Messages

121

The Green Room / Re: Convolution Creep

« on: Oct 20, 2010, 07:04 pm »

Kind of off-topic, and this may be more common than I think.  However:

At my current theatre, somebody from the artistic staff does a talkback (Question & Answer) after almost every performance (except on Saturdays).  There's about five of them, that rotate.  Actor participation is always completely voluntary, but usually at least two cast members go out after the show.  That's all completely fine.

HOWEVER:
If there is a Q&A, I need to play a pre-show announcement that includes that notice; If there isn't, I play a pre-show announcement that doesn't mention a Q&A; and occasionally there's a live announcement from the apron stage instead of a recorded announcement.

At the end of the play, on Q&A nights, as soon as the applause ends I have to play a short announcement introducing the specific person who's running the talkback.  So there are six different announcements to choose from.

SO: Before the show starts, I check the company's google calendar to see who's scheduled to do the talkback (and try to confirm with the House Manager, who doesn't know any more than I do but at least has had a chance of seeing who's in the building).  I have three different calling pages that I put in front of the first page of the script that take me from places to scene 1.  At the end of the play, I have six different post-its with the different cues on them to place in the correct spot after the house up cue.  In addition, in the calm before the end-of-show cue sequence, I have six post-its to choose from in order to warn the sound op which cue he'll have to skip to.

It's weird, I've just never had to call a show from a flow chart anywhere else.  Usually, you open your show and all the cues are locked into place. 

122

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Co-SMing

« on: Aug 31, 2010, 02:16 pm »

There's no shame in being an ASM, and there's no designation of experience level inherent in the title.  "Assistant" is really a misnomer, as Matt said, the jobs are so very different that there's no real rivalry between the two.  As a PSM, I would be thrilled to have an ASM with more experience than me.  We wouldn't both have to be in the rehearsal hall all the time, one of us could be doing shop visits or shift plots or something else very useful and still trust that the rehearsal was running smoothly.  Actually, I'd be thrilled to have an ASM at any level; usually I've only had PA's.

Think of the ASM as a Deck or Deputy stage manager, and you'll be fine.  With co-SMs, there's always a question of where a particular responsibility lies; with an ASM, you know exactly who to go to for any particular issue.

123

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Script in process: how much paperwork do you re-do?

« on: Aug 28, 2010, 10:52 am »

It seems that some MS Word wizard should be able to develop a macro that would insert manual page breaks at the end of every page, but I wouldn't know how to go about doing it.  I try to speed things up by copying a page number/page break combination and pasting it on every page, then going back through the script and typing the correct page number in place.  On a script of about 100 pages, it usually takes me about an hour to do this, check it, print a copy, and check it again.  Absolutely invaluable when working on a new play.

124

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Script in process: how much paperwork do you re-do?

« on: Aug 27, 2010, 10:59 am »

The script is still so in flux that locking pagination isn't an option.  Whole new sections are still being added and others are being moved from scene to scene. 

That just seems like selfishness on the part of the playwright to me.  It's rude to all of the collaborators to change the page numbers every time there's a re-write.  There's no reason not to lock the pages now.  When changes come along that add pages in the middle, you add letters as Sarah said.  When a re-write deletes pages, the page in front of the deleted section notes all the pages that were deleted.  In other words, if pp. 16, 17, 18, 19 were deleted, then you change p. 15 to be numbered 15-19.  Does that make sense?

That way, even if you and your designers haven't completely redone your paperwork, you at least have a good chance at being in the right section of the script when you all talk about "page 59" or whatever.  Also, when things happen on pages that haven't been re-written, you don't need to update your paperwork because the page reference is still good.

I swear, the only reason not to lock pages once a show goes into production is the laziness of the person responsible for maintaining the script (which is often the playwright).

Here's a helpful thread about new plays: http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1781.0.html

125

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Script in process: how much paperwork do you re-do?

« on: Aug 25, 2010, 06:54 pm »

Has the playwright locked the page numbers?  That should help out quite a lot.

Can you simplify your paperwork so that cutting and pasting will keep you up-to-date?  In other words, do you have to have a french scene chart or is just a simple scene listing more useful?

When do you need a particular piece of paperwork? In other words, don't put any energy into doing a shift plot until you get much closer to tech.

Who's going to look at your paperwork, and what information are they expecting to get from it?  How often do they look at it?

Regarding the tech analysis: I do an overall study of the show during prep week in order to generate other paperwork, like preliminary prop list, sound cue list, etc.  Once those are created, I never go back to the original analysis, I just keep the later paperwork updated.  If that's not how you use yours, I would suggest revisiting the tech analysis around the time of the first stumble-through.

126

Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPhone apps?

« on: Aug 24, 2010, 01:20 pm »

I'm looking for a new To-Do app.  I really like Intuition - free, great structure, fantastic categories, repeating tasks, viewable as calendar, syncs with iCal; but as I try to load it, it crashes 9 times out of 10.

Any recommendations?  I'm willing to spend some money on this.

127

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First time with Equity

« on: Aug 21, 2010, 10:43 am »

loebtmc, even with a small cast?

