as an enabler for the company rather than as some sort of 'controller'.

7

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: PM for a devised site-specific piece.

« on: Dec 31, 2013, 10:28 am »

Thanks so much for your fast reply!
I've read a few of the previous threads about devised theatre from the forum and they've been quite useful!
My main worry is working with a group with no set director.
As i mentioned in my OP, i understand that the cast of 4 will also be joint-directors of the piece. I'm worried that this could maybe lead to some difficulty for me in taking control of some situations, as in 'straight' theatre you have the director, the SM and then the cast, over whom you have some sort of control and charge.
Do you have any advice on working in this sort of situation?
Where do you think the book should stop in such a production? The ensemble or me?

8

Students and Novice Stage Managers / PM for a devised site-specific piece.

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 08:08 pm »

Hi there,
As part of my degree i have to take part in a 'final performance project' for this i have decided to work with a group of 4 other students/actors on a project.
My role primarily will be the Production Manager for the project.
The performance itself will be almost 100% devised using lots of different techniques in the process.
The 4 actors themselves will be devising the performance, and i assume sharing the role of director equally.
As well as this, the company are looking to make the piece site-specific/sympathetic.
So in terms of my duties there are a few that can be taken from 'straight' theatre and applied here, but obviously given the nature of the rehearsal/devising process and the venue, my role and duties will become blurred at points.
As i mentioned, the 4 actors will be sharing the role of director between them equally, so i'm also myself (rightly or wrongly, i dont know) expecting to take on some sort of quazi-director/producer role in the project, tying together the 4 directors, and overseeing their process trying to make it more productive. Obviously i would expect to have no creative input into the project. Is that getting into dangerous territory?
What is your advice for managing the devising process of a performance? What, if any, should my duties be in this time other than those which would normally be done?
Any advice on working with a company who have joint ownership/director rights over a production?

9

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Joining a company mid-tour as an ASM.

« on: Nov 30, 2013, 11:10 am »

I have a feeling that there may already be an ASM in the company, and that they've created this extra role for me for my placement.
I could possibly be working with another ASM.

10

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Joining a company mid-tour as an ASM.

« on: Nov 29, 2013, 08:34 pm »

Hi there,
As part of my university course i've been doing a work-placement at my local arts centre mainly as a 'performing arts technician' (read: ladder-footer).
I've been offered a temporary role as an ASM in one of the productions coming to the house for 2 weeks soon. It's a non-producing house so it's standard practice for them to have touring companies in.
I'm looking forward to actually getting some real, professional experience on the SM team as experiences i've had at uni have been very heavily affected by the presence of lecturers not knowing the boundaries between being the director and being the SM.
However, as the company are a touring company, this is not their first time performing this show. I'm essentially joining them mid-way through their run as an ASM.
I was wondering what sort of things might i expect to be doing? and have you any tips for someone joining a company mid-run as an ASM?