Messages

121

Employment / Re: Going to NYC?

« on: Nov 23, 2007, 10:21 am »

Me, I would look into a subscription, or see if your university  has a subscription to ArtSearch and look at the intern/apprentice listings.  There is usually a wide range of options, from all over the country.  Don't limit yourself to the hardest place to get started, try someplace that will be easier to get good experience at.  I don't think moving direct to NYC is the best bet right now, unless you know some folks up there whom you can live with.  The norm is 3 to 4 people sharing 2 bedroom apartments since that's all they can afford.  NYC is one of the most expensive places to live, and unless you have some connections a very difficult place to 'break into'. 

Of course, no input that you will receive, either here or at home, is without bias.  I personally would never live in NYC, no matter what type of job I was offered.  And I know a lot of young actors who've moved there, live 4 (individuals - not two couples) to a 2 bedroom, tiny cramped apartment, waite tables and go to audition after audition.  I don't know any young technicians, so I can't tell you tales of how they fare. 

But I, personally, don't agree with the opinion that the only theatre in the country is in NYC.  I find the idea of working on Broadway - working one show for years on end - to be boring.  I really hope that I've added that this is just my personal opinion enough, since I'm sure that the folks who live in NYC will soon jump in on how wonderful their city is.  And I'm glad that they like it.  They should be happy there, and I'm happy that they are.  Its just not for me.  But, I think some experience in a large regional theatre would be more beneficial to you than working for free for odd off-off-off-broadway shows until you find someone who'd be willing to pay you for your time.

-Centaura

122

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Onstage Hangings

« on: Nov 21, 2007, 08:55 am »

When I was in high school we hung and actor for a production of Jesus Christ Superstar.  He wore a harness that his line was clipped to, and the noose wasn't attached to anything, it just lay loosely around his neck.  The actor was hanging himself, he climbed up the pole, stood on a small platform, hooked his line into the hook on the harness he was wearing under his costume, stood there for some lines, and then slumped into the harness for the 'hanging'.  Our director had worked with professional riggers in the past and had a good grounding on harness safety.  If you don't have anyone with rigging or rock climbing experience, I wouldn't reccomend trying it yourself.

-Centaura

123

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera tips

« on: Nov 17, 2007, 01:40 pm »

This thread has some good information that's asked about a lot, so I thought I'd sticky it to the top of the forum.  Other good threads for opera information are:

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,2158.0.html

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,550.0.html

-Centaura

124

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Preshow (turn off your cellphone) announcements

« on: Nov 17, 2007, 01:32 pm »

as our standard announcement is not doing its job.  We have recently been having problems with patrons using their cellphone cameras to video the performances

Don't worry - its not your announcement that's not doing the job, the patrons are willingly ignoring it.  Your announcement pertains to everyone else in the theatre, but not them.  They could get an important call, so the rules should therefore be waived just for them.  And the picture that they're taking is just for themselves, so there should be no reason why they're not allowed to take it.

Ah - the bane of modern technology.  We have fun in our theatre, the tours come in with very strict rules regarding recording, but all our ushers are volunteers, and generally all retired folk.  We tell them to make the patrons delete photos off of their phones, but they have no idea if they have or not since most of them don't understand the technology.

The best way I've seen to get the message across to the folks who will heed it is for there to be some comic bit that underscores the issue at the top of the show.  But if that is not appropriate for the show, then its much harder.  When the symphony plays here, there's often no 'real' preshow speach, nor any way to comedically point out the issue.

I do look forward to hearing about other folk's ideas.

-Centaura

125

The Hardline / Re: Stagehand Wages

« on: Nov 15, 2007, 12:39 pm »

Plus the yearly dues are much more expensive than "smaller" locals. 

I wonder what the regs on dues are for the locals here who work Chicago calls.  Do they just pay their 'local' local, or are they members of Chicago as well?  I'd be curious to know.  As well, we draw hands in from two other locals when we have really big calls here, as my local can't muster more than 30 or 40 hands generally.  The list is longer, but when there's a call for particular skills then we draw from outside.  I'll have to chat with some of the hands and find out, I'm curious now.

-Centaura

126

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Wireless mic issues - and advice?

« on: Nov 15, 2007, 12:30 pm »

i still liked my "high energy" theory.

While I have heard of sound techs referencing a person's personal electric field, another thing that people have is different skin types.  Some skins are more acidic than others and can react badly with metals.  Is the mic touching her skin near her face?  Is there another local that you can put her mic where its not touching skin?  Maybe the center of her forhead?  She would probably  know if she reacted badly with metal - such people usually can't wear much jewelry.