128

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: First time with Equity

« on: Aug 20, 2010, 06:10 pm »

Have sign-in sheets ready for your first half-hour call prior to a performance.

129

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: MUSICALS: NO-SCENE PROBLEM

« on: Aug 16, 2010, 12:21 am »

I don't understand the distinction you're making between "scenes" and "some dialogue in-between."  Is this a cabaret?  A review, like "Side by Side by Sondheim?"

Is there a narrative to the piece?

Are there any set moves? Any prop tracking? Any costume changes?

130

Employment / Re: When is it OK to work for free?

« on: Aug 15, 2010, 08:24 pm »

Adam,

You need to explore your own market.  A lot of what we've been talking about here is New York; and although the ideas transfer to some degree, there are regional differences that are significant.  Your market probably isn't as saturated as we've been discussing so far on this topic.

Check out the Portland Area Theatre Alliance at http://www.patagreenroom.org/index.php. Contact the theatres in the area.  Don't ask other SM's what they make, but it's perfectly fine in an initial meeting with production managers to ask what they usually offer stage managers.  For small non-profit theatres, make sure that what they offer works out to at least minimum wage for their typical rehearsal hours per week.  Look at the www.actorsequity.org website; I can't remember if the theatre search is open to non-members, but all the agreements are available for download.  The pay scales there will give you something to go from.

Get involved in the theatre community.  Join PATA, go see theatre, talk to people.  Send your resume out to every theatre.

Good luck.

131

Employment / Re: When is it OK to work for free?

« on: Aug 14, 2010, 08:15 pm »

Matthew,

It sounds like we're actually on the same page.  I'm fine with all of your examples as listed in the last post.  I'll just point out that the support you get in a university situation is almost invisible when you're experiencing it and you can really feel like the rug's been pulled out from under you when you do your first job in the real world.

I'll also mention, as we all discussed a couple years ago, that new stage managers take longer than experienced stage managers on practically everything.  And since (outside of rehearsal hours) we set our own schedule for paperwork, reports, prop acquirement, wardrobe laundry, etc., it's unrealistic to ask a new stage manager to bill their hours the way a business consultant or a lawyer would do.  As long as the rehearsal hours work out to minimum wage, I think the employer's covered.

I should moderate my position to exclude New York City.  I don't know anything about the industry there, and I think the rules are probably different.

In a perfect world, we'd all be union and every contract would be either negotiated by or promulgated by the union, protecting us all.  Those of us who are non-union should think long and hard about this kind of question, and find their own answer that helps the entire industry, not just their own short term interests.

132

Employment / Re: When is it OK to work for free?

« on: Aug 13, 2010, 08:46 pm »

How does one learn to stage manage?  If you've never stage managed before in your life, how do you get your first stage management credit?  Volunteering at a community theatre is one way of learning.  We don't have an apprenticeship program in our industry.

Being a P.A. is not stage managing.  Being an intern is not stage managing.  There are good books on stage managing out there - but none of them compare with actually working through a job the first time.  Working in a school situation, with all of that built-in support, in no way prepares you for doing a fringe show in which you are the entire production staff.  If you've got sixteen P.A. credits but no S.M. credits, as I read your resume, I'm thinking that you don't have what it takes to be a Stage Manager.

There is a professional theatre in this country; there is a robust amateur theatre in this country.  I don't think the fringe storefront theatre produced by a handful of recently-graduated actors should be held to the same standard as the LORT-D company in the next city.  Both have a vibrant place in our culture, and each has its own purpose and activity.

When is it OK to work for free?  My answer: to get your first job, or to start your own theatre company.

133

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Experience

« on: Aug 08, 2010, 05:50 pm »

Go see theatre.  Small theatres, where the ticket prices are low, there are few seats in the audience, and the cast is non-union. 

Once you've seen a show that you liked, once you've been inside a theatre and thought to yourself "I'd like to work here, this looks like fun" then find out from their program or their website who is in charge of hiring stage managers.  Assuming you've stage managed a couple of shows in college, you can ask that person if they're looking for SMs and send in your resume.

If you didn't actually stage manage with your college theatre, then instead of asking for a job, offer to volunteer backstage.  Then, do everything they ask of you to the best of your ability with a smile on your face and let it be known that you're interested in stage managing.  One of these small theatres will give you your first job and then you're on your way!

That's all how I started, anyway; more or less.

134

Tools of the Trade / Re: Non-binders for actors for a reading

« on: Aug 07, 2010, 09:40 pm »

iPads for everyone! 

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Rebbe and BLee much more practical.

135

The Hardline / Re: AEA Experimental Contract - Workshop Musical - Help with Meal Break

« on: Jul 29, 2010, 06:14 pm »

No, I just meant call L.A. if the theatre was pushing back on your interpretation of the rules.  I apologize, I was trying to finish that post pre-rushing out the door, and my thought process got a bit garbled. 

Looks like you got it figured out and the theatre accepted your reasoning, so issue resolved.  Good luck with the workshop!