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Question about working through the meal break

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forner:
Need your advice:  I am PSM at a LORT ‘C” theater and am in rehearsal for  HELLO DOLLY. Just before the Company went on its scheduled one hour lunch break the director  announced he wanted to have a stumble-through of the entire show after lunch ( A major schedule change!!). I have two ASMs and one production assistant. My question is whether to: Take our required one hour meal break and return in a hour to preset for the stumble-through  thereby delaying the start of stumble-though; OR do the preset over the lunch break and eat in whatever remaining time is left before afternoon rehearsal begins; OR advise the Producer stage management will be putting in for penalty meal time if they have work through the meal break; OR stagger  individual breaks of stage management so each has a full hour to eat as well as preset for the stumble through;OR immediately point out to the director some of the consequences his decision to change the schedule have made for stage management. I am assuming that all members of the stage management here will support the final decision. I know there are other solutions and I  welcome your alternative suggestions. Thanks!

loebtmc:
Present this to your producer have them make this decision quickly — either you get your proper meal break, then come back and set up, or they pay the meal penalty and you set up in time to start when the actors get back from theirs. Make sure you write down what they say and they agree (I had a producer agree on a meal penalty, then decide they hadn't said so after all).

Of course, doing a run thru immediately after eating might make for an interesting run.......

VSM:
Or - if you can't get in touch with anyone to help advise you immediately - I suggest you stagger the mealbreak to allow your Team their proper break time and the proper time to set up for the Designer Run.

This may have already happened; what was your decision and the outcome?

loebtmc:
VSM is right — if that is an option, it's the best one. I used that a lot on my last contract, so my crew got their breaks and the set-up got finished in a timely manner.

RuthNY:
LORT actually has a rule about that, Fred.  "If the Theatre requires the Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager to work during the meal break, including, but not limited to, work which is necessary in order to enable a rehearsal to resume properly and appropriately on time, the Theatre shall provide the Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager with a meal and pay no less than one hour of overtime." (64-I-3-b)

So, your trepidation about presetting over break is correct.  You and your AEA assistants are not to do so, unless the person who approves overtime at the institution give their consent.

Pat and Vernon have already given great advice.  Staggering breaks is a great solution. However, as you suggest, letting the director in on the rule, and telling them that your department will begin preset as soon as the break is over, is also a choice. Depending on your relationship with them, of course. They can do scene work, or notes, or music until you are ready. There's ALWAYS something small that needs work.

But, you are backed up on this one, by a very specific written rule.



--- Quote from: forner on Aug 17, 2018, 01:02 pm ---Need your advice:  I am PSM at a LORT ‘C” theater and am in rehearsal for  HELLO DOLLY. Just before the Company went on its scheduled one hour lunch break the director  announced he wanted to have a stumble-through of the entire show after lunch ( A major schedule change!!). I have two ASMs and one production assistant. My question is whether to: Take our required one hour meal break and return in a hour to preset for the stumble-through  thereby delaying the start of stumble-though; OR do the preset over the lunch break and eat in whatever remaining time is left before afternoon rehearsal begins; OR advise the Producer stage management will be putting in for penalty meal time if they have work through the meal break; OR stagger  individual breaks of stage management so each has a full hour to eat as well as preset for the stumble through;OR immediately point out to the director some of the consequences his decision to change the schedule have made for stage management. I am assuming that all members of the stage management here will support the final decision. I know there are other solutions and I  welcome your alternative suggestions. Thanks!

--- End quote ---

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