Messages

1216

The Hardline / Re: Equity Deputy's identity

« on: Jul 31, 2006, 06:07 pm »

As far as I am concerned, the deputy is none of management's business. There are times where it's obvious (a guest artist contract w one actor and an SM, or folks chat about it openly in rehearsal or backstage) but I agree, for the deputy to do their job without repercussions from management, they should be able to remain anonymous. That said, I know touring companies where the deputies had regular meetings w management to request things, so obviously they weren't unknown in those circumstances, but the cast needs to feel safe taking things to the deputy, and the deputy needs to feel safe calling things in to the AEA office or discussing things w the SM, without management feeling threatened every time they see that actor talking quietly with someone.

1217

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Skills needed for career SM

« on: Jul 29, 2006, 01:06 am »

Before the days of SM degrees, folks became stage managers from two sources - 1) the tech side - knew all abt how to run things but no clue how to deal w the actors so made sure your asm knew how to deal w the creative side, or 2) the performing side - knew how to make the show run and get things done, how to keep the actors protected and made sure you were surrounded by an asm and folks who knew the tech side. A PSM once told me the best SM/ASM combos are the ones where you complement - as in fill in - each others holes.

Each half has its strengths and weaknesses - performers who went on into SM started learning the tech stuff and the best technical SMs learned the interpersonal/psychology basics (see notes in other threads abt the importance of taking a wide variety of liberal arts classes including Psych 101 in college). Long ago, Hal Prince told me that the best way to learn worked from sweeping the stage up - life lessons, observing others who knew their jobs, seeing what worked for you and what you neded to supplement the skills you were missing or weren't as well versed in - and doing EVERYTHING there is to do on a show. 

The best SMs know how to keep an even keel and surround themselves w people they trust to whom they can delegate those things they don't know - whether it's tech or creative. If you are good at what you know and make sure you fill in the gaps, you will be fine.

1218

Employment / Re: So...I want to go on tour

« on: Jul 26, 2006, 06:51 pm »

(and Meg, what are you touring?)

(one of these days we WILL meet....)

1219

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Newbie at ASMing - would love some advice

« on: Jul 25, 2006, 02:12 pm »

Ask the SM to let you accompany on the walk-through and/or be a body for the tech. You may or may not be the person placing the mics/props etc but you need the diagrams to know where they all go. Allow plenty of prep time - that is, as the performer ahead is working, make sure the next performer and all their tech stuff is on deck and you are reviewing what goes off and comes on (old trick - never go on empty handed unless there is nothing to bring on - carry something on, drop it in place and carry something else off). Find out the traffic patterns for the technical swaps, the people and the crew. 

Make sure you have water (coffee/tea is also good) for cast and crew backstage, and carry in your pockets or on a small utility belt some kit items such as lots of ricolah, flashlight, a couple of bandaids, (safety pins and a small sewing kit if there is no wardrobe person nearby), a penknife or leatherman-stype small tool collection......keep spike/gaff tape, spare batteries etc nearby, make sure there is a mirror off stage before they hit. The idea is to anticipate everything. 

1220

College and Graduate Studies / Re: apprenticeships

« on: Jul 24, 2006, 02:46 pm »

Well, as to Valencia....What's out there are the colleges - and students to fill those apprentice holes. BUT, just in case, what kind of apprenticeship are you seeking, and what skills do you have to offer? There is work - Magic Mountain is there, and they are always looking for employees on every level. It's pretty far to commute to LA, but if you can go the other direction from traffic, there are some little community theaters in Lancaster/Palmdale (in one direction) and Burbank/Glendale (in the other). And where are you coming FROM that heat doesn't bother you - trust me, desert heat is beyond enervating, along the lines of what a really humid East Coast summer does to your system.

Either way, break a leg...

1221

Employment / Re: So...I want to go on tour

« on: Jul 23, 2006, 04:03 am »

How fascinating your work must be! A million years ago I was asked to submit a resume to Cirque, but at the time, requirements included fluent French (mine was good but not brilliant), moving to Florida to train, and all the work was nonunion with no benefits. I assume at least some of this has changed?

1222

College and Graduate Studies / Re: apprenticeships

« on: Jul 20, 2006, 04:05 pm »

Why Valencia?

OK - the thing to keep in mind is, Valencia is HOT HOT HOT - and dry -

and depending on where you need to be, it's a long way in heavy traffic most of the time

other than that, Mrs Lincoln....

of course, if you are attending College of the Canyons or CalArts, that's a different story - but the students there often live off the 14, where it's a little cheaper.

