Author Topic: PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member  (Read 6603 times)

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wizard1269

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PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member
« on: Dec 20, 2009, 08:13 pm »
I am an ASM at a theatre and a crew member showed up an hour and twenty minutes after her call time (20 minutes into the show)
She didn't answer her phone but finally called the crew manager at 1:00 (showtime) to say she overslept.
The PSM and myself scrambled to figure out how to cover her track.

when I reprimanded her, she said "You aren't my supervisor."

I told her "actually, I am as I run the deck during the show."

Was I right in this? Either way she obviously was in the wrong for being late.

(the producer just rolled her eyes when I told her)

Rebbe

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Re: PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member
« Reply #1 on: Dec 20, 2009, 09:18 pm »
Dealing with theater people who don’t “get it” about showing up on time, every time, can be really frustrating.   I’ve been in that situation, and sometimes you just can’t change people’s attitudes, the best you can do is lead by example as far as professionalism.  The kindest thing I can think of about your PA is that she was truly horrified by being so late, and was beating herself up already,  got defensive when you called her on it (not that you didn’t have a right to be upset!), and is already wishing she’d handled the whole thing differently. 

Since the producer rolled her eyes when you discussed this, this may be an issue they’ve had with her before, but it’s worth clarifying that, and asking what steps can be taken if this is an ongoing issue.  Every theater has a different hierarchy, so I can’t speak to whether you were or were not considered her supervisor.  It seems like that is something you, the PSM, crew manager, and producer might want to discuss as well, plus talking about who should deal with similar issues in the future.  If you were the third person that night to reprimand her, I can see how she might be less reasonable by the time you talked with her.  Did this conversation happen during the show, or after curtain?  If it was backstage during the show, she might have been trying to focus on the show by then, and caught off guard when you brought up the lateness then.

One alternate response to her when she got defensive might have been to go in another direction, and tell her that her lateness effects the entire team, since her duties need to be redistributed.  I know it’s easier said than done, but try to stay cool and not take her bait by getting into argument while everyone is still upset by the lateness, it just won’t be productive if your goal is to get her to regret and not repeat her behavior.   Approaching her at first with concern, as you would an actor who is late, and then in a way that tells her she’s a valuable team member, and you need her to do her part each night, just might get her to be more conscientious in the future.   
"...allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster."  (Philip Henslowe, Shakespeare In Love)

loebtmc

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Re: PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member
« Reply #2 on: Dec 20, 2009, 11:50 pm »
Good points raised - actually, it is the SMs place to deal with this, not yours. Even tho you run the deck, this is a great example of protocol - your job is to tell the SM that she has arrived and then pass it along to the SM or PSM, who can take her aside and deal with this, keeping you out of the loop and enabling you to work together in future.

Of course, if this is her MO, then she needs to be replaced. But if this is not normal behavior, then she knows she is late (and the fact that she showed up alt all is a mark of responsibility) - so make your first words those of concern - "so glad to see you, we were really worried, are you ok, is everything all right, do you need anything?" etc - then you are more likely to generate dialogue and solve this constructively.


MatthewShiner

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Re: PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member
« Reply #3 on: Dec 21, 2009, 12:01 am »
It's interesting, in my theatre situation, we have a lot of conversations about "supervisor" and "Boss".  Although I supervise the crew, and can give notes ot them, if there is a head to head issue, there is a crew ops person is who in charge of the stage crew (like the Head of LX department is the boss for the Light Board Operator . . . ).  Something like the situation you described, I would go directly to the production manager / or the ops manager in my theater, because in some ways, I am not the direct supervisor/boss, but I do supervise their work.

Every theatre is so radically different in this, it pay to get know the hierarchy.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

On_Headset

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Re: PEOPLE: obnoxious crew member
« Reply #4 on: Feb 04, 2010, 04:09 pm »
It's interesting, in my theatre situation, we have a lot of conversations about "supervisor" and "Boss".  Although I supervise the crew, and can give notes ot them, if there is a head to head issue, there is a crew ops person is who in charge of the stage crew (like the Head of LX department is the boss for the Light Board Operator . . . ).  Something like the situation you described, I would go directly to the production manager / or the ops manager in my theater, because in some ways, I am not the direct supervisor/boss, but I do supervise their work.

Every theatre is so radically different in this, it pay to get know the hierarchy.
To build off of this, though, when I'm the Production Manager, I'm "just" the Production Manager. I might have disciplinary oversight, I might have a great deal of power and authority, and I might be able to use the step-into-my-office trick to intimidate people, but if I really need to drill a point home, I need to get that person's direct supervisor involved. Quite often people will be quite contrite and apologetic when I speak to them, but as soon as my back is turned, they literally laugh it off: just some pointless drivel from the suit, hardly matters.

If I get their crew head to speak to them instead or join me at the meeting, the message gets driven home much more effectively, even if the crew head doesn't actually have that much disciplinary latitude.