Messages

1246

Employment / Opinions on Producers

« on: Apr 30, 2006, 12:01 am »

Although this is a nonAEA show or house, there must be someplace clearly written out the responsibilties of the SM - and if they need help, go to the AEA website and download from, oh, let's say the LORT contract the definition of the Stage Manager's job description.

And, if I may humbly suggest, part of standing up for yourself is, instead of saying that you suggest someone else does the laundry and explaining clearly and rationally why it makes no sense, you rather say "NO, that is not part of my job, and this needs to be done by a wardrobe person or other member of the costume dept." Period. And as a follow-up, if they want still you to do laundry, they need to compensate you appropriately for your time. Say, for example, a figure equal to the income from your day job which you will need to miss doing their extracurricular tasks.

If they can't pay you a full-time salary, they cannot expect you to work there full-time. And under any conditions, you should not be responsible for personally taking care of jobs outside your arena.

Good luck....

1247

Employment / Opinions on Producers

« on: Apr 27, 2006, 02:35 am »

and you can, with a clear conscience, say that, no, laundry is NOT your job and has never nor will ever be a an SMs responsibility. Direct the producer to the costumer since that is their pervue....

You need to decide where you draw the line and start standing up for yourself and your profession. If they want a glorified secretary, let them hire one. And if they want a stage manager, let them let you do your job. Once that happens they are usually so grateful.

Good luck. And as for them, good riddance

(rant over)

1248

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / TECH WEEK

« on: Mar 20, 2006, 03:21 am »

(and did you note the featured book on the SM network home page...? <g>)

1249

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Open Call Auditions in NEW YORK!!?!?!

« on: Mar 18, 2006, 09:11 pm »

I would strongly suggest you chat w someone there who works as an AEA monitor - it will be the form folks are used to.

Much of what was said is very valid with a few adjustments, I think.
 
Depending on your role, you may not be an observer inside the room, rather leaving the table and chairs to the auditors. Don't assume anything - AEA monitors usually are outside the room, and for SMs who monitor for their own company, it's about 50-50 inside or out.

When you are setting up, if there are mirrors try to line up the room so neither the auditors nor the auditionee is looking at him- or herself during the actual call.

Having signed in the actors in order of arrival, we gather photos (a group of 6-10 at a time) and line folks up - the actors on deck, who go into the room alone, can normally be responsible for following each other into the room as the person ahead exits. As that line gets down to 2-3 folks, you then line up the next pile behind the last person in the group before. That quick breather of you bringing in the stack of headshots every 6-10 actors allows a window where needed for a pit stop or a stretch, to relay any information or to pass along notes, among other things.

Either way, you need someone who remains outside the room to liaise with the actors waiting in the holding area. They will need chairs, water, a place to pace and to quietly run lines of vocalize or chat that doesn't get in your way, nor creates an issue for those actually inside the room.

Are you or they responsible for the basics (accompaniest, water, snacks, etc)?  

and good luck! keep a sense of humor, bring water and munchies for yourself and something to read/do in case the call is light.

1250

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Bye Bye Birdie Script!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!

« on: Mar 10, 2006, 03:12 am »

Break a leg - I've done the show (from both sides) - and no, I don't have it typed it. Too much work for a preexising script. Not interested in doing that kind of work. The published script is fine for me -

as to being sick of the show.

1. take a deep breath

2. Give yourself a break- a real one of at least an hour or two. Find something mindless to occupy yourself - easiest to think physical labor - gardening, the gym, long runs without a phone, something to get your blood moving and stop your brain to give yourself a mental break if you don't have time to take a real one. And plan time to do NOTHING scholarly (even an hour of TV or reading something silly and trashy). Believe me, all that work will be there when you return, but you will be more refreshed and able to deal.

3. find fun things to look for in every run - count the actor tics, note the in jokes, who screws up nightly, what do you and the techs sing together and what you can rewrite. how much of the show you have in your hands and no longer need to think about, etc.

4. know that we all go through shows and/or days that are phoned in, but make sure you have a level of professionalism that gets the job done well regardless. It's a job, and sometimes jobs are boring. We don't have to enjoy it, we just have to come in and make it work.

5. find something to look forward to nightly, even if it's a drink or a piece of chocolate after the show, as a reward for surviving. What do you love to do. Can you do any do any of it during the show?

6. Count off the calendar so you can see progress toward closing night. Name the weeks. Name the nights after each show. Invent awards for the cast and crew. If you have time, bring crosswords.

This is a great opportunity for you to find out what you need to do to stay sane. This is the time. You want to find this out before the first time you go out with your first long-running, 8-show-a-week production and discover, six months in and someplace a million miles from home, that you can't stand it one more night.

good luck (or, break a pencil)

1251

The Hardline / AEA information

« on: Mar 10, 2006, 02:55 am »

keep in mind, once you join you may not work Non-AEA, so make sure you have done all your community/stock/university and school learning work before you join. Remember, just cuz you are AEA doesn't mean you will automatically get work. Keep gaining experience, work as much as you can to train in practical and realistic situations - and in all aspects of tech theater, and when the time is right and you have skills to offer, the job will be there.

1252

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Tieing actors up onstage?!

« on: Mar 10, 2006, 02:52 am »

you aren't, by any chance, doing Orphans?

the actor being tied up shd have control of the inside end (and if the tie-off is out of view, both ends) - but if you are too close and no one knows how to do a proper slip knot, go to a magic shop and have them help you.

we never had any probs w this, making sure the knots were well-rehearsed outside of the action as well as in real time before we saw audience, and that control always rested w the actor being tied up

hope this helps

1253

The Green Room / SMs in media?

« on: Mar 02, 2006, 03:42 am »

legit SMs in Winter Passing, a new film -

they have two