Author Topic: PROFESSIONALISM: No longer spoiled  (Read 3767 times)

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dallas10086

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PROFESSIONALISM: No longer spoiled
« on: Apr 04, 2007, 04:36 pm »
I knew I was spoiled. I have worked at amazing companies with brilliant casts in fantastic productions. I knew the production to 'unspoil' me was just around the corner...

I am ten days from Hell (tech) Week. Here's what has happened so far:

1. The company producer/director is also one of three actors and she cannot for the life of her separate herself from being a director and an actress, so it's like there are two directors running the show. It got so bad that during one rehearsal, when the director was out of town and I was having them run lines, she tried to change the schedule, the blocking and the furniture placement. When I said she couldn't do that without speaking to the director personally, she gave me attitude, at which point I had to say, "If you were my director and you were out of town and your actress was doing that, you would want me to tell her no, too."
2. So far my director has still not managed to give the final go-ahead on the set design because she keeps changing it. Ditto with hair and makeup. Another reason is--after the director talks to the actress/producer/director about the set design (why talk to an actress about set design?), she goes to the set designer and alters the design to her specs. When the set designer calls the director and tell her what happened, the director tells him to go ahead and change it. To my knowledge this has happened at least twice.
3. I wrote the director an email, stating the problems with the actress/producer/director were effecting the other actors and their performances. The director seemed to listen, but I have yet to see positive results. As a matter of fact, they BOTH now seem to be running rehearsals, with the actress/producer/director having the final say, either because the director is babying her or she wants to work with the company again and isn't going to argue with her.
4. I had to talk my hair/makeup artist off a cliff because she was ready to quit weeks ago due to the aforementioned problems. She said, and I quote, "If you tell me to stay, I will stay--but I'll only do it for you." This girl has worked Broadway and she's never had to deal with this type of drama before.
5. Did I mention the actress/producer/director is so busy with being the unofficial director that she is STILL not off-book? I caught the other actress rolling her eyes and giving her the finger when she broke character, ran off stage and took pages from her script to speed-read aloud. I can't say I blame her.
6. Because she hasn't learned her lines and the director doesn't treat her like a regular actress and ream her for not doing so, the director added several rehearsal days. So instead of working 4 days a week everyone gets to work 6 days a week.

And we're not even into tech yet.

After we open, I am skipping the opening night party, going straight to the bar with my other producer (who is the polar opposite of this woman, he's awesome) and my makeup artist and getting drunk...and I've never been drunk in my life! (honest!!) That's how much this show has worn me down.

I'm so glad I have a place to put this down and vent.  ;D  Thank you guys!
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 12:16 am by PSMKay »

sievep

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Re: No longer spoiled
« Reply #1 on: Apr 04, 2007, 05:27 pm »
I think, in situations like this where the environment is charged, all you can do is just go to your happy place and make sure you are doing your job.  There's a lot of poor choices that the actress/director/producer is making, and while no one else may ever know, you know, and now you've learned not to put yourself in this kind of situation with this particular person.

Just stay calm and let your two directors fight it out. 

And don't start drinking just because of a show.  I know it's your job and you care about it, but in the end it's theatre.  No babies are going to die over this.  It's not worth the stress, and it's not worth the damage to your liver.  Why let them get the best of you?
"This lovely light, it lights not me" - Orson Welles

dallas10086

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Re: No longer spoiled
« Reply #2 on: Apr 05, 2007, 01:00 pm »
The drinking was more or less half-serious...But I'll have to see how tech goes   ;)

 

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