Messages

16

Employment / Re: Phone interview for opera company

« on: Nov 28, 2012, 01:40 am »

1) Have a copy of your resume and any materials you submit to the company prior to the interview. They may ask questions related to these materials and you want to have the information right in front of you. Same advice applies to any questions you have to ask them. Write them down so you don't forget to ask. And write down the name of the person who calls you so you remember.

2) Try to have a distraction-free space with minimal noise and aim for a good phone signal if you are using a cell phone. There is nothing worse than getting disconnected mid-interview.

3) Take a deep breath. Plus, try to schedule the interview when it is most convenient (rather than having them call randomly when you may or may not be under idle conditions). I've heard the advice that if they do call out of the blue you could allow it to go to voicemail and then call them back when you are best prepared. You could also argue that this could be risky if the situation is first-interview-first-offer.

Best of luck!

17

The Green Room / Re: SMs as depicted on stage & in the movies

« on: Nov 20, 2012, 12:25 am »

Slings & Arrows, anyone? It has been awhile since I watched the whole series, but I do recall the stage manager being pretty accurate, minus the meltdown at the cast party that I have no doubt we have all risked having at the craziest times.

18

The Green Room / Re: DISCUSSION: Edward Marston's THE QUEEN'S HEAD

« on: Nov 20, 2012, 12:03 am »

I never got my hands on a copy of the Queen's Head, but I did just recently finish The Vagabond Clown. If anyone is unsure if they want to read this series, it is totally worth picking up a copy. It is an old timey mystery style and Nicholas Bracewell is a good interpretation of what we do for a living. Loved the book and hope others are enjoying these books!

19

Tools of the Trade / Re: New Break-Time App: Take 10!

« on: Sep 23, 2012, 02:01 am »

I was debating on whether to post an opinion on this topic or not, especially since I am a cheapskate and would only be able to offer an point of view along Kay's observation that I would rather put in more time to do it manually for free than pay to simplify the process.

Then I thought about what exactly would it take for me to take the plunge on an SM specific tool of any amount. I'm not a member of Equity at this time, so that would not be motivation, but I realized that my graduate program basis rules and policys with reference to the AEA Production Rulebook. This includes determining breaks (as we are practicing to do our jobs in a union environment). With this in mind, and knowing how easy it is to lose track of Equity break schedules and times, an app like Take 10! would be very useful and perhaps worth the expense.

But what would absolutely convince me to purchase this app? If one of my SM mentors or graduate school colleagues recommended the app as a necessity to do my job properly I would be extremely likely to purchase the app. Therefore, David, I think you are in the best position to encourage the use of this type of product in the SM community. Word of mouth is a strong purchase motivator and students taking the lead from others in the field is just the type of ground floor a product needs.

I know this works because of how quickly this type of product spreads just within our program. During my first year one of the other SMs students bought an iPad. Now, three years later, we almost all have iPads and consider it almost a necessity to do our jobs effectively. We share tips and tools that make it a useful platform for increased job performance. Same for the apps we purchase. When one finds success we spread the news to everyone else who often follow the tip.

So that is my advice. The market is not the obvious Equity SMs who are already established with a method that works for them, but students who are currently developing those methods and are open to the latest and greatest tools for success. The cost of $14.99 is very steep for a student budget and would be a big constraint on profitability within this student market, but $2.99 or even possibly $4.99 would not be unheard of for an SM tool we recommend.

--------

On a secondary note: Kay, have you looked into Amazon Affiliates for SMNetwork? I'm not sure if it would work for this set-up, but I feel like we all probably use Amazon.com for any number of purchases. I would certainly be willing to search Amazon.com through the SMNetwork Amazon search engine so the site got a small kick back when I make a purchase. Again, not positive of the details of the program, but it might be interesting if you have not already investigated the possibility.

20

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Grad Schools for SM... tuition stipend?

« on: Aug 29, 2012, 08:46 pm »

Beware of any information regarding graduate school funding right now. Being in the midst of all this, a lot is changing on both national and state funding sources around the country therefore throwing everything off. This is especially true in California.

For example, a huge portion of the funding offered to graduate students was in the form of subsidized loans, but this year those are not available anymore due to changes in financial aid on the federal level. Even places that offer assistantships or stipends often have limits on how many hours you can work in a quarter/semester (25% seems normal from what I've found) and outside gigs are incredibly useful to live comfortably. If you pick a location with a health entertainment sector you may have more options for jobs while in school.

I can only for sure speak for UCI, but funding is very good here. I will be graduating in June and am on track to graduate debt free. It is not hard to do if you keep up on your finances and take gigs throughout the year, which we are encouraged to do. First year you pay nothing (even for out of state students) and then you pay under $300 a quarter (3x a year) for fees.

21

Employment / Re: SM Typecasts

« on: Aug 06, 2012, 11:25 pm »

Would any of you consider changing up your resume in order to seem less stereotyped? Downplay the classics in order to showcase your experience with musicals, for example.

