Messages

871

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Prompt Books (Do you use them?)

« on: Jan 29, 2011, 07:15 pm »

This is an old topic- but one I've been thinking about more and more lately. I've done digital calling scripts for my last 2 theatre shows, and have been really happy with the result. It takes a bit of time and effort, but I love how clean and easy to read my script is (not to mention being able to print backups does a lot for my piece of mind).

One of the shows was performed in one venue, and then remounted in another a few months later, and it was easy to print a new copy of the script to tech the second production, and make the necessary cue changes.

I'd never heard of a "call-out" feature in Word (I'm on a Mac) and can't find it in their Help feature either, so explanation of that might be helpful too.

Callouts are essentially text boxes with a "tail" that you can drag to land wherever you need it in the text. You can put arrows or whatever you want on the ends of them- so the text box can point to where the cue should be called. There are a variety of styles to the text boxes- you can have them look like cartoon speech bubbles or other shapes if you like.

I've been a life-long pencil/ruler person, and I do like to keep the blocking in the same script when I tech and run the show, plus I write in a lot of details about what the cues are for and need to find places to do that near each cue, not always in the same place - is that possible in an electronic version?

Yes- most of my cues for my current show look something like this: (within a text box)
LQ111- fade up SL platform (3ct)
SQ213- volume down
PQ223- fade up title in screens 1/2
autofollow PQ223.1- title out

If I need more space for one of the boxes, I manipulate the formatting of the text on the page (get rid of stage directions, or something similar). I use page breaks to keep the numbering the same.

872

The Green Room / Re: First Jobs

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 09:45 pm »

My first paid stage management job was between my junior and senior years of college. I worked at a bookstore for 6 years before that and it was hard not to go back- I liked the work and the people I worked with, I had worked my way up to a good wage, and it was really difficult to turn that job down. I knew that if I wanted to do theatre for a living that I had to start working at it, so I looked for jobs and internships and finally settled on one.

I was an ASM /SM for a small summer opera company- I had very little opera experience and my opera mentor had referred me to the job. A friend/classmate of mine was the stage manager for the first show- I remember when they hired me they asked if I would feel comfortable SMing the second show after ASMing the first. I said yes, while secretly being very very nervous at the prospect. I think it paid 350-400/wk- after taxes, I made just enough to pay rent and buy food.

I learned a TON from the SM- she told me a lot of the little opera tricks and quirks. One of the choristers taught me the basic rules of Italian pronunciation, which I will be forever thankful for. I learned a lot about dealing with different personalities- from the diva who refused to come onstage to start the last act before she was good and ready. The lighting designer was a great mentor and someone I've come to appreciate working with when I have the opportunity.

It was hard- I mopped the dressing rooms out when it rained, the crew was made up of college students who were a challenge at times, the roof leaked onto the stage management console (I had to rig up a tarp), etc. But, I got a lot of out of it and went back for a few more shows after that year.

873

The Hardline / Re: "Equity Business"

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 09:08 pm »

A lot of this info is available on the AEA site- http://www.actorsequity.org/library/library.asp?cat=34

The SM packet and Deputy packet that you receive when starting a show are available on the website- a lot of the info you're asking for is in the packet.

874

The Hardline / Re: Equity? In this economy?

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 08:55 pm »

I'm a freelance stage manager. I do not feel that being Equity has prevented me from getting well-paying work. I had some trouble when the economy hit- a couple shows I was scheduled to SM were no longer being produced, and I was out of a job. But after that, I landed some good gigs, and overall I feel like my opportunities have actually increased as my experience has increased, in the past few years. (I have done some non-stage management work from time to time- not because of a lack of SM work but because I was offered good jobs that I was interested in, like production managing.)

I'm back to stage managing full-time. This season, I didn't have a lot lined up locally, so I took a good season-long position out of town. (Ironically, since then, I have been offered a number of really good shows in town that I have had to turn down). I feel like this puts me in a much better position for next season- I have spent the year getting good experience and expanding my network to a new area (while keeping up connections at home).

