Messages

106

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: FORMS: Your own format or director's?

« on: Mar 23, 2010, 10:13 am »

I have had requests from directors regarding the format of Character/Scene Breakdowns, and occasionally cheat-sheets for them to track specific items.   I think it’s unusual for a director to want you to change the contact list to suit them, but it’s not out of line, since they do use that document.  Is it obvious to you why they want the change?  If not, I would definitely ask, since it may be something worth considering as an improvement in the future.  I do find it common that different theaters have standard formats that they want me to use for contact sheets and rehearsal schedules.  If a director or theater asked me to modify running paperwork, and I felt my version was more useful, I would probably have a conversation about it rather than changing it against my better judgement.  I also think that if the director does approach you requesting changes during tech, it’s perfectly fair to say you will get to it after tech priorities are dealt with.

107

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Title formatting for this board

« on: Mar 22, 2010, 01:35 pm »

When you are looking at the Stage Management:  Plays & Musicals board, can click on Subject (in the  bar with column headings) to sort alphabetically by subject.  Then all topics with the same tag will be grouped together.  You could also use the site’s search function.   

108

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Laptop vs. Pencil and Script/Notepad

« on: Mar 20, 2010, 10:41 am »

I take blocking notes with pencil and paper in rehearsal.  But for a couple shows, I experimented with transferring the blocking notes to computer when the show opened, so there would be a blocking backup and it would be clearer for take-over SMs.  I had a separate Word document, and on the left side of the page I kept a numbered list of descriptions of the blocking, corresponding with circled numbers on my script where the actions happened.  I also had small PDF drawings of the set on the right side of the page, and used text boxes to put the initials of the characters onto the drawings.  I could also add arrows to show movement, or furniture pieces, with the Shapes in Word.  Then I would print the pages and put them in my call book opposite the text pages.

This process was very time consuming, especially lining up shapes on the PDF, so I never considered doing it in rehearsal.  Ultimately I decided it wasn’t worth the effort at all.  Now when I open the show I review my blocking pages to make sure they are clear and legible, making corrections as needed.  I’ll only type up pages with complicated blocking that I would have needed to rewrite anyway.   

109

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COSTUMES: Wardrobe Malfunction - Hold the show?

« on: Mar 15, 2010, 08:43 pm »

I think you made a reasonable decision.  It would have been more constructive for the SM to discuss exactly what they would like you to do in the event of future problems, rather than just disagree with your choice after the fact.  I'm interested in what this SM's plan would have been if you had started the act on time, then not found alternate pants or been able to repair the originals within the 15 minutes, and then had less than 3 minutes to work something new out with the actor!  It seems like you were wise to hold act 2, and avoid that scenario.

Is it possible for you and the SM to have cell phones with you (but silent) during the run so you could communicate that way, even if by text, in the event of an emergency?   Or maybe there is a way for the second ASM to go to the booth, or the SM to come backstage, if the SM really wants to be more involved. 

110

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Does it matter where I call?

« on: Mar 13, 2010, 09:42 pm »

It seems to me that you should call from the position where you are most comfortable, and best able to do the job.  I don’t see why the TD should dictate where you are, since it’s not an issue of safety or technology.  You might try to find out of there ‘s something else going on, like maybe it’s a lot of work for some reason to run another headset andwork light up there.  If it's a logistical hassel, you could offer to help.  He could just be overloaded with other work and worried about taking the time to get you setup up there, and if that’s the case maybe you could offer to relocate up there later, as long as you can get there eventually.   Just be diplomatic in your approach with the TD, assure him you’re confident  you can resolve problems from the booth, and you need to be there to call cues accurately. 

111

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actors wanting more info, but can't process what they already have?

« on: Mar 11, 2010, 10:06 am »

If the cast can tell you what info they are specifically looking for, I’d go ahead and provide it even if it seems less than vital from your perspective.   I’d also ask if there is something about the format of your email that could be changed to make it clearer for them.
 
As for not reading the emails completely or AEA rulebook, that’s a classic example of why some of us are SMs, and some of us are actors.  To an SM, of course you carefully read everything.  For an actor, those details aren’t always a priority.  Endlessly repeating info you’ve already distributed comes with the territory, and happen despite the best written work.

Maybe you’re at a point in your tour where everyone is starting to get sick of each other, and this is just a symptom.  From your posts, it sounds like the cast might be starting to get under your skin.  It’s easier said than done , but be mindful of your own internal monologue, as  dwelling on actors’ negative habits  won’t help you be a positive and supportive SM for them.  Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, and checking in with friends or family in the outside world regularly, to help keep everything in perspective. 

112

Stage Management: Other / Re: Concert SM'ing tips?

« on: Mar 01, 2010, 09:59 pm »

A lot of times when I work concerts and similar events, other people are hired to run the sound.  If you don’t yet know what the plan is for sound, that’s a good thing to ask about.  Have a conversation with the sound people on the day of the event on how you can work together.  Sometimes they appreciate an extra set of hands.  Other times, they only want people with their company touching the equipment.  It’s good to talk through the transitions together as much as possible so you don’t get in each others’ way.   Do you have info on what instruments each performer is bringing and what kind of mics they need, and info on seating and music stands?  Sometimes producers have gotten sketches of performers’ stage set ups ahead of time, and if you can make copies for sound and yourself that’s really helpful.

