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Messages - bex

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16
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Contact Methods
« on: Feb 18, 2017, 05:27 pm »
Have you tried contacting the theater itself? If someone I didn't already know personally wanted to shadow me, I would prefer to hear "hey we got a phone call/email from someone who wants to shadow you, here's their contact info" from someone at the theater, rather than a DM on Facebook. Most theaters have an admin office phone number on their website, and whoever answers that phone would be able to direct you to a production manager or the SM themselves, if they're a resident. That's way more official/"proper channels."

17
The Hardline / Re: ARTICLE: 99-seat plan in LA
« on: Feb 17, 2017, 10:29 pm »
@ErgoCue, I feel exactly the same. I just don't understand it.

18
Y'all. I have a new favorite headset. Yes, it's even better than my beloved PH-88.
drumroll please....
The Sennheiser Air Traffic Control Headset.
http://catalog.avispl.com/Sennheiser-Air-Traffic-Control-Headset-with-Dynamic-Microphone-and-1.85m-Singlesided-Round-Cable/Accessory/702089

I used it while I was running at show at Children's Theater Company, and it is AMAZING. The most comfortable headset I've ever worn. 6 weeks and I never got a headset headache. Wear it on either ear, adjustable mic. I cannot say enough good things about it. The only downside is the price tag- at $350, it's far less affordable than other headsets on the market.

19
Tools of the Trade / Re: Touring truck kits
« on: Jan 06, 2017, 01:29 pm »
Do you mean for what I needed for me personally, or what the van itself needed?

20
I have a meeting tomorrow with the audience services folks at the theater I'm currently at to discuss modifications to this TYA show for a sensory-friendly performance! They have one night of every show here that is modified like that, but I've never done one before. Will report back!

21
Introductions / Re: Greetings!
« on: Sep 19, 2016, 05:16 pm »
HI FRIEND!

22
I usually include something about the audience in the report- something along the lines of "Very quiet house, but a huge applause at curtain call" or "Big laughs for the 'Single Ladies' joke- it looked like our average patron age was younger than usual." It doesn't take any extra effort on my part to note things like that, and I've never had anyone complain about the extra info.
I can see where it might just be repetitive and useless on a show that runs for years, but on the 3-6 week runs I'm typically working on, there's enough variance that it feels helpful.

23
Dear Fellow SMs:

I will be SMing a show this winter that is either going to be the most fun show to run ever, or it will literally kill me- either way I'm excited for it. I'm hoping maybe somebody out there has done something similar before and will let me pick your brain about it.

We are doing 2 shows with the same cast simultaneously. Not in rep. Literally at the same time. 2 related plays in connecting theaters with the same cast in each show, performing at the same time. So an actor would leave the stage in one show, go up (or down) a flight of stairs, and enter a scene in the other show.

When I have described the concept, several people have said "Oh, like House and Garden!" which I have never done/seen/read- if anybody has done House and Garden, any tips? Are there any other shows out there like this, that are meant to be performed simultaneously?

I am the PSM of one of the 2 shows, there is another PSM on the other, as well as 1 ASM apiece and 1 shared intern/PA. One of the plays (not the one I'm doing) is an already existing work- my show is a new play starring the minor characters of the other show- sort of like doing Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead at the same time. The playwright is writing in a bunch of conventions to assist in the concept (there's a TV on stage that is showing the other show, for example) and there has already been discussion of some sort of cuing system so that I can tell an actor "get offstage you're needed in the other play!"

Thoughts? Anybody done anything like this before?

Edited to add topic tag- Maribeth

24
Have you checked the BTDT? I'm sure somebody on here has done Lughnasa before...

I am totally unfamiliar with the show- is it supposed to be a live chicken? A dead chicken with feathers? A dead plucked chicken? I just did a show with a dead & plucked chicken prop- we used a fake squeaky rubber chicken, minus the cartoony head, and painted to look realistic rather than bright yellow.

