Messages

916

The Hardline / Re: SMA

« on: Jan 28, 2008, 07:17 pm »

http://www.stagemanagers.org/membship.htm

From the website:    

Full membership
Any person who has worked under a recognized contract of any branch of the 4A Unions (AEA, SAG, AGMA, AFTRA) as a Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager, or who can demonstrate comparable experience as a professional stage manager, is eligible for full membership. Full members enjoy all benefits and privileges of the SMA, including eligibility to serve as a member of the Executive Board, and the right to vote in elections and on SMA issues.

   
Associate membership
Any person who demonstrates an intent to pursue a career as a professional stage manager is eligible for Associate Membership. An Associate member may attend all meetings and gatherings, and serve on committees, but has no voting privileges. Once an Associate member feels he or she qualifies for Full Membership, he or she may apply for a change in category, subject to review by the Membership Committee.

   

917

The Hardline / Re: SMA

« on: Jan 21, 2008, 12:41 pm »

I have thought about joining SMA in the past, but I have personally had good luck finding jobs through personal contacts/networking, the DC/Baltimore AEA liaison committee's postings, and the DC Theatre Tech pages (a yahoo group). 

I have an SMA membership- although I don't find a lot of DC area work through it. I would agree that personal contacts and networking have been the top ways that I have found work in this area.

Benefits:
It's nice to get the job postings via email, and I find it more useful for out of town listings (including opera). I'm a fan of the Operation Observation, and hope to be taking advantage of it again when my schedule permits me. And they are organizing relevant online chats- today's is regarding tax preparation, which I think will definitely be interesting. So on the whole, I think that it's a good resource, and that it's working towards becoming more relevant and useful for its members.

That being said, it doesn't do much for me in terms of getting work and making connections in DC. Some of the other resources mentioned here (the DC theatre tech yahoo group, and the stage management forum being held next Monday) are more specific to the area. Many of the job postings are for showcase productions in New York- not something I'm interested in. I don't know that it would have done much for me when I was in college; there are a lot of other resources available, including job listings on Backstagejobs.com. And in terms of observations, you could contact some of the local theatres directly and ask to shadow someone if you were interested.

On a side note, someone on this thread mentioned ArtSearch- I think UMD has a subscription, so you can probably access it through them instead of having to pay for an individual subscription.

I weighed the cost vs benefits in college, and waited until I was a few years out of school to join.

918

Employment / Re: cover letters for internships

« on: Jan 15, 2008, 07:46 pm »

I can only speak to what I personally use in cover letters, so here goes. I aim for short and sweet- none of these paragraphs is more than a few sentences long.

First, I do an introduction that includes who I am, what position I am interested in, and if applicable, where or who I heard about the position from.

After that I do a short paragraph about my experience- school, outside jobs, other experience that I think applies. Sometimes I include a current project, and particularly if I'm applying for an out-of-town position, I include the area where I'm located.

Then a paragraph of any questions I have about the position- this is where I would ask about what they want included in a portfolio. For an internship, I probably wouldn't include too many questions- those would be great to ask if you get an interview. And if the job requires something that I think I am uniquely qualified for, I include that as well. (I like to respond to information that was in the ad for the position- such as "I read music, and have experience with large cast operas." if that's what they were looking for.)

Finally, I do a very brief conclusion that tells them that my resume and references are attached, and that they can contact me for any additional questions, etc. And I thank them for their consideration.


I don't put too much info in my cover letters- I save most of it for an interview. I've never had to make a portfolio before, but if it was me, I would simply ask them what they were looking for, and work from there. My big things for cover letters are short, sweet, and polite. Hope this helps, and good luck!

919

Employment / Re: Theatre in Minneapolis

« on: Dec 16, 2007, 09:13 pm »

I did a show recently that was a co-production with a theatre in DC and Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul. I was there for a week, and it would definitely be worth looking into. PM me if you want an email for someone there.

I don't know much about the theatre scene there but I heard that the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis does good work- from their website it looks like they have a stage management apprenticeship and several internships.

920

Tools of the Trade / Re: Line Note- POST ITS!

« on: Nov 12, 2007, 02:10 pm »

Scott- I use the same method. Easy, quick, and effective. It also doesn't tie someone up doing nothing but line notes- you can easily keep track of that and be on book and track props....

921

Employment / Re: full time or part time?

« on: Oct 25, 2007, 05:34 pm »

If I have more than a week off between contracts, I'll look for some filler work (mostly so that I don't get bored). I do scenic painting, and occasionally other work in theatre. I recently started doing some work as an independent contractor for a non-profit arts organization- I've been volunteering there for years so it wasn't a far stretch.

If this is what you want to do for a living, it's definitely possible to make it work. Stage management is my full-time job- everything else is basically a hobby.