-Centaura

127

Tools of the Trade / Re: Box Office Software

« on: Nov 06, 2007, 06:23 pm »

I know my venue uses TicketForce, though I really know nothing about it.  I'm strictly backstage.

http://www.ticketforce.com/

-Centaura

128

The Hardline / Re: A dance gig vs. Equity

« on: Nov 02, 2007, 12:44 pm »

What is the precedent at the theatre?  Is this something that they do every summer and use the main season's SM for?  If it is, your question might have been asked before, or there might be an exemption on file somewhere.

-Centaura

129

The Hardline / Re: Stagehand Wages

« on: Nov 02, 2007, 12:42 pm »

A lot of it is based on local cost-of-living.  As far as non-union wages, I believe that you're correct that a lot depends on the theatre's size, but when you start dealing with union contracts, a lot depends on what the local economy will support.

Again, this is clearly different in regional theatre:

I can definitely see where there is a high concentration of the same work in the same area, the going rates are probably going to be similar.  We have the issue here that the stagehands are constantly talking about how much they can get paid for working in Chicago, to which our response is explain that we're not Chicago and can't compete with wages there.

-Centaura

130

The Hardline / Re: Stagehand Wages

« on: Oct 31, 2007, 09:40 pm »

I'm in an IATSE house a few hours away from Chicago, and the base rate for hands here is $16hr/4hr minimum.  It also depends on the position - a high rigger here starts at $24/hr for example.  Some of our local hands also work in Chicago, and I know they get paid much more, but I don't know the figures.  I heard one reference doing a load-out at a particular Chicago venue and it being a minimum $250 - but I don't know the per hour or how many hours it was. 

When we did our contact negotiations, our research said that we were on track for cities of our size for our union payscale, even a bit high. 

I’d suspect the pay variations have more to do with a theater company’s size & budget than where it’s located

A lot of it is based on local cost-of-living.  As far as non-union wages, I believe that you're correct that a lot depends on the theatre's size, but when you start dealing with union contracts, a lot depends on what the local economy will support.  There is no way that we could survive as a venue if our stagehand rates were similar to Chicago's, promoter's wouldn't make any money on their shows.  When we were doing our research, we did a lot of cost of living comparrisons around the country to find what the going union rates were, and what was affordable with our local economy.

-Centaura

131

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Bad ASM's

« on: Oct 31, 2007, 09:20 pm »

Its also a chance to test your own boundaries of patience.  Because no matter how good we get at conflict resolution, there are times when you can meet up with an individual that will just not change, rubs you the wrong way, or is inadequate in some way or another, and every attempt made to change their behavior ends in failure.  I don't want to be down, I think some very good suggestions have been made in this post.  There is one actor in particular that stands out in my memory from a tour I did, whos behavior offended almost every single venue we went to.  But absolutely nothing that was said to him would make him change his behavior - in his mind he was hilarious and charming.  He should have been fired, but the company that I worked for didn't know how to fire someone (they were a very sheltered group).  I was stuck with him for 9 months, dealing with his insulting locals wherever we went.  Use this as a learning experience - the patience you discover in yourself will be put to good use later in life.

-Centaura

132

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: High School Musical

« on: Oct 31, 2007, 09:10 pm »

My condolences - tho I hear it's a 'fun' production to put on? Not to dishearten you or bash on a show you might like,

I'm a roadhouse, I just get tours in.  We don't mount any of our own productions.  I'll have the national tour, and they'll only be here two or three days.  I'll probably step in to watch it once, but if I don't like it there's nothing forcing me to watch the whole thing. 

-Centaura

133

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Looking for Stage Management workshop ideas

« on: Oct 31, 2007, 09:06 pm »

What crossed my mind when you said hands-on experience is doing a mini 'show'.  Start with a two or three page 'script', something that you made up that has a bunch of stuff in it, prop notes, scene changes, etc.  Have them start at the beginning of the production, getting their lists, ets. out of the 'script', rehearsals, tape out a mini set, write cues, have examples of designer's paperwork that they'll work from.

-Centaura

134

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Tech or Church?

« on: Oct 30, 2007, 07:35 am »

it is our responsibility as managers and schedulers to be sensitive

I think this statement sums up the issue nicely.  It should be the goal of every manager to be able to put their personal feelings about a subject aside and work with the idiosyncrocies of the people they are managing.

-Centaura

135

Employment / Re: American Family Theatre...

« on: Oct 27, 2007, 03:37 pm »

Just so folks don't think she's been ignored, some info was sent to her via PM.  But other's experience would probably also be appreciated from her.

-Centaura