In these situations, it may be that you as SM just need to get the performers to the stage on time, and aren’t responsible for the sound at all.  If there are lots of different performers, you may want to assign your ASMs so one is always with the group that is “on deck” and another waiting to escort the current group away from the stage, where you’ll want to avoid over crowding, with the third ASM staying with the  group that is 2nd in line.  Find out what kind of turn around time the producers want between groups.  Sometimes they say “as soon as possible” and then are disappointed when it takes 15 minutes to reset the stage, so if possible, encourage them to build into the schedule a couple minutes to strike and reset. 

Bring snacks and water for yourself in case things get hectic, also extra paper and pencils, etc, so you can make cheat sheets for yourself and others.  Every concert is unique, so just  keep your eyes open and be ready to go with the flow.   Also, there is a lot less mystique in a concert setting, so if a chair or mic or whatever is out of place, don’t be shy about walking on stage and fixing it, audiences are used to seeing that.

113

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: When to take the blame

« on: Mar 01, 2010, 08:19 pm »

"I'll take care of it" doesn't assume responsibility for something that really wasn't your fault while at the same time focusing people on moving forward (along this idea, I'm not a fan of assigning blame initially, but figuring out how to olve the problem to keep moving forward.)

This is pretty much my thinking too.  I would add that, when a mistake is made, the director (or others) are really angry about the mistake, not at you as a person.  It's not personal, though usually feels that way in the moment.   

I would encourage you to think that your ASM misjudged the situation, and focus on how they can make a better judgment, rather than thinking that they were “wrong.”    Since you are in high school, I assume your ASM is too.  Part of learning, for both of you, is making mistakes, so that you know how to avoid the same ones in the future.  Is there is an adult mentor who could help you work with your backstage team to figure out how to call this cue safely?  If poor timing could result in an injury, that’s a lot of responsibility for you to have by yourself right now.

I also feel like part of what you’re asking is whether you should explain what happened, in the event of a mistake.   You’ll have to figure out on a case-by-case basis whether giving the director more details about the problem is constructive or not.  You can be honest and discrete at the same time, by saying something like “I had a miscommunication with backstage about whether the curtain was clear.”  It’s not inherently wrong to explain, as many directors feel better knowing something specific, and solvable, happened.  But other directors will take to much explanation as defensivness on your part, which may be what happened in your situation.  Just don’t say anything that is going to send the director running backstage to chew someone else out.   So if by taking the blame you mean, “should the director only yell at me, when other people were also involved?” then my answer would be yes, the SM should take that one for the team.

114

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROMPT BOOK: Organization?

« on: Feb 22, 2010, 12:23 pm »

I don’t think there is a standard protocol for prompt book set.  As long as your book has all the info needed for the show, and is organized in some fashion, do whatever makes the most sense for you. 

I do put my script at the back of my prompt book because I have a pouch of pencils, etc at the front of my binder, and papers lying right on the pouch are too lumpy to write on.  Also the first and last tabs in a binder are the easiest to grab quickly, and since I like the contact sheet & schedule in the front, I’d rather have the script at the back than somewhere in the middle.  Finally, it’s nice to have a quick visual of how many pages are left, and that’s hard to see with other tabs after the script.

115

The Green Room / Re: Olympic-sized technical difficulties

« on: Feb 17, 2010, 10:07 pm »

I worked on a show that began with a big pink cloth stretched tightly across the stage, floor to ceiling and SL/SR.  At the top of the show, an actor stood US of the cloth, then pressed her hand toward the audience through the cloth, so that it looked like she was grabbing it and tearing the whole thing down.  Releasing the pink cloth was actually an automated effect timed to look like it was done by the actor, but the audience usually didn’t know that.  Unfortunately, a couple times during the run, the effect failed, so only part of the pink cloth released, and the rest of it was stuck hanging from the batten.  When this happened, the SM made an announcement to the house that we were pausing for technical difficulties, we would lower the batten, crew would go onstage to unhook and strike the curtain, and then we could raise the batten and move forward.  This was one of those tech difficulties that no one in the audience could miss seeing, and it was disappointing to have the very first moments of the show go so visibly wrong.

116

The Green Room / Re: Healthy eating as a SM

« on: Feb 07, 2010, 04:27 pm »

I’m a big fan of crock pots/slow cookers, because you can make healthy food without doing the cooking while you're already tired and hungry.  I prep a meal the night before, or in the morning before work, and set a timer to have the crock pot start and stop cooking at the right time so dinner is ready whenever I get home.  I make a lot of chilis, stews, hearty soups, and even pasta dishes this way.  Vegetarian dishes are especially easy since you don’t have to worry about meat sitting at room temperature for too long before or after cooking.  I usually eat whatever I’ve made for a couple of days, then freeze a couple potions for another week, and I can defrost something from a previous week. 

