Messages

16

Homework Help / Re: Deadline 3.22.13: Stage Managers and Equity

« on: Feb 26, 2013, 12:36 pm »

I recently wrote a paper on the evolution of the position of the stage manager in relation to Equity.  Surprisingly, there are records extending as far as back as the 1940s.  For me, the most promising source of information are the records of Equity.  Unfortunately, these records are housed in New York City, which are hard to access. I found other information from Yale thesis work in theatre management as well as an economic thesis from around the 1950s that could be borrowed from Interlibrary Loan (if your school provides that service). Finally, try looking into the history of the Equity Stage Managers' Association, which operated within Equity until it was disbanded in the 1940s.

Good luck!

17

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Questions for college interview

« on: Feb 25, 2013, 12:36 am »

Hey Eric,

I'm a senior stage management student in the technical production program at UNC Greensboro.  I would be more than happy to answer any of your questions about the program, the university and the area in general if you send me a PM. The questions that Maribeth brought up are definitely good ones.

18

The Green Room / Re: FACEWASH - clean up your facebook profile.

« on: Feb 12, 2013, 12:57 pm »

There were a few pictures of me working with a shadow cast version of Rocky Horror, which it flagged the comments on.  I completely forgot those were even online.

19

The Green Room / Re: Production Haikus

« on: Jan 23, 2013, 10:27 pm »

If you are busy,
Save yourself a little pain
Don't micromanage.

I am still in school
But we've done this once before.
Let me do my job.

20

The Green Room / Re: Weirdest Item In Your Kit

« on: Jan 20, 2013, 05:14 pm »

I have a small stack of styrofoam cups that have been turned inside out. During choreography or music rehearsals, the faculty director I worked with liked to keep his hands occupied.  One day he turned a cup inside out without breaking it at all. He did it a few more times through the process. I keep them in case anyone wants to try to reverse it.

21

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: NY TIMES saying no to college

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 11:20 pm »

When I talked about my after college graduation plans with my parents (I graduate in May), the first option out of my dad's mouth was grad school and  needing  to start looking then. Neither of my parents hold graduate degrees but they immediately assumed I would do so.  The choice to get an undergraduate degree went straight to what degree and where, with not a single thought to the idea that  there was an option of  not going.

22

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Commercial, Round 2: Laptop vs. Straight Edge

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 11:16 pm »

Perhaps  one of the old fashioned ones then, which look more like colored pencils.

23

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Community, Round 1: Gaff Tape Vs. Staples/Paperclips

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 01:27 am »

Coffee is definitely gross.  Though I'd say if you put caffeine in the bracket,  it would go all the way (especially with all those wonderful effects mentioned above).

24

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Community, Round 2: Flashlight vs. Duct Tape

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 01:24 am »

All of these first round match ups seem so one sided. I can't wait until the real action starts with all the easy winners going up against one another.

25

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Regional, Round 2: Velcro vs. Headset

« on: Dec 05, 2012, 01:20 am »

I dunno, headsets with static can  be very loud and when they keep messing up, there ends up being a lot of yelling.

They still beat velcro, hands down.

26

December Madness I: 2012 / Re: Commercial, Round 1: Pencil vs Crescent Wrench

« on: Dec 02, 2012, 03:17 am »

It's also very hard for someone to be confused about why a pencil isn't working the way it should.  As much as I love technology, the pencil has it beat there as well as in number of imaginable secondary uses (there's at least a few minutes' worth of entertainment in trying to do the rubber pencil trick!)

27

The Green Room / Re: Catchphrases

« on: Nov 06, 2012, 10:55 pm »

I guess mine end up being:

I understand.

No problem.

...just in case.

Though with each show, the cast/crew finds some phrase/instruction that I say at a particular time (coming back from breaks, releasing people, etc.) and will start saying it when they think it's coming up.

28

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: ASMing: How to ASM

« on: Nov 04, 2012, 03:25 pm »

Coming from the position of being both an SM at school and then immediately switching to being the ASM at a professional theatre, I definitely agree with the above.  As an ASM, I try to anticipate what the SM needs and stay on top of my department, which is generally props and run sheets for costumes and scenery.  While I'm not one to ask very many questions, I do observe a lot as an ASM and have become a second set of ears and eyes on deck, particularly with troublesome actors or crew, when the SM is dealing with designers in tech as most times, people tend to not notice me in downtime. Probably the most important thing is getting a feel of the SM's personality. Being someone they can talk to stressful or less busy moments seems to help. 

As an SM, I take everything I learned as ASM and adapt it to my ASMs. While I'm always open to questions (especially as SMs are the primary ones who teach stage management at my university), I try to let each assistant take ownership of their assigned area and help them define their responsibilities as the show progresses. I also give them a sense of what the full extent of my job is, generally by having them come to meetings with me or going to an errand that I generally might do by myself (this came in handy one time when I ran into the master electrician and one of the ASMs witnessed him venting to me about a particularly tense meeting earlier in the day). This way, by the time tech rolls around, they have an idea of why I appreciate it when they deal with problems backstage.  I'm always there from them to talk out issues, but it helps when they start handling things on their own as well.

29

Employment / Re: SETC

« on: Oct 20, 2012, 11:20 pm »

I've attended the past three years as a student and while I haven't been able to land a job solely through  that,  I was only focusing on finding summer work. Mainly what I heard a lot was that summer companies were using SETC as their final stop in the hiring process and many had already hired SM positions.  That  being said, it looked like the year round companies were actively looking which I did not talk to as I had no reason in past years; there were also one or two opera companies looking to hire as well.

30

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Blocking help

« on: Sep 25, 2012, 12:48 pm »

Recently I've been working on musicals or operas with large casts so having the diagram is useful to note staring and ending positions in choreography or the general location of people in large crowd scenes. At those moments, we are generally working on spacing so I have time to quickly jot down the actors' symbols (which are usually their initials) on the diagram.  It's also been helpful for tracking a piece of furniture or prop that eventually needs to go off but we're not sure when.  Otherwise, I really heavily on writing blocking in shorthand (with the key on each blocking page) on one page and placing the number in the text.