So I had my first major snafu because of this miscommunication re: the schedule. The actor playing Big Jule had contacted me wanting to know when his first rehearsal was. I told him he was called on Tuesday at 7:00 pm because we were learning the music for Sit Down, and it was an "all call" on the schedule put together by the director (and the director has told me repeatedly that "everyone" is in Sit Down except for Nathan and Adelaide). So the actor playing Big Jule shows up, and we are doing the music for Sit Down in the lobby while the director blocks Nathan/Adelaide scenes onstage. I am in the house taking blocking notes when the actor playing Big Jule comes in from the lobby and sits down in the house. I go over to him and he says "I don't sing so I don't need to be here because they're just learning the music." In an effort to not waste any more of his time, I go interrupt the director from his blocking rehearsal to clarify whether or not Big Jule is in Sit Down. The director tells me that the actor is in the number, but confirms that "he does not sing" and therefore should not have been called.
I go back over to the actor and explain this to him. He then requests that I go over the schedule with him and confirm his next rehearsal date. We go back out into the lobby because my master schedule is out there, and I try to go over the schedule with him. He takes an attitude with me, and then we are ejected from the lobby because we are talking and the music director says we are distracting her from music rehearsal. To cut a long story short, the actor talks down to me condescendingly and basically says I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm talking about, and I need to check with the director again before I give him another rehearsal call and then he walks out of the building.
Ugh. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I explained it to the director after rehearsal, and he took full responsibility for not communicating to me that while Big Jule is in the number, he in fact does not sing and should never be called for a music rehearsal (even when the schedule says "all call"). The director emailed the actor the following day, apologized to him, explained that it was his fault for not telling me, and then extolled my virtues for a bit. Which I do appreciate. It was just frustrating to try once again to avoid something like this and have it bite me in the rear. I have a hard enough time asserting my position (especially as I read as much younger than I am - I am in my 30's but often people think I am in college so 18-21 range, do not come off as "mean", and am not very physically imposing); I just really hate it when actors talk down to me and are condescending because I am "young" and "clueless".
Post Merge: Aug 12, 2011, 10:00 am
I would also like to point out re: the whole "reading young" thing that I often come to rehearsal dressed in my business casual clothing from my day job as I don't always have the time to change. So I am wearing nice business dresses, or black slacks with blouses, business-y jewelry, heeled sandals, etc. I have struggled with this issue a lot as a SM (and at my day job too!) of just being disregarded due to being "younger" and consciously try to dress myself in an "older" manner. Sometimes I think my hair is too long and should be cut and maybe that would help me project "older" but I also think that long hair looks better on my frame. I know this is a tanget, it's just something I've struggled with both as an SM and in my regular life and it's frustrating to once again have it all thrown in my face and an actor talk down to me because of perceived inexperience (which I often equate with reading young).