Author Topic: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?  (Read 9883 times)

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BayAreaSM

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #15 on: Apr 22, 2012, 10:50 pm »
On our most recent rep performance, the stager of a particular ballet told me that I called her piece beautifully. Then another stager from the same rep, who staged a different ballet, said the same thing about the other piece. Then, when introduced to a former dancer turned Scenic Designer at an after party, he complimented my calling on that same particular ballet.

For some reason, having 3 somewhat unrelated people, all of whom were former ballet dancers, compliment me for my calling of one particular ballet (of which the lighting is uber specific) meant more to me than the "you hit another one out of the park" line I always get from my TD/LD (which always seems so insincere) at the end of every run. 

Amie

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #16 on: Apr 23, 2012, 12:10 am »
Just recently, at Opening Night, after the show one of the cast members (my classmate) told me that she was excited to see where I would be heading after graduation. We both graduate this May. She said she looked forward to what I had in store and that I have good things in store for me and the kind of stage manager I am. She went on to say that it's not about good guy or bad guy stage managing - it's about professionalism.   

It was really refreshing to hear...it made me feel great.  Something very validating about compliments from one's peers, I think.

~ Amie ~

“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.”

maximillionx

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #17 on: Apr 23, 2012, 02:15 am »
Every once in a few shows you get the actor who approaches you privately and thanks you for your professionalism and all your work....that always means a lot.

loebtmc

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #18 on: May 04, 2012, 10:10 pm »
I just got through tech on a very very complex show with a prominent LD, a local-hero SD I have worked with a few times but not recently, and a director who just doesn't get SMs and has no respect for us and our work. We walked into tech with no cues written at all (the LD hadn't even started), massive animated projections to build and cues on two boards, over 150 sound cues, too many last-minute additions to costumes especially with an actor very uncomfortable with the physical and athletic requirements of a costume the director sprang on her - and cues so on top of each other that naming them is impossible.

With everyone completely exhausted and after the producer had introduced everyone except me at our open dress at the end of the second 10/12, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that it didn't matter that no one got how challenging this show was. I wd do my job to the  best of my ability, remain calm and keep smiling. Suddenly, the LD said over the headset "Wow, congratulations. You did a magnificent job calling. You don't stop talking for over an hour and you have had one shot and there are only a couple of timings needing tweaking." And after our preview today, the SD told me that not many SMs he knew could call this show, let alone with this little rehearsal.

I don't usually need those niceities, but it surely is nice when someone notices.


RuthNY

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #19 on: May 05, 2012, 04:34 pm »
I just got through tech on a very very complex show.... <snip>

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loebtmc

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #20 on: May 05, 2012, 05:54 pm »
A Wrinkle In Time - there are maybe 3 pages with no cues, but the director's visiion uses massive rail, light, projection and sound shifts usually off body moves. And I have to have standby's cuz the cues are clustered, there are 10 pages where I call sound cues doubling an actor's lines (which wd be a whole lot easier if the 3 others in the scene would get their cues consistent) along w light and sfx cues. It is a very physical as well as verbal workout.

I had wanted to learn more abt animation and running all those new technically complex shows, and I guess I got my wish!

Amie

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #21 on: Jun 24, 2012, 01:22 am »
I work as an assistant on a production of Romeo and Juliet.  The other assistant and I were doing our post show prop storing, etc. during actor notes following our preview show last night so we were not present for notes.  We suddenly heard heart applause from backstage.  We learned later from several actors that the applause was for us on how well they were being treated backstage and how attentive and professional we had been.  It felt so wonderful to be so appreciated. :)
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“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once: scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.”

Kelasaurus

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #22 on: Jun 28, 2012, 03:11 am »
On my last show, I was sweeping up confetti from the deck (a lot of it) at the end of a long day in tech.  I was called up into the house for tech notes, and I put the dry mop down.  I looked down during notes, and one of the actors had picked up the dry mop and swept up the worst of the confetti.  That was nice of him.
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megf

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #23 on: Jun 29, 2012, 06:41 pm »
It's nearly 100 degrees in NYC today, and I'm double booked this week... and today, the train I take to work was having really serious delays, which is unusual.

I texted ahead to tell the ME, Sound Engineer and TD that I was running late.

The ME said he had something for me, when I arrived.

It is a big ol' bag of Dove chocolates :-D

loebtmc

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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #24 on: Jun 29, 2012, 06:57 pm »
I took over a short transfer from out of town and was the only local - and the only female - on a pretty testoserone-heavy show. The guys - both actors and the ASM - were very protective of their routines and their fight call, so I took a deep breath and a step back and just did my best. We closed last weekend, and they insisted that they take me out to a very very nice dinner preshow, brought me lovely gifts and gave me a beautiful thank you card for taking such good care of them, letting me know that I had earned both their respect and their hearts. I nearly wept after our final performance.


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Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #25 on: Jul 19, 2012, 04:40 pm »
Not necessarily "nice for me," but amusing for any SM in the booth. Someone sneaked into the booth, and relabeled the God-mic "Loki."
Needless to say, it took me a second to find it on Monday, and then I was laughing too hard to actually use it for a minute or two.
Jessica: "Of course I have a metric size 4 dinglehopper in my kit!  Who do you think I am?"

 

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