922

Employment / Re: Conductors on an opera resume

« on: Sep 17, 2007, 10:32 pm »

i include the director and conductor- mine is structured like this:

PRODUCTION      DIRECTOR             THEATRE/ARTISTIC

the theatre/artistic category lists the company name and if there was any other info i wanted to include- conductor's name, music director's name, if it was a world premiere, etc. that way i don't have to separate out theatre from opera. i have SM and ASM positions in two separate categories.

i do agree with what's been said- that it wouldn't be unreasonable to put it in a cover letter. i just like having as much info as possible on the resume itself.       

923

Stage Management: Other / Re: Otello, Turn of the Screw, Tosca...tips or memorable moments anyone?

« on: Aug 02, 2007, 05:25 pm »

I did Otello about 4 years ago.

924

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Internships?

« on: Aug 02, 2007, 05:24 pm »

I did an apprenticeship at Round House- they don't offer housing but they do offer health insurance, and I was able to live on what they paid me. It's a great program, and I would highly recommend it. PM me if you have any questions about it. I think someone already mentioned it but I believe the Shakespeare and Olney offer housing for interns.....

925

Employment / Re: advice on interviewing

« on: Jul 12, 2007, 12:03 am »

i like coming in with a list of questions- letting the person i'm interviewing with know what i already know about the company/project and what i'd like to know. i think it shows a certain level of interest in the position. i also think bringing a number of extra resumes is a good idea- i have often had an interviewer either ask for an extra copy because they misplaced it, or have another person sitting in on the interview who would like a copy.


also, a couple of basics in terms of preparing for an interview:

it sounds obvious, but dress up for it! it's like an interview for any other job- you shouldn't show up dressed inappropriately. don't wear flip-flops. wear something that looks nice and professional, but that you could wear if they take you on a tour of the theatre. i think there's a thread here somewhere about dressing professionally.

turn off your cell phone.

bring your calendar. if you are interviewing for a specific show or just in general for the company, you should know when you are available.

926

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Fictional books about theatre and backstage life

« on: Jun 24, 2007, 11:23 am »

the deptford trilogy by robertson davies. it's a long trilogy, but the third book, world of wonders has one of the most interesting descriptions of backstage life i've ever read. it describes the tour of a reportory company through canada in i think the middle part of the 20th century. there are at least a few descriptions of stage managers in it- one of the main characters functions as an asm.

a good read, but a big time investment.

927

Stage Management: Other / cold calling an opera

« on: Jun 14, 2007, 03:07 am »

i had an interesting (and somewhat surreal) experience last night, and am wondering if anyone else has done the same-

during the day, i got a call from the PM of an opera company i've worked with for a few years. her stage manager had an emergency and she asked me to come in a call the dress rehearsal. the show i'm currently rehearsing ended early, so i was able to get there about an hour before the orchestra arrived. the show was little women, which is not one that i'm familiar with. the score is in mixed meters-  the time signature changes frequently, sometimes nearly every measure. i have worked with the director and lighting designers before, which made things a little easier.

the SM had unfortunately taken the calling score home with her, so i ended up using the LD's score, and the director gave me the rail cues before we started the dress. luckily, there's no chorus or supers that would need to be cued, and all of the principals took their own cues, without needing to be paged. the ASM cued all of the rail cues off of my GOs, and backstage functioned fairly smoothly. we stopped a few times for the maestro to work some things out musically, but no tragedies with the lights or flying panels- all told, i think it went very well.

all in all, it was kind of fun, and since i haven't gotten to do much opera recently, it was great to get back into it, if only for a night. anyone else ever have to call a score they'd never seen before?

928

College and Graduate Studies / Re: SM Colleges in the MD, PA regions

« on: Jun 14, 2007, 01:23 am »

the university of maryland, college park, has a good technical program. i went there, and while there is only one class for stage management, there are a lot of opportunities to actually stage manage plays, dance performances, and opera. i got some experience working with professional stage managers and directors, and most of the theatre faculty work in DC in professional theatre, so it's a good place to make contacts. one of the first professional shows i ASMed had a cast member and a designer who were my former teachers.

i had a great experience at maryland, and would highly recommend it.

929

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Making a Boulder

« on: Jun 09, 2007, 12:24 pm »

i've used the foam method before. blue foam, which is not beaded like some white foam, works fairly well. if you coat it with something like foamcoat or crystal gel before painting, it will be less likely to get beaten up with use.

you can also use a hot knife to carve it if you have one.

930

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: College Interviews

« on: Jun 03, 2007, 01:45 pm »

I second this- I think that demonstrating potential, a willingness to learn, and an openness to the experience are things that college interviewers would be looking for. Personally, I would also come in with some ideas about what you would like to learn- I think being able to show your interest in their program and what you can learn there would be something great that you can talk about during an interview. Being able to say, "'I'd like to learn more about musicals," or "I would like to understand more about _______". Definitely a good conversation starter, and this also gives them an opportunity to tell you about their program.

Being able to show your potential is great- you'd be surprised at how other things you do relate to stage management. If you have experience in something else that relates (organization, supervising people at a summer job, sign language, dance or music training, etc), be prepared to talk about it. Use the experience that you have- it might be something that makes you valuable to them in some way.