117

The Hardline / Re: Excluded from Opening Night Tickets

« on: Feb 06, 2010, 10:01 am »

But the reality is, it doesn't seem to be break the rule, as long as you are give the opportunity to have 4 comps at some point during the run.

I have to agree with this.  I think it is worth asking the GM, or whoever is a step up from you in the chain of command, if it is possible to extend the opening night ticket offer to SM staff as well.  Ask them why they're doing this, and give them the benefit of the doubt; it may be they just didn’t think of that, rather than that they are purposefully excluding you. 

I once had reserved opening night tickets for a show I was working on, but my guests arrived to find out their tickets had already been given away.  It was pretty annoying, but on the other hand, I remind myself that opening night is often not the best performance of the run, and it’s nice to have friends come when I’m rested and the show is tight.

118

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Taking the house back against your HM's will

« on: Feb 04, 2010, 05:33 pm »

I would be frustrated by your situation too, but I don’t think I would insist the show start unless there was a reason, such as Equity rules on when a show needs to end, public transit will be closed when post-show is over, some kind of timed effect that started at ½ Hour won’t work correctly with a long hold, or someone will go into overtime.  The decision about “how long is too long to hold” is something that I think needs to come from the producer.  In your case, if the General Manger is the top of the food chain and agrees with you, maybe you could ask them to speak to the HM directly to clear this up.

Before going to the GM again though, I would try to have a friendly conversation with the HM explaining why a long hold is problematic from your perspective, and ask him why he feels getting everyone in is so important.  He may not know that most theaters don’t operate that way.  You could point out that actors loose their momentum when your pre-show calls are timed to a certain point, and then they just end up standing around at places.  He might be worried about disrupting the show or distracting the actors, in which case you could give him a good point in the show for late seating and reassure him the actors are aware of it and won’t mind.  Maybe it’s a logistical issue, that no one has told him to dress the audience to the front of the house to leave seats at the back for latecomers to get into easily, and you could help him figure that out.  Remind him that delaying the show is unfair to the 95% of the audience who have arrived on time and are getting antsy.

I’ve worked at theatres where the policy is to start 5-8 minutes after the scheduled time.  Maybe you and the HM could agree to starting a certain number of minutes late every night as a compromise, so you can time your calls properly and he can give latecomers a grace period.  It might not hurt to tell him he’d be doing you a big favor by not starting more than 15 minutes late unless there is an emergency, since that requires you to do extra paperwork.

119

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Have I overstepped the mark?

« on: Jan 27, 2010, 05:21 pm »

He's also auditioning shortly for a production with another company; the musical director is a good friend of mine 

To me, this part makes a big difference.  I think approaching a future potential employer who you have no relationship with is out of line.  But yes, if a good friend of mine was going to work with someone I had an extreme experience with, good or bad, I would very likely give them a heads up.  I probably would do so verbally, though, because you never know where an email will end up, or whether it will be received the way you meant it.  Since your email is already sent and you’re worried about it, maybe give your friend a quick call and ask them not to forward your message to anyone else.

I hear the point about putting yourself into another person’s shoes, but I also think it is fair to consider how a person behaved in all professional settings, not just the good ones.  This is a word of mouth business, and if only good words went forward about everyone, you'd never know who was actually good.  If this truly is an anomaly for the actor, he’s having personal problems that are effecting his work or something, than the rest of his record and previous references with positive things to say will balance it out.   

120

The Hardline / Re: Dear Abby: SM Deputy vs Disrespectful Director

« on: Jan 21, 2010, 09:49 am »

I guess I have mixed feelings about this, because since the director did not give notice, you and the actor should not have allowed photos to be taken.  We as AEA member are obligated to adhere to the rules in the book, and it takes two parties to make a violation like this possible.  My understanding is that, technically, we as individuals are not allowed to make concessions by saying “ok, just this one time, I don’t want to cause trouble so I’ll let you take my photo even without any notice.”   That said, I completely understand that you were put in a terrible position, wanted to help get good publicity for the show, and I might have made similar choices myself. 

Since it sounds like you’ve felt pressured to violate rules, you should definitely call Equity.  Just placing a call isn’t the same as filing an official grievance, so you can get some advice and support before you decide on that if you want.   You shouldn’t be alone in dealing with this, but your rep won’t know you need help if you don’t ask.  I don’t think this is contradictory to supporting the actress.  You may even want to mention to her that if she makes compromises in an effort to be nice, it could actually have negative consequences for the next cast, since this director will expect the same of them.   

If you felt like it, you could also have a conversation with the director, telling him in a friendly way that you’ve done him some favors so far, but you will have to call Equity about any other special requests.  Maybe be ready to list rule vs. realities up to this point.  You can even approach it as if you are sympathetic to him, but just not allowed go against the contract you both signed.  Then you can call and let the union say no to him for you.  Based on the producers response to any of the above, you can decide if you want to do an official grievance form as well.