Author Topic: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?  (Read 9885 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

missliz

  • Superstar!
  • *****
  • Posts: 569
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Personal Site
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Experience: Professional
What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« on: Nov 23, 2010, 01:09 pm »
A lot of times this is a place to come and vent about your show. But what was the last nice thing someone did for you in your rehearsal/show?


Last week, one of my actors pulled my ASM and I aside and said "Thank you for everything you do for us. I know it's not easy, and you're doing a great job." Then he gave us each a small bottle of whiskey. :) It was so out of the blue and nice to know that hard work wasn't going unnoticed!
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least. -Ionesco

dallas10086

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 562
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Freelance PSM; currently Charlotte Squawks 12
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #1 on: Nov 23, 2010, 01:52 pm »
At closing night on Sunday the playwright for my workshop production gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear, "Thanks for being the pro." Given his personality it was a nice shock and surprise.

loebtmc

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 1574
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SAG, AFTRA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Caroling, caroling now we go — and looking for my next gig!
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #2 on: Nov 23, 2010, 04:26 pm »
I was having an info sit-down yesterday with some potentially important folks I was meeting for the first time when a young man I had SMd in a tough and unusual show came up and hugged me. When I mentioned that he'd been in the cast of one of my shows, he responded, "She saved us."

ReyYaySM

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 360
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: Freelance
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #3 on: Nov 23, 2010, 04:29 pm »
I have two moments from my current show:

1. Daddy Warbucks brought the SM team pumpkin pie milkshakes from McDonald's while we were working on the schedule & report after rehearsal.
2. My director turned to me in tech rehearsal when I made a mistake in a cue sequence and we had to go back and a few of the actors complained while we reset and said, "You get rehearsal time too." It might possibly be the nicest thing a director has said to me :-)

Thespi620

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 99
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #4 on: Nov 23, 2010, 07:09 pm »
My TD, after a particularly stressful tech/dress, stopped me before I left the room and said "you're a professional."  He doesn't like to give compliments, and as the LD for this show as well, had a ton on his plate, but the fact that he took that time to stop me meant everything.
[The SM is] a very gifted, slightly eccentric master mechanic [keeping] a cantankerous, highly complex machine running at top efficiency by talking to it, soothing it, & lovingly fixing whatever is broken. 
-J. Michael Gillette

JMagill

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 30
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: PSM LPPAC
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #5 on: Nov 23, 2010, 10:59 pm »
I am currently working at a Performing arts high school we just closed Annie (so dramachic5191 I know exactly what you are going through!) and have had a few really nice comments said to me and gestures done.

1. our Daddy Warbucks' parents own a winery so as a gift from them the staff got bottles of wine.
2 one of my orpahns was the daughter of  two of my professors from college. and even though they knew I worked there. but could not believe how Professional it  was and how tight the show was.  and continually told me how impressed they were every time they saw me after the show (which was every night)
3 One of the other Orphans' parents works at the school and has seen shows there before but she couldn't believe how tight and precise everything was. (also told me every night)
4  had one of the other cast members father come up to me and tell me what a good job I did and knows how hard my job is because he used SM back when he was in college

It is always nice to see that there are many people that you may not directly work on a show with you that still appreciate what you do 
2. My director turned to me in tech rehearsal when I made a mistake in a cue sequence and we had to go back and a few of the actors complained while we reset and said, "You get rehearsal time too." It might possibly be the nicest thing a director has said to me :-)

so nice when they do that even tough you get less rehearsal time for those kinds of things that the cast does.  Where was the tough sequence? Mine were out of Easy Street and Easy street reprise

kiwitechgirl

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 200
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #6 on: Nov 24, 2010, 05:42 am »
I opened Cabaret last Saturday night, and when I went to my prompt desk to call the half I found, as I often do on opening nights, a few thank-you cards.  I flicked through them and found that most were from the usual suspects - actors I often work with who never forget to do cards for the crew, but one was completely unexpected.  It was from an actor I've been working with for three years - we've done quite a few shows together, and I've watched him grow up from a brash, egotistical drama school grad who thought that the world revolved around him, who blamed every tiny last little thing on someone else (nothing was ever his fault), and who was totally my "problem child" for a couple of years, to a wonderful actor with a truly extraordinary voice, phenomenal stage presence and a much better attitude!  I've never had a thankyou card from him before - it just said "Dear Anna, thankyou for once again keeping me in the right place all through rehearsals, and for everything you do"; but it was totally not about what he wrote, just that he's finally grown up enough to realise what I do and appreciate that.  I think this boy is going places, and one day I'll be proud to say I SM'd him way back when!

