Messages

1231

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Working with nudity

« on: Jul 05, 2006, 11:25 pm »

I had an interesting job once, for one of those naked-boy plays; they had the actors disrobe for the c/b. The director told me he was required to have an AEA SM present for any situation involving actors disrobing (I guess it's like the nurse who stays in the room w the male doctor/female patient routine). And he wanted cross gender just to make sure they weren't nervous undressing in front of women. So I spent the day watching men read and disrobe. Suffice it to say, it was somewhat surreal...

1232

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Jul 05, 2006, 11:18 pm »

(and what he dinna wear unnerneath tha'.....)


ok back on topic....

I grabbed one of the microsoft office free sites and am poking around trying to learn what to do to build the damn thing - many impressive websites later, I am thoroughly intimidated, but not giving up yet.

1233

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Jul 04, 2006, 02:02 am »

(and VSM - come on back in!)

1234

SMNetwork Archives / Re: The new SMnetwork

« on: Jun 21, 2006, 01:30 am »

Thank you - it looks great, and I love that if my computer crashes or I open the comments and holy cow there are too many for one sitting, I can come back and finish - you are amazing!

great work and kudos for a job well done - and deeply appreciated by all of us!

1235

SMNetwork Archives / Re: The new SMnetwork

« on: Jun 18, 2006, 03:53 pm »

Thank you - (and where do I find "simplicity"?)

this is terrific - great work and kudos again!

1236

Stage Management: Other / Re: Event management

« on: Jun 18, 2006, 03:51 pm »

I used to do events and conventions all the time - figure out how much of this is actually your problem - are you PSMing the entire event or only responsible for the part that takes place on the stage (the entertainment and announcements and so forth) - if so, is it multimedia or straightforward, how much transition between acts. Start that at $500/day for a relatively straight-forward event and add increments for complications. If you are acting as event planner and dealing with everything, that's a whole other ball of wax - those get a flat fee for the event and you shd call some event planners to get a feel for what they make, often several thousand dollars for the day. That includes hiring staff and coordinating all the pieces.

1237

SMNetwork Archives / Re: The new SMnetwork

« on: Jun 18, 2006, 05:03 am »

Wow - looks great, congrats! It will be fun to explore and see all the nooks and crannies

assume it'll still be another day or so before we can call up "unread posts" -

thank you - good work!

1238

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Creating a call script

« on: Jun 02, 2006, 05:22 pm »

I agree w VSM and always make a clean calling script as soon as we open (that's my Monday off tradition). And I use paper and pencil.

I don't understand calling from the computer - that would be too much general light in the booth for me to see the stage for some darker entrances/exits. At least I think so - maybe I am imagining something different than you mean by calling from computer? Do you mean you set up your laptop and read down the script from there?

1239

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Plots

« on: Jun 02, 2006, 05:19 pm »

I always start a rough prop list, based on what is physically mentioned in the script - and do a second read for wardrobe quick changes and any gags or tricks AND SOUNDS we need to prepare (I have known sets or lights or costumes to miss these and make sure they are asked abt in production meetings - but if they have plans for it, I leave it alone until I determine the crew or actors need to deal with it).  

Often, this will all change when we start rehearsal and see what reality is in THIS production, but it does allow for things like tracking props and exits/entrances right off the bat.

Lights gets a rough layout prior to the paper tech, based on what I've seen in rehearsal, so if the LD hasn't seen the show or I am meeting w them sans director it's thought out. Of course, I always defer to the LD and director. But that list, again, comes FROM that dept. and I adapt it to my script.

Similarly, Costumes hands me a plot when it's done. Sets too, gives a groundplan so I can tape the rehearsal floor and make sure we have stand-ins for the set pieces/furniture. FYI, you want to be in regular communication w all depts so they all know when the direction affects their concepts.

make sense?

1240

Students and Novice Stage Managers / computerized paperwork

« on: Jun 01, 2006, 11:04 pm »

I've said all this before, but so often in the small regional theaters where I work, folks use their own or older office computers and only have word - they can't open excel (and don't want to add it to their older computers) - so I use word as much as possible. I find it just as easy to do - each has it's places where it's easier or harder to use, but everyone seems to be able to open a word doc while I have had frustrated designers and crew who don't have/can't open excel.

1241

SMNetwork Archives / No, really they said this..

« on: May 29, 2006, 03:05 pm »

Interesting conundrum, tho - because recently (as a voter for our local awards) I have seen some really mediocre-to-bad shows along with the good ones, including bad writing, bad acting and bad direction - also seen mediocre shows saved and great shows turned into travesties and overheard audience members assume all musicals or Shakespeare or whatever are like this so they needn't ever come back to live theater. As far as I am concerned, anything that takes the audience on a journey, with committed actors doing their best work, decent writing (and music where appropriate) and clean technical  aspects, needs to be celebrated.

I, too, grew up going to the theater and love those that makes me think as much as those that make me smile, but I think we as stage managers (and some other theater professionals) can better separate what works from what doesn't - the acting from the writing from the direction from the props/costumes/lights etc - than many theater-goers; even some of my actor and writer friends don't see beyond the "it was a nice song" syndrome.

1242

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Audition

« on: May 18, 2006, 03:27 pm »

Formal AEA principal calls allot 20 minutes per 6 people - or approx 3 minutes a person w a 2-minute window for pee breaks and chatting IF the auditors choose to chat - and a full hour to an hour and a half for meal breaks in the middle (because the auditors are sure to cheat on both sides, either ending the pre-lunch call or getting stuck wherever they went to eat)

1243

College and Graduate Studies / Theatre program disbanded in a matter of minutes

« on: May 12, 2006, 04:02 am »

sorry abt the incredibly messed-up circumstances and correllary last-minute nature of your predicament, and don't mean to sound heartless, but this topic has been hashed and rehashed more than twice and a little scouting around the site will reward you with several lengthy discussions with answers to all your questions

1244

Employment / how long do you wait for a response?

« on: May 11, 2006, 01:15 pm »

Much as we all would love a response to every interview, keep in mind that for most jobs (and esp in our industry), they only talk to you if you get to the next step and/or are offered the job. It happens on the actor side all the time. And those few seconds suggested to respond is only true if there are a handful of applicants. If even half the people on this list alone (not including the 1000s of SMs out there who aren't members) each sent out 200 resumes, think of the time they need to respond with upwards of 200 emails, which takes more than a few seconds whether you are typing in email address to a single letter or even if all you do is cut and paste as you go. Who has that kind of time to take away from their job? We all react as if we were the only ones being screened and as if they have nothing else to do.

PLUS who wants to be the one to say "sorry" - most folks are chickens and telling someone they weren't chosen is damn hard.

I know that the Welk in So Cal sends a group email to all the auditioners they call back, but they enter everyon'e email cuz they use it to bulk out their mailing lists which, well....suffice it to say that I get tired of being added to email and mailing lists.....

Point being, keep in mind their perspective - and the practicalities of these things.

1245

SMNetwork Archives / Calendar Programs?

« on: May 05, 2006, 05:25 pm »

Members of the cast can also publish their calendars, and send me the URL, then when I am doing scheduling, if I need to schedule a rehearsal for "Jack","Sam","Joe" and "Francis", I can tick the boxes next to their names on the calendar pane and find a free spot in all their schedules, and create the rehearsal.

THIS is what I have been trying to locate and learn how to do - I have been trying to tell folks that this is what I need, and have been searching in places like bookkeeping bill-scheduling programs cuz I love this function but am too much of a luddite to clearly express and find this it but.....HERE IT IS!

(I may email you offline once I set it up to get a quick tutorial)

Thanks!