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Topics - lsears

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1
Job Postings / Non-union opera ASM needed in Boston
« on: Mar 15, 2016, 11:27 am »
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) seeks experienced, creative, outgoing, and friendly individual for Assistant Stage Manager position for a special semi-staged, family version of Rossini’s Cinderella at Boston’s Symphony Hall in collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Production will be conducted by BYSO Music Director Federico Cortese and Directed by Edward Berkeley. Candidates should have professional stage management experience, ability to read a vocal score, and be available in Boston for daily rehearsals from March 29-April 10, 2016. Please contact Matthew Ritter at mbritter@bu.edu for more details.

2
Self-Promotion / Albatross
« on: Feb 07, 2015, 08:11 pm »
ALBATROSS, presented by The Poets' Theatre

'water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink'  Ever heard that before?  It's from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and I'm working on a one man show based on the poem, adapted by the same gentleman who adapted The Kite Runner.  The actor is amazing, great soundscape I've been privileged to be hearing throughout rehearsals, loads of projections and light cues I'm eager to tech this week.

We're in downtown Boston, 1st preview this Friday, open on Monday, close on March 1.  Come see us!

http://www.poetstheatre.org/albatross/ 
http://www.broadwayworld.com/boston/article/The-Poets-Theatre-to-Present-ALBATROSS-213-31-20150106#

3
Job Postings / 2 week musical workshop in Boston
« on: Jan 31, 2015, 06:23 pm »
February 15-27, 2015 two-week workshop of the musical the team has been developing over the past 18-months called A Pint of Understanding. 

Here's our website with info on the musical - the short video explains all:

http://www.apintofunderstandingthemusical.com<http://www.apintofunderstandingthemusical.com/>

We're operating under an AEA Reader's Contract. We have three AEA actors so we have to have an AEA Stage Manager. We can pay $1,200.00 for the entire two-week engagement and will put in for Pension and Health.


Here is the rehearsal schedule:

Week #1
Sunday          Feb 15        12pm - 6pm           Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Monday        Feb 16           6pm - 11pm         Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Tuesday        Feb 17           6pm - 11pm         Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Wednesday   Feb 18           6pm - 11pm         Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Thursday      Feb 19           6pm - 11pm          Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Friday           Feb 20           6pm - 11pm         Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Saturday      Feb 21            DAY OFF

WEEK #2
Sunday         Feb 22        12pm - 6pm            Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Monday       Feb 23          6pm -                     Regent Theater Studio, Arlington, MA
Tuesday       Feb 24         6pm - 11pm            Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Wednesday  Feb 25        6pm - 11pm             Central Square Theatre Studio, Cambridge
Thursday     Feb 26         6pm - 11pm            Bill Bordy Theater, Emerson College
Friday         Feb 27          7pm                        PUBLIC PRESENTATION -  Bordy Theater, Emerson

Contact Benny_Ambush@emerson.edu if available.

4
Tools of the Trade / PROPS: overflowing champagne
« on: Jan 15, 2015, 03:44 am »
Question from an actor friend:  "Do you have a good 'recipe' by any chance to make for champagne that is supposed to bubble out/overflow when popped open?? "

I'm not on the show so I don't know what they've tried.  I found an article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2880482/Shake-bottle-bubbly-STOP-overflowing-Vigorous-shaking-actually-decreases-pressure-inside-bottles-champagne-study-finds.html) that says shaking and fully chilling the bottle both decrease pressure making popping/overflowing less likely, but everything else I found on line is about how to avoid overflows.

Any suggestions?  I asked if they were using non-alcoholic champagne or trying to fake something with ginger ale but haven't heard back.

6
Self-Promotion / Boston Area - Rancho Mirage
« on: Oct 13, 2013, 04:58 pm »
I'm working on a wonderful new play right now and we open tomorrow, Monday, Oct 13.
Rancho Mirage at New Rep, located in Watertown
Written by Steven Dietz - part of National New Play Network's rolling world premiere - opened at the Olney two weeks ago
3 couples, each at a crossroads in their lives and relationships, meet for a dinner party that goes badly and the unspoken truths are spoken.

We play through Nov. 3rd - come see us!

7
Employment / Thinking through a Bad Fit
« on: Sep 21, 2013, 11:58 pm »
Tomorrow I'll finish a show at a theater that I probably won't work for again.  I imagine this thought is mutual.  This is the first time that I worked for this company and it simply wasn't a good fit.  There are ups and downs on both sides, but its the first time that I've been at a company where the culture of the theater was so vastly different from the attitude of my interview, the multiple conversations prior to me taking the job and the word of mouth I'd heard from past employees, all things I take pretty seriously when considering work for new places.

Not everything has been bad, and I keep circling back to the reasons I took the job and if they were in fact met - trying to clarify my expectations.  We've talked in other posts about what we look for in jobs or seasons and what I've learned is that when I put the non-work related reasons into work decisions I find the job less satisfying because the satisfaction lies outside of the work.  (That's a terribly awkward sentence, I apologize.) 