SMLois

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 44
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Lois Backstage
  • Affiliations: CAEA
  • Current Gig: Stage Manager - The Drowsy Chaperone - Theatre Under the Stars
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #7 on: Nov 24, 2010, 10:22 am »
It's the little things -

Yesterday when I sent out line notes after our run of act 1 one of the actors, who has been feeling a bit overwhelmed the past few days, emailed me back to say "Thanks Lois! Amazed at your detail!" and that meant a lot.


ReyYaySM

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 360
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Current Gig: Freelance
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #8 on: Nov 24, 2010, 10:29 am »
so nice when they do that even tough you get less rehearsal time for those kinds of things that the cast does.  Where was the tough sequence? Mine were out of Easy Street and Easy street reprise

Every transition is a tough sequence; we have so many things moving and flying.  I think I have more rail cues in this show than any of my previous shows combined.  We were working out curtain call and had to reset for all of the quick changes in the moment I was referring to. 

The other nice thing that happened on this show was that my director told me how beautifully I called the show.  It's nice when a stage manager's artistic contribution is acknowledged. 

late_stranger

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 52
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #9 on: Nov 28, 2010, 09:07 pm »
At the end of my last show, one of the actors got the crew a cake, and everyone else in the cast gave my ASM and I hugs and thank yous. Some of them are in the one-acts I'm stage managing now. The rehearsals are mostly during the school day, so during the first rehearsal I was at, the director pointed me out to the cast, and the kids from the last show cheered. It made me really, really happy.
Don't be so reverent about reality. It's just a trick, done with mirrors.

JMagill

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 30
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: PSM LPPAC
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #10 on: Nov 28, 2010, 10:56 pm »

Every transition is a tough sequence; we have so many things moving and flying.  I think I have more rail cues in this show than any of my previous shows combined.  We were working out curtain call and had to reset for all of the quick changes in the moment I was referring to. 

The other nice thing that happened on this show was that my director told me how beautifully I called the show.  It's nice when a stage manager's artistic contribution is acknowledged. 

HA HA HA!! I know your pain. other than the Main Drape cues each shift had no less than 4 items flying in a sequence, not to mention the wagons or furniture.

On our second weekend of shows the director comes back During NYC to do the " Hey keep it quiet down there" line at the end and gave me a pat on the back and said that the show was running really smooth that night.  Its the little things like that make you feel like the hellish tech week you had a week before was all worth it.

Ps. Enjoy the second act especially the second half when everything happens in the Mansion. Its a nice break!

jNehlich

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 38
  • Gender: Male
  • Been in this town since 2006...so not* new to town
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: AEA SM
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #11 on: Dec 02, 2010, 02:39 pm »
I had a postshow 45 min clean-up (consisting of mostly washing dishes for a 3 course meal for 3 people, cooked and eaten during the show). And on this particular evening the director had planned to cook dinner for everyone after the performance. So I started with my usual post show duties and said I'll be over as soon as I'm done.
The actors then volunteered to clean and dry dishes and wouldn't leave until everything was done.
That was awesome.
-JN

amagelssen

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 14
  • Gender: Female
  • Keep calm and carry on
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: The New Colony
  • Current Gig: The New Colony/Bailiwick Chicago--Rise of the Numberless
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #12 on: Apr 22, 2012, 03:08 am »
I was having a really rough night for our second to last preview. Major things were changed with our sound design so our sound check took much longer than it should have and the cast was just not moving into gear when getting ready despite getting calls and we opened house close to three minutes to Go time. I was on the edge of tears and when my friend the house manager asked if there was anything she could do,  I said "Ice cream. Ice cream always helps" as a joke. Then ten minutes later, after house had finally opened, the other house manager appeared and gave me a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a spoon. It was the best thing ever.

pyromnt

  • New to Town
  • **
  • Posts: 38
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: SM- You're A Good Man Charlie Brown
  • Experience: High School
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #13 on: Apr 22, 2012, 03:14 pm »
Yesterday, closing night of Little Shop, the director bought the whole crew and I roses and wrote a letter to me about how thankful he is
Standby. And 3..2..1

dallas10086

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 562
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Current Gig: Freelance PSM; currently Charlotte Squawks 12
  • Experience: Professional
Re: What was the last nice thing someone did for you?
« Reply #14 on: Apr 22, 2012, 10:40 pm »
Out of the blue, a crew member told me my attitude during tech was a refreshing change from what he was used to - and it told the crew that, while they were there to do an important job, they also needed to enjoy themselves, too. He didn't realize it, but just the day before I was seriously debating whether or not I was going to be accepted as an sufficient 'replacement' for the SM that left the department after four years in that position. Our approaches are different, and I could tell some were having a difficult time adjusting. It was just what I needed to hear that day, in more ways than one.