The advice I've always received is to tailor your resume to the job you are applying to at that moment. If you are  applying for a musical you would highlight your musical theatre credits and vice versus for a classic show. I'm just now getting enough credits to dump my educational credits, so all my professional stuff is listed no matter what the genre, but I am already organizing a master credits lists so I can edit my resume for future positions. Not sure if I would consider this an attempt to avoid typecasting, but certainly good job hunting technique, right?

22

Articles from the Old Site / Re: Stage Management History?

« on: Jul 24, 2012, 01:22 am »

Another method of seeking the development of "stage manager" as a position is to track one of our most identifiable tools: the prompt book. The Folgers library has a wonderful record of prompt books (http://www.folger.edu/Content/Whats-On/Folger-Exhibitions/Past-Exhibitions/David-Garrick/What-is-a-Promptbook/) that certainly suggests the roots of our position as a stage prompter.

23

Homework Help / Deadline June 2013: Safety and the Stage Manager

« on: Jul 15, 2012, 01:53 am »

Attending school at: University of California, Irvine
Instructor: Don Hill
Training level: Graduate
Project due date: June 2013

Questions:
Background: My thesis intends to compile resources, such as an analysis of safe and sanitary guidelines in AEA and other entertainment unions, which would be useful to a young professional venturing into non-union stage management jobs. My thesis is intended to act as a guide to this audience. It will discuss the role of the stage manager in relation to safety in a theatrical environment and what tools a non-union stage manager has when attempting to maintain a safe workplace.

My initial question is what topics related to "safe and sanitary" would be most beneficial to a young professional working in non-union theatre?

I am looking for both the 20/20 long-term professional view of what would have been useful "way back when" as well as the fresh perspective from those stage managers just starting out regarding what you want to know more about.

Thank you.
BLee

24

The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: May 29, 2012, 09:46 pm »

Why it is in fact
a ten gallon hat...

25

The Green Room / Re: "Nicholas Bracewell" Series of Novels

« on: May 22, 2012, 12:21 pm »

I'll have to jump in on the next round. But the Queen's Head in on my queue for next month.

26

The Green Room / Re: One actor's performance divides a community

« on: May 19, 2012, 02:31 pm »

IMHO: The only instance an actor should be "on book" during a performance is when an emergency has occurred and a non-understudy performer is taking that role, anything less is unprofessional. If this was a high school or even very small scale community theatre I might be more forgiving, but looking at the company's website they see themselves as a "premiere classical theatre". The review does state it is possible that this actor was a late addition, which would justify the need to have the script onstage. If this was the case a simple announcement would have been acceptable and cause far less uproar.

27

The Green Room / "Nicholas Bracewell" Series of Novels

« on: May 18, 2012, 12:25 pm »

There is some series of detective novels featuring a British stage manager: now that would make scintillating television!

Do you know the name of this detective series?

Note: This thread was somewhat inelegantly forked from our concurrent discussion of "Smash." - PSMK

28

The Green Room / Re: Hell in a Handbag (A Game for Stage Managers)

« on: Mar 12, 2012, 10:27 pm »

How big is the knife? Is the knife in Stephen's costume or is it preset onstage (or brought on by another character)? Can the knife be retractable? Where does Alan get stabbed? How big is the goblet? What should the goblet look like? How much blood is expected? What is the blood made out of? Will we use blood packs and who will make them for each performance? Is Stephen allergic to any foods/dyes/etc? How will we deal with blood drippage and splatter? How will costumes handle the blood effects?

Brian will deliver his line to start the fight sequence from house left.

29

The Green Room / USITT 2012

« on: Feb 24, 2012, 03:06 am »

USITT 2012 Conference & Stage Expo
Long Beach, CA
March 28-31

I see the SMA has a table and they are currently offerring free passes to the Stage Expo at https://www.xpressreg.net/register/USIT032/regInfo.asp?dt=2/24/2012%203:03:52%20AM&st=1&o=81270&std=1&k=&cm=34jhnljnsee&a=&eb=&iq=&prevb=&sc= (Promo Code: USITT12).

So who plans on being there and what days? I will either be up that Friday or Saturday to check out the Stage Expo and would love to grab lunch or coffee with any members who plan to make the trip!

30

The Green Room / Re: Backstagejobs Article about Fire Safety

« on: Jan 04, 2012, 07:17 pm »

Thanks Nick! This was a great article and reminds me how easy it is to skirt by the issue of fire safety. Once, between a matinee and evening performance, I was eating dinner with my crew and the fire alarm went off in the theatre. Because we all knew the building it was quick to get us all out and do a quick sweep of the building for anyone left behind.

What would have happened had it been during the matinee (with the older patrons in a very old space with tiered seating) or even during that night's performance? We were quick to evacuate (a false alarm, granted), but would our House Manager and/or ushers have been prepared to help patrons? The "fire alarm" information is in their manual, but have they read it and applied the information to that particular theatre? Did they review the information with the volunteer ushers?

Since I am writing my MFA thesis on Safety and Stage Management this will make the basis for a great chapter on emergency situations. Great find!