For example - one of the strong points of this job was the schedule.  36 hours a week, 6 performances a week with Mondays and Tuesdays off and no weekday matinees/understudy rehearsals/reason to be at the theater before 6pm, etc.  That sounded great because it lined up with the start of my teaching year so I could get students off to a clean start before moving onto more demanding shows later in the year.  What it actually means is that I'm quite happy with the time I can put into school but not happy with the show because I didn't accept the work for what the show had to offer me.  I liked the periphery which is great when I'm not at the theater but gives me a totally different attitude while I'm at work. 

I'm still processing - and am enjoying closing weekend - and thought others here may have had similar experiences.  One of the things I like about being freelance is that when relationships with theaters don't work out your contract already has an end date on it.  There's no rancor or drama with this one, the relationship will eventually end on its own.

8
The Green Room / VIDEO: opera summer stock
« on: Jul 09, 2013, 05:09 pm »
I know several people at De Moines Metro Opera and they usually put out very creative videos in advance of their summer season but this most recent has become a favorite of mine.  It's intended to highlight the voices of opera but I think the real star is the stage manager.  Enjoy!


EDIT: Fixed embedding. - PSMK

9
I am working on an opera with a company I've done four other shows with and while I love the shows, their organizational structure is a little wonky.  We opened on Sunday and had two days off.  Most of the company is working on other concerts and events as part of a larger festival.  I thankfully am not involved in those events so it was two days of blissful radio and email silence while they all worked on other things.

We had a show tonight at 7pm, I got to the theater at 5pm and make the usual checking in rounds, all seems normal.  At 5:45 I learned from a company member that one of our musicians was injured following Sunday night's show and won't be playing at tonight's show, and probably not the rest of the week as well.  It's a small orchestra, only 21 people, missing one person is noticeable to the cast.

This is someone I like and of course I fell terrible that they are hurt, glad they will recover, etc, and start thinking through what needs to be done before downbeat.  I'm also wondering who's job it was to actually communicate this information to me.  Thoughts?  It really feels like everyone went into problem solving mode and just forgot the communication part of this, letting people know just slipped through the cracks even though there were several opportunities to mention that something had happened (reply to the performance report/daily call, when I checked in at the start of the call...)

The production manager hadn't been told.
The orchestra manager knew but didn't tell me when I saw them.
The company manager knew but didn't tell me when I saw them.
The music director knew but didn't tell me when I saw them.

I'm just curious - have any of you had something similar happen to you?  Everyone thought I knew, no one could figure out who's job it would have been to tell me.  Everything went smoothly, I'm just pondering how communication can be improved.

10
I'm rehearsing a decent sized show right now - 16 actors, 8 dancers, 21 musicians.  The show is great, the people are lovely, the rehearsal hall smells funky.  You walk through the door and know that people are WORKING!

We're in a church hall that isn't air conditioned or vented in any way and working 9am-9pm.  We have fans going to cool the room and move air around, but can't find a way just to vent and freshen the space.  We're in Boston and temps are climbing to 90ish this weekend so opening our few tiny windows just brings in stale hot air from a back alley.

Fortunately everyone has good personal hygiene, no strong perfumes, no sweaty gyms bags/clothes other than the clothes the cast wears as they rehearse, no overly strong food smells.  Any ideas?  We're in the space for one more week.

11
The Green Room / Desk/Sleeping area...for those long days
« on: May 03, 2013, 01:20 pm »
http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/desk-bed-work-space.html

This is bizarre but I know stage managers who have slept worse places when the cot is in use.

12
Tools of the Trade / Assisted listening device
« on: Nov 24, 2012, 03:12 pm »
I'm working in a space for the first time and the sound quality backstage is less than ideal. The piece we're doing is an early opera so my cues are very precisely tied to what I hear. I asked the house crew if they had suggestions and they gave me an assisted listening headset. It means I wear two headsets through the show but the clarity and independent volume control is great. Has anyone else every done this?  The crew said they frequently give these devices to surtitles operators.

13
The Hardline / Public reading during rehearsal process
« on: Jan 20, 2012, 05:28 pm »
I start prep for my next play on February 6th.  All is very straightforward and my personal prep has been easy until I learned that we're doing a staged reading one evening in the rehearsal process.  The theater is promoting this event which is free and open to the public and will also involve the mayor's office.  I am meeting with the theater next week when I get back from vacation to talk about what this means for me, for actors, what the expectations are, and what the limits are, and will be calling our AEA deputy as well to check in with them (LORT contract).  In the meantime, has anyone else encountered this type of situation before?

14
The Green Room / Unwinding and Readjusting
« on: Jan 04, 2012, 09:19 am »
I've been away from home (and away from SMNetwork) since August when I did a partial move to NYC for a show at the Roundabout.  Since then I've been commuting back to Boston on Sunday nights, returning to the city on Tuesdays.  Our show closed on Sunday, New Years Day, and I went back to Boston for good on Monday.  Yesterday it felt bizarre not to wake up early to get the bus back to NYC, and when it hit 6pm, my show call for the past few months, I felt a profound feeling of displacement.

This was the longest I've ever run a show for, 26 previews and 82 regular performances - I'm home for a week, then go on a quick vacation with my husband, and my next show starts prep the second week of February - I wonder how long it will take me to readjust to regular life.  It took me forever to make coffee yesterday afternoon, couldn't quite remember how our kitchen was organized...

Anyone else have trouble adjusting after a show?

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