Messages

1

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hell Week...?

« on: Oct 23, 2008, 12:39 am »

The theater I grew up in from high school and into college always called the final week of rehearsals Hell Week.  It became part of my vocab for theater.  It was a shock to me to find that no one else seemed to call it that.  This is the first time I've heard it mentioned in about five years.  Glad to see the name is in use at least somewhere.

mike

2

Employment / Re: Question about names

« on: Sep 02, 2008, 08:09 pm »

Today I started work on a new show, and near the end of the day, when me and the PSM for the theater were winding down, I brought this issue up, pointing out the clunky title.  She said in her opinion I should refer to myself as a Non Equity ASM.  However, I should do exactly as you suggested and tell anyone on my reference list (herself being one of them) so that no confusion can happen. 

Because in her mind the only difference in what I'm doing and what an Equity ASM would do is the amount of payment.

And to answer another question, yeah I really do feel like I've hit the ceiling with non Equity work.  I got into stage management about three or four years ago, and I have had a lot of luck when it comes to getting to work with some truly talented SM's and directors from all over the country.  I think I'm ready, if nothing else at least to ASM officially. My only concern is that I'm not sure what will happen once I go Equity.  I don't know if this city can support me.  Sure I might be able to get a show or maybe even two (and this is a big maybe) if I get my card, but it's more likely that I'll be completely unemployed.  There are some SPT gigs here, but most of those seem taken up, and certainly all the LORT theaters are filled with NY or in house people.  If I go Equity, I think I need to be ready to travel, and I'm a little tired of moving every year.  I've been in Atlanta for two years now and that's the longest I've lived in one city since I got out of school.  Part of me wants to stay non Equity until a position opens up and jump in, but there no way to know if that will happen anytime soon.  And I'm considering leaving time in my schedule to work as an SM in some of the bigger Non Equity spaces just to pad the resume.  Hopefully in April one of the other big Equity spaces will hire me to ASM for them, but I don't have anything definite yet.

On one side, I love my job and the people I work with and I have a little job security for most of the year (assuming they keep hiring me back), on the other side, I could be making a lot more money.  And there are other aspects of the union I think would be good (Health insurance for one).  I don't know, it's a big decision and not one I have to make for some months at least.

Thanks all,

Mike

3

Employment / Re: Question about names

« on: Sep 01, 2008, 04:44 pm »

Ah.  It was entirely possible. 

Spell check isn't perfect. 

Oh.  And thanks for the advice.  My fear, and the reason I haven't put anything except Production Assistant so far is that someone will call and think I'm trying to make myself look better.  Which of course I am. 

My brother and I had a long talk last night and he thinks that as long as you state the job you do, not the title, you're in the clear.  I'm not so sure about that, so I wanted to hear what other people in the field think.

4

Employment / Re: Question about names

« on: Sep 01, 2008, 04:36 pm »

Did I have a typo? 

Yikes. 

Great first impression.   

5

Employment / Question about names

« on: Sep 01, 2008, 04:07 pm »

Hello,

My name's Mike Smith and I've been reading this forum for a while now, but just now decided to register.  Not sure why I waited so long to do so, but oh well. 

At any rate, I have a question.  I'm currently non equity, but I work as a PA (sort of) for a LORT theater.  Now on half the shows I work on I do the job of a second assistant stage manager, working with both an Equity ASM and a SM. And for the rest of the season I work just with an Equity SM, and do the job of an ASM.  However, due to contract rights, because I'm not Equity, the theater can not call me an ASM, instead I get the clunky title "Stage Manager's Production Assistant" or the even worse title, "Apprentice Stage Manager", which sounds more like an internship. 

I want to make my resume to really shine.  Would it be alright to list myself as "ASM (non Equity)", or even "ASM" or would you say I have to list myself one the above titles?  I don't feel like I'm lying in anyway at all, my duties are the exact same, just not my pay rate.  But technically it's not my job.

One SM I had told me to list myself as a Production Assistant, so that's what I did.  But this hasn't helped me much at all.  When I was looking for non equity summer work, I had one person tell me I didn't have the experience to work at their theater.  Not to say that isn't true, but I wondered if they even understood what I did for the Alliance.  I mean in my town (Atlanta) there non equity SM jobs I could get, and I have done that before I started my current job.   But the pay is lower, the shows aren't as complex, and I simply wouldn't learn as much from them.

I had only one taker over the summer, and it was a very low paying job, but theater dries up in Atlanta in the summer and I didn't want to sit around and collect unemployment.  And at least I now have five more SM gigs on my resume.  Now admittedly I have a while before I need my next job, but I do not want to have the same experience next summer. 

Any thoughts?