Author Topic: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?  (Read 15701 times)

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planetmike

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PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« on: Oct 17, 2010, 11:17 pm »
So, in a community theater production a friend of mine is working (Honest, it's not me!) the stage manager called in sick for a performance on Friday night. The light and sound board ops ended up calling their own cues for the show, the two ASMs stayed backstage where they had been working. The show went on.

So, for community theater (everyone is a volunteer), a short run of shows (three weekends, 8 performances total), what should the stage manager do in the event the SM is too sick to be at the show? What else besides the standard "make sure the prompt book is in good shape?" Thanks for any thoughts about this.

SMrose

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #1 on: Oct 18, 2010, 09:24 am »
When I started working at community theatre (many years ago), my mentor (a fabulous SM) taught me that all good SM's should have the crew trained and prompt book in such good order that the show could run without a stage manager in case of emergency.  I have seen many community theatres operate without the SM calling the show (often because the SM doesn't know this is part of the duties or gets so distracted by other things that the board ops & stage crew take their own cues) so those shows could really run w/o an SM if they had to. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

MileHighSM

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #2 on: Oct 18, 2010, 04:25 pm »
I guess I'm of the school of thought that unless you are bleeding, have a broken limb, etc. you do the show.  I've called shows throwing up in a trash can, running excruciatingly high fevers, etc.  If there's no one that can run the show (because sometimes even with a great book no one else can do it) than you just have to make it happen.

Scott

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #3 on: Oct 18, 2010, 05:03 pm »
I've called shows throwing up in a trash can, running excruciatingly high fevers, etc. 

This can be very bad for the health of the company.

MatthewShiner

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #4 on: Oct 18, 2010, 06:51 pm »
I guess I'm of the school of thought that unless you are bleeding, have a broken limb, etc. you do the show.  I've called shows throwing up in a trash can, running excruciatingly high fevers, etc.  If there's no one that can run the show (because sometimes even with a great book no one else can do it) than you just have to make it happen.

DEAR GOD!  It's just a job.  A job for god sake's.

Let's rewind here . . . if you haven't made it so you are replaceable, then you are not doing you job.  Just as you have to figure out how to do the show with understudies or swings, how do the job when you are short a crew (or four) - you need to put a plan in place that will allow someone else to do the show in case you can't.  That's just part of the job.

If it means training a crew member, an asm , the production manager - whomever - you need to be replaceable.  I know it's a terribly odd feeling, since we all agree that stage managers are so important, but we are replaceable - and for the good of our shows - need to be. 

This means your calling script needs to be pristine, a copy should be made available for a sub, and they should - at the very least, get a couple of minutes where you talk through the show.  I would much rather be remember as the SM who had a plan in place so they could be sick rather then the the SM who called the show vomiting in a trash can. 
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loebtmc

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #5 on: Oct 18, 2010, 07:30 pm »
...on the other hand (devil's advocate) - there are those that would argue, in terms of demonstrating the necessity of a trained SM and for having ASMs on shows, if the producer hasn't made financial arrangements to have a cover for the SM, then the same consequences shd happen as when they don't make accommodation to cover their actors - that is, if the show would go dark for a night if an actor with no understudy has to miss for illness, then the same thing shd happen when a stage manager with no understudy is unable to do their job due to illness.

RuthNY

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #6 on: Oct 18, 2010, 10:33 pm »
Well said, Matthew!!


DEAR GOD!  It's just a job.  A job for god sake's.

Let's rewind here . . . if you haven't made it so you are replaceable, then you are not doing you job.  Just as you have to figure out how to do the show with understudies or swings, how do the job when you are short a crew (or four) - you need to put a plan in place that will allow someone else to do the show in case you can't.  That's just part of the job.

If it means training a crew member, an asm , the production manager - whomever - you need to be replaceable.  I know it's a terribly odd feeling, since we all agree that stage managers are so important, but we are replaceable - and for the good of our shows - need to be. 

This means your calling script needs to be pristine, a copy should be made available for a sub, and they should - at the very least, get a couple of minutes where you talk through the show.  I would much rather be remember as the SM who had a plan in place so they could be sick rather then the the SM who called the show vomiting in a trash can.
"Be fair with others, but then keep after them until they're fair with you."
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lauria

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #7 on: Oct 18, 2010, 10:43 pm »
I recently ASMed a show in which the SM's wife was having a baby. It was a planned C-Section for a Monday. However, we know how fickle babies are and pushed to a high schooler to understudy my track so that I could call the show if needed. The show was fairly easy in terms of backstage pattern and the PA could do most of my track in addition to hers, so I also made sure that she knew as much of my track as possible so she could help out. During tech, I watched the show as much as I could, and I had the SM call the show over headset (the SM runs the light board in our theatre, so he usually doesn't call the show to himself...) so I could get used to the rhythm. Overall, it seemed like it was a pretty good solution.

Now, on a normal show if there were an emergency and he was unable to call the show, I'm not sure what we'd do. It would depend on the needs of the show. If my track were simple and we could pull in someone on short notice, I could take over calling the show. If my track were complex, we'd probably try to find a local sub. But at my theatre there is no protocol in place in the event that a member of stage management cannot do their job.

MatthewShiner

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #8 on: Oct 18, 2010, 11:45 pm »
loebtmc:

That is a very valid point, and I would NEVER want to undermine the importance of hiring enough Stage Management.

But realistically, in a profession setting - if you can't cover the show internally - like with the ASM calling and a PA running the deck in emergency, you should discuss with the producers and the general manager (or production manager) and say, "So, what are we going to do if we loose a Stage Manager?"  They need to be the ones to make a decision if they want to spend the money for a sub to be trained or help you figure out how to do it with the staff.  (Most of the time in Regional Theatre, I would train my ASM in case an emergency came up . . . ).   I could very easily seeing a production manager or producer expecting us to "figure out" what we can and can't do with the staff we have, and present to them issues where we can't solve.