In my opinion, the non-eq jobs that I see advertised do not pay that much. I don't think my options have narrowed- but I don't limit myself to theatre. I also do opera and dance, and sometimes when I find that when there aren't a ton of jobs available in one of those areas I will go after the others. I do get my health insurance through AEA, so for me it's important to be Equity.

I always try to grow my career, no matter what I'm in the process of doing.  I'm always building relationships with people at the next level and building my reputation within my geographical area.  It's been a slow process but it has paid off well for me.

Agreed. I think the decision is a personal one and that no generalization about the market right now is going to be true for everyone. It's good to know where you are now and where you want your career to be- I found that making a five-year plan really clarified what I wanted my career to be like. It doesn't dictate what I do, but the act of making it really made me think about what I wanted (and subsequently informed the choices that I make.)

875

Employment / Re: Juggling Acts

« on: Jan 09, 2011, 10:06 am »

I agree- I wouldn't usually tell someone considering hiring me about other potential offers unless I thought it might hurry things along.

If two companies said they definitely wanted to hire me, but we had not yet worked out what show in their season I would do, I might bring up the other company and potential dates of employment, so that we could work it out that they didn't overlap. (Since I work in regional theatre, this is often the case- they will be hiring a season's worth of SMs at one time and the possibility of "shuffling" who does which show is sometimes an option).

If I made the decision that I wanted the job in front of me, I would either wait for the others to call me, and tell them I had taken another offer-  if I was far enough along in the process I might call and let the others know.

There might be a point in the interview process, if the interviewer asked about my availability, that I might say that I was talking with other companies, but hadn't committed to anything. I don't think I would bring it up if I wasn't asked.

876

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera tips

« on: Oct 11, 2010, 07:55 pm »

I have been looking back at this topic, and I love how much great information is on here!

Recently, my SM suggested that the SM team spiral-bind our scores (instead of keeping them in a larger binder), and I think it's really useful. The score is a lot more portable that way, and I can walk a part in a cover staging rehearsal without lugging my whole binder with me (helpful when running the show as well). I still keep a show binder with all of the other paperwork, but having the score bound separately makes it a lot easier to tote around.

Concerning the orchestra

Find out whether actual curtain time is the same as published curtain time.  I have encountered several companies that contract the orchestra to start 5 minutes after the time printed on the tickets, as they are well aware that a production in a theatre seating anywhere up to 5000 people is not going to start on time.  So rather than paying the orchestra for that almost inevitable house hold, they just assume that the house will need to be held at least five minutes.  This can mean the difference between squeaking in right under three hours or going into overtime for those biggies like Carmen.

This also can affect the chorus call time on an AGMA contract.

877

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Recording blocking

« on: Aug 19, 2010, 10:39 pm »

I think blocking is a necessary part of the rehearsal process. Your blocking notes can be used as a reference for any number of things- understudy rehearsals, archiving the show, for that moment when the director asks you "how did we do that yesterday?", etc.

There are a number of threads on SMNetwork regarding blocking methods-

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,3348.msg20505.html#msg20505
http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,4038.msg24550.html#msg24550
http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,438.0.html
http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1884.0.html

(along with, I'm sure, tons of others)

One thing that can help free up some page space is to write the blocking on either the back of the next page, or on a page inserted between pages of text. If you insert a "blocking page" between your text pages, you can put a diagram of the stage on it, which can be useful for noting where people and props are onstage. Using a separate page also allows you to easily replace a page, if it gets too cluttered or if, say, the director decides to completely re-block a scene.

If you have your blocking on a separate page, then you can write your cues on the same page as the text. If you need more room to write, printing the script with a wider margin can give you more space.

Everyone has their own method- some people use colors or shapes to make their cues stand out, some make a clean copy of the script just for cues. Find a method that works for you.

878

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Aug 11, 2010, 02:18 pm »

but, I was wondering for those who have been able to maintain friendships with other stage managers, how do you deal with?  with the competition, the jealousy, the career envy, etc.