1223

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Calling sound cues

« on: Jul 20, 2006, 01:36 pm »

my preference is to write sound Qs as alpha, so the point cues default to numbers - as in:

SA (on)

SA1 (same sound, change level, or take out,whatever the internal shift in that cue is for the scene)

on headset I simply say SA out....GO

UNLESS it is a crossfade, in which case it is a separate cue - SB

I don't bother writing SQ before a sound cue, just S - it's one less duplicate letter and add'l sound to make, and if I am tired I don't want to confuse the issue by saying SQA, esp when there is a cue Q in the system - same w lights (L, not LX or LQ)

cueing by hand signal is great - palm out is standby, point for the go - same for out, or level change, altho an option (from working w musicians) is going from palm to fist close for sound out

I have had designers write SA for on and SB for off, but it seems such a waste -

1224

Tools of the Trade / Re: Two-way radios

« on: Jul 20, 2006, 01:27 pm »

and remember, with walkies you have to let folks click in and out for calls. Holding the channel open isn't an option. So use this as a good opportunity to be concise, to get in and out with calls -

and good luck

1225

Tools of the Trade / Re: Two-way radios

« on: Jul 20, 2006, 12:36 am »

To avoid that annoying beep you need the earpieces. It's really that simple - and pricey (depending on the model)

depending on how large your theater is, there are cheap lightweight systems at Radio Shack too - but really, walkies are so unsatisfying. And they eat those 9V batteries like popcorn.

See if someone in your area has BearCom or one of the other standard non-ClearCom walkies that you might borrow, and if so make sure you borrow a spare set of batteries and charge them all the nite before.

 

1226

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Character Breakdown?

« on: Jul 19, 2006, 03:06 pm »

try to make it as complete as possible, and don't worry if you change it - it might alter during production as cast members are added or removed from scenes in places not mentioned in the script. This is just a jumping-off point, but is extremely helpful for setting rehearsals, costume fittings, tech stuff etc

1227

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Character Breakdown?

« on: Jul 18, 2006, 02:51 pm »

Wow - they are doing a rewrite....

the breakdown is the same no matter what language you are using - take the script and, page by page, character by character, write down who appears where, who enters and who exits and where from (if I were on my own computer, I'd send you a sample) -

for example, for what you are discussing, I do two charts, one focusing on the scene breakdown and the other on character.

(I think across rather than down, reverse if you think opposite)

CHARACTER: an excel or word chart with categories across and down. Across the top of the page, each column is one character. Down the L side the columns separate into
act:scene   /   page   /  who enters or exits on a page by page basis (I use X for enter and (x) for exit). If you need this and if you have room, you can also add area, as in XUL or (x)DR or etc

SCENE: excel or word, depending on which you are more comfortable with
going DOWN, list the act:scene and page, and then ACROSS the columns state: who is in the scene (actors who enter late on separate lines below); songs (in a musical); where it is located (the church, the bedroom, etc); the general story of the scene; props (and depending on the play, sometimes I add in info from the prop list, such as who handles it, or brings it in, or what side of the stage it travels from and to); and any notes (gags and tricks, notes to yourself abt tricky overlap cues, etc). Where possible I include the entr/exit locations on this one too -

yes there is dup info, but you never know where you will catch the oddest mistakes and this acts as a crosscheck (Romeo can't come from SR into the tomb cuz yesterday you told him to run off SR to Friar Lawrence's house... that kind of thing)

does this make sense?

1228

Stage Management: Other / Re: Odd venue, close quarters and blind op's

« on: Jul 14, 2006, 01:51 am »

For environmental shows like this, you kinda don't do normal cueing - I did one where we had an elaborate stage set-up and cued it all over headsets, but we moved with the audience/with the show. For a piece like Tamara (and several of us can put you in touch w the folks who SMd that) indeed the cues were room-specific and therefore whomever the nearby tech was cued those on their own. There is no way to confirm that the folks in different parts of the house are at the same points on any given nite without actually being in the room w the actors - so lights/sounds were minimized and run from behind by ASMs who traveled w the actors and cued on their own. The SM acted more as a PSM - the life and death is mostly props and that everything is set up /cleared perfectly. Sound and lights cue were minimal.

1229

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Jul 07, 2006, 06:10 pm »

thanks - I will email you when I have had a run or two and get frustrated.....

1230

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: The SM times are a-changin'?

« on: Jul 07, 2006, 05:57 pm »

I do line notes two ways -

1) in person, quietly - general notes like " I see you're having trouble w that sequence on p. 34 - please give it an extra look and let me know if you need help running those lines outside of rehearsal, I will be happy to make the time/assign (the PA) to assist you"

2) email - I jot the line notes on my legal pad as part of my running notes for the day, and when I type up the reh report at nite, I will email the actor and let him/her know if the line is consistently wrong or feels locked.

I don't give line notes while they are in that transitional memorization stage, and once the lines are locked if it's minor (doesn't affect the meaning of the sentence, doesn't add time) - such as her character name instead of her - stuff like that. And sometimes you just have to live with it.....