25
Tools of the Trade / Re: Kit Usage Statistics
« on: May 15, 2016, 12:53 am »
AHHH! I understand.

Adding what I used during my show call today:

Pain Killers - 1
Hair ties - 2
Fork - 1
Sewing Needle - 1

Pencil - 1
Sharpie - 1
Stopwatch - 1

26
College and Graduate Studies / Re: Help Choosing University!
« on: Apr 12, 2016, 04:50 pm »
Some other things to consider when choosing a theater program:

- Are your professors actually working in the real world, or have they been stagnating in academia since the days of foot-powered dimmer switches?
- Is there a graduate program? If there are grad students, how many of your classes will be taught by them? How much opportunity is there for undergrads to work on the Mainstage shows?
- Are there student-generated theater productions?
- Is there opportunity to work in dance or opera?
- How many stage management classes are there in your program? How many gen-eds will you have to take?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Everyone wants different things out of their educational experience, that is just some stuff to think about.

I wouldn't worry too much about what happens if you decide to change your major. Syracuse and Ithaca are both EXCELLENT schools, congratulations on being accepted into both of them! If you decide stage management or theater in general isn't for you, there are plenty of other things you can major in at both of those schools that will give you a first-rate education. 
FWIW, at my college, you had to wait until your junior year to be accepted into the BFA program- that gives you a chance to try stuff out and take a bunch of general theater classes to make sure it's the right path for you before you commit to a specialized degree track.

27
how many effing times does this have to happen???

28
Tools of the Trade / Re: Stage Management Software
« on: Mar 15, 2016, 01:50 pm »
That being said, I wouldn't discourage anyone from using email-based services like Mixmax (and extensions like it) to enhance their communication and smooth out the scheduling process.  If you need to schedule a lot of fittings or meetings, Mixmax is a program that will let you send out an email with "Appointment/Availability Slots" built right in.  Your recipients select the time(s) that work best for them, and you can schedule a meeting in just one email exchange.  Your cast can select a fitting time and even request to reschedule if it doesn't work out for them later on.  Automatic emails can follow up with people later to remind them of a fitting/meeting.

Mixmax has some great email- and calendar-based features that I recommend implementing if you want to augment (not revamp) what you're already doing.  The pricing ranges from free to $50/month (I use the free services).

Jumping on the Mixmax bandwagon here, guys. It. Is. AWESOME. It makes email groups easy, you can set up templates so that you don't have to type "Today's report is attached & included below. Contact me with any questions." every day, you can set up automated email reminders, the above-mentioned scheduling feature is awesome, and, my personal favorite, is that it tells you how many times your email has been read.

29
Introductions / Re: *Insert Terrible Adele Pun Here*
« on: Mar 12, 2016, 06:13 pm »
Another fellow Southerner! I went Auburn- if you any qualms about doing theater at a cow college, I'm your gal.

30
Employment / Re: The importance of on line presence
« on: Mar 12, 2016, 06:12 pm »
I actually have a question related to all this:

So my first + last name combo is literally (and I mean literally) the most generic female name on the planet. It's basically the feminine equivalent of "John Smith," and my middle initial/name is just a continuation of the generic Anglo-ness of it all. So no help there.

As a result, when you search my name, absolutely nothing related to me shows up, because there are 10,000,000 of me out there. So, in terms of making my linkedin/website/general internet presence as memorable and striking as possible... what should I do? Honestly, no one really calls me by my full first name, so should I just use my nickname? It's nothing immature or wacky, just a shortened version of my name, but it feels so... casual... to use my nickname with potential employers and other people I don't know. But I can't deny that I'm so much more searchable that way - I even had to change my facebook name to it because my friends couldn't find me! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I say use the name that people call you. In this business, it's not at all unusual or frowned-upon for the name on your driver's license to be different than your name in the program.
If your name is that common, you'll have to use a different name if you join Equity anyway- might as well get used to using something different now.

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