Messages

1

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: VENUES: Outdoor Theatre, revisited

« on: Sep 30, 2015, 04:17 pm »

I've been working in a permanent outdoor theater for a few years, and all of this advice proves very true! 

Ziplock baggies and little tuppware containers have been very useful for delicate and paper props, and printing checklists and papers on stiffer paper has worked well for the SM team. 

Since we are a permanent venue, and pack in our props and furniture each night we don't have to worry about the public getting into our things, which is really great. 

Grip tape (with staples) is also a must, as we can get some fairly damp evenings, as well as actual rain, and sometimes dance rubber on shoes and the grit we always have painted into the deck of our set is not enough.

For cold nights we always set out blankets for actors backstage, and for hot days we make gatorade in bulk, and have buckets with ice and washcloths stationed at strategic spots.

BUT! I have a question for the hive mind about prop tables and what to use to write on them! 

We have those off-white plastic tables, and leave them outside overnight.  So spike tape comes off relatively easy with the heat during the day and damp in the evenings.
Right now we are using spike tape with clear packing tape over, which worked really great through hot days and dewy evenings, but we just had a night where it rained hard.  And almost none of the tape stayed on the table.

I have written with sharpie directly on them in the past, but it is a pain to get off during strike. 

Is there some kind of large wax paper I should be covering my tables with?

Any ideas? 

2

Employment / Re: Is it a Tour?

« on: Jan 31, 2014, 11:24 pm »

Fantasticly helpful advice.  Thank you!

3

Employment / Is it a Tour?

« on: Jan 31, 2014, 01:14 pm »

I have been working at a theater for two years now, as their Resident Stage Manager.  One of the reasons I love working for them is because each of their shows go to multiple venues (started with 2 and now we go to 4), which provides a great challenge and keeps me interested (besides the fact that I love the people I work for/with).

That said, it means I have been at the same place for two years (with only two exceptions), providing me with very little diversity in my resume for that period of time in my career.

My question is, can/should I list these shows that went to 4 venues in some way on my resume?  I feel like it could show that I haven't been staying at one place because it is comfortable, but because it is fun and challenging.

I already have "School Tour" denoted on a number of my productions, but I feel like going to 4 large theater venues may not constitute as a "Tour" persay.

Or is this just something that I put in a cover letter?

4

Introductions / Happy to Find this Forum!

« on: Jan 30, 2014, 07:25 pm »

Hi!
I am a professional non-aea SM in the Bay Area, and am excited to have found this board and community, since I don't have many friends who are SMs.

I have been working a few years in the "real world," but am looking to diversify my experiences, and am also looking for a bit of advice on my resume.  I would love an outside eye or two.  I have a few specific questions, and want to ask them, but don't want to be redundant, if things have already been posted.   I saw there is a thread about resumes, but fear that it is old and people won't look at it to answer my questions?
I have been poking around the site, and the resume database is very helpful, but wanted to ask a few different questions that weren't quite answered by looking at the database.
Tips?

Thanks so much in advance, and I can't wait to keep reading some of these wonderful tips on your posts and boards!