For example, taking it out of the context of the SM issue.

I once did a show where only ONE of the crew members was physically strong enough to move an item we had backstage.  Simply put, if that crew member could not move the item, we had no way to run the the backstage.  (It was a very stupid set piece).  During tech this was brought to SM's attention, and we, like good middle management, brought it to the production manager's attention that if so-and-so was out, we couldn't use that set piece.  Of course, two weeks down the road that crew member had to miss a show, but by the time I heard that so-and-so was going to be out - production management had already replaced the crew member, because I had made it clear we couldn't do it without them or someone who physically could move that item.

In a professional setting, I think we just need to be clear with the powers that be what the situation is.  Currently, on my show, we have two subs who are trained on the ASM track, and two people who can call the show.  Now, the subs just don’t sit around waiting for me to call them . . . and we hit some points where we know the subs are busy . . . I explain to general management and say, hey, btw, we may hit a point we don’t have enough SM coverage . . . and they are the one who makes the decision if we bring in someone else to train, or take the risk of us flying without a safety net.

Now, in the case of stage management in a community theatre situation - where we aren't talking about producers and money and general management being stingy with money – yes, stage management should figure out who could cover in case of an emergency. 


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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.

loebtmc

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #9 on: Oct 19, 2010, 02:19 am »
Matthew - agreed, and as someone whose career kick-started from calling other people's shows, I am pretty anal about a clean and precise prompt book and making sure tasks are covered. And we have notified prodn when issues like your crew example arose (we had a major choreographed set shift for "Is He Dead" and had to train a cover for two shows). I am in the "prepare for anything and hey, it's a job, we are all replaceable" camp. But I have also seen too many producers in smaller houses who don't hire u/s for actors or SMs, and whose shows would indeed have to be dark if something happened, because they just assume that if they prepare for cover, the people involved will take advantage (yeah, I know how ridiculous that sounds, and that any decent person would think the opposite, but what can I say, it's what they think) and I also know that many of these producers treat the SM's job as less valued and (they assume) easier to cover with a non-pro. So I understand the devil's advocate position -  which I have been hearing a LOT of lately from many fellow SMs....

On_Headset

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #10 on: Oct 19, 2010, 06:22 am »
Quote
So, for community theater (everyone is a volunteer), a short run of shows (three weekends, 8 performances total), what should the stage manager do in the event the SM is too sick to be at the show? What else besides the standard "make sure the prompt book is in good shape?" Thanks for any thoughts about this.
Find a friend and have them call the show on the SM's behalf. If the SM has done their due diligence and prepared an adequate bus book (as in "if-I-get-hit-by-a"), most community theatre productions are comparatively simple, and the audience can be quite forgiving if cues aren't quite on the mark. The friend doesn't even need to have a background in SM work or theatre ("All you have to do is call the cues, here's how to do it. The ASM will take care of the show report, and the sound technician will keep track of timing tonight."), they just need to be a responsible, levelheaded person who can be trusted not to overdo it. (We want this person to call the show precisely as directed in the book, and that's it. No "improvements".)

This may make it sound like the SM can be replaced by a layperson once the run starts, and that's not the case. The SM or someone with similar expertise should still be in the booth as much as possible. However, in the specific case of a small-scale community theatre production (particularly one where nobody's getting paid for the exercise), given the choice between pulling the ASM off a well-worked deck track which is essential to the show and throwing them in the booth, or handing the book to a responsible layperson, I'd take the layperson and leave the ASM to do what they know best.

jaslada

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #11 on: Oct 20, 2010, 01:07 pm »
Years ago- when I was producing for a community theater...the SM contracted food poisioning. It hit- in all it's glory- at the top of Act I. She held it togther thru the act...with a trash can nearby but collapsed at the end of the act. WE had someone take her to the emergency room- she was so sick. I knew the show- had ASM'd once on another show, there was experienced crew on the fly rail and her book was complete  - so I stepped in and called Act II. It was terrifying & exhilarating. The cast was great. When our SM returned the next night- still shaky- I was happy to turn the show back over to her...but it whetted my appetite for stage managing.

loebtmc

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #12 on: Oct 20, 2010, 01:15 pm »
on_headset - I would never just "call a friend" - even actor friends who do theater all the time. I would only call someone who had some backstage experience and wasn't a total novice. In fact, if the board ops were paying attention (sometimes they don't), I would prefer to just let them take their cues and have the ASM do the rest of the SM's responsibility. Along the lines of this being skilled labor, calling a show, esp where cues are tight and need to hit during or just after words, is actually a specific skill.


On_Headset

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #13 on: Oct 20, 2010, 02:03 pm »
We aren't talking about skilled labour, though, we're talking about finding emergency day-of replacements for unpaid work in small-scale, everyone's-a-volunteer community theatre to cover a single performance. If the script is unusually complicated or the work is paid, then, yes, by all means set a higher standard, but at that point we're having a different conversation.
« Last Edit: Oct 20, 2010, 02:06 pm by On_Headset »

loebtmc

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Re: PROFESSIONALISM: What to do when you're sick?
« Reply #14 on: Oct 20, 2010, 02:41 pm »
...ah, see that's the conversation we keep having in meetings about what we do - yes, what we do IS skilled labor - and in fact, calling a show is not as easy as many think. (I have trained many a board op who struggled to wait for the G word.) Perhaps even more in a community theater situation, where calling a show badly can have a far worse outcome on the show as a whole, I would make sure that whomever covered had some sense of what my job entailed. Even handing off most of it to an ASM or other folks, I would rather rely on the board ops w a good clean script for cues than a neophyte.