I wouldn't say that I have a lot of stage manager friends- I have some, and a couple more that I really enjoy working with but that I would consider "colleagues" more than friends, and a number of former SMs as friends. (Interestingly, I feel like a huge number of my friends are former stage managers....)

I think it's really easy to be envious of someone else's career- but if they are someone that I like, I'm more likely to ask them what worked for them, and have a conversation about the business, in general. There are days when I feel competitive/jealous regarding the SMs that work at the same places I do and are "in competition" with me for jobs. But, I try not to think about that- I think it's more productive to concentrate on my own career and try not to worry about what "might have been".

I'm also a big believer in career karma, that if you help someone get a job by putting their name on the table or forwarding a post, it will come back around to help you in the future.  I feel like it's worked out that way for me a number of times.   I'm more likely to have a touch of career envy for SMs I don't know personally, or I know them but don't think they are good stage managers.  Then it sucks to find out they got a job I wanted and seemed equally qualified for.

I second that- I hooked a friend up with a job recently, and got offered a show within a week. I think it was the good karma.

879

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: The Clean House - any traps?

« on: Aug 04, 2010, 10:16 am »

Never SM'ed it but saw a great production of it (twice) a few years ago. Hope you have fun! it's a great show.

880

Employment / Re: Local and not so local job resource websites

« on: Jul 24, 2010, 06:59 pm »

DC area- Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington http://www.cultural-alliance.org/cgi-bin/jbsearch.cgi

National- Opera America  http://www.operaamerica.org/applications/jobs

881

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Accidentally Set Off Building Alarm: What would you do?

« on: Jul 14, 2010, 08:21 pm »

Done it. I think I did it in high school once, in a similar situation to yours, and I don't remember how I handled it. Definitely done it at a professional theatre (with a key)- I called the county, who controls the alarm system, and told them the situation, and called the 2 people at the theatre who are on the county's "to call" list if the alarm goes off.

It's no one's ideal situation, but it's no one's fault- it happens. Explain the situation, and everything should be fine. Things happen- the best thing you can do is remain calm. You called the people you can call. That's all you can do.

882

Stage Management: Other / Re: Operations Manager job...need answers fast!

« on: Jul 11, 2010, 11:56 am »

Does the opera company use an AGMA contract? If so, if you look on the AGMA website (www.muscialartists.org), on the left hand side, click "Agreements", then "Opera", and then the individual agreements will appear as pdfs. It's slightly different than the AEA website- the agreements are specific to the company.

Good luck!

883

Stage Management: Other / Re: Possible interview ?s for opera ASM

« on: Jul 02, 2010, 10:18 pm »

Here's a thread on what a WWW is- http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1003.msg5830.html#msg5830

Examples that members have posted: http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,2495.msg15392.html#msg15392

And I think there was a discussion that included it in this thread as well: http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1249.15.html

884

Stage Management: Other / Re: Possible interview ?s for opera ASM

« on: Jul 02, 2010, 10:07 am »

Do you have experience with large cast shows? (with the principal singers, chorus, supers, etc the cast of an opera can be enormous).
Can you call cues from a score?
Do you know any foreign languages? (even a little bit of foreign language can be useful)
(Depending on the venue) Do you have experience working with a union crew?
(Depending on the opera) Do you have any experience with dance?
Are you familiar with opera paperwork, particularly a WWW?

885

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What's the most controversial show you've ever worked on?

« on: Feb 26, 2010, 06:44 pm »

I did a production of a play about Israeli settlers in the Gaza strip, produced by a theatre company at a Jewish Community Center- it provoked a lot of controversy within the audience base of the theatre. We had a lot of talkbacks for the production, and there were usually at least a few people in the audience who were really upset by the show, and the theatre got some really horrible letters about it. One of the characters in the show was a rabbi who committed suicide, and the actor who played that character was approached by a patron (not at the theatre) who was really angry about the portrayal.

It was a really thought-provoking play, and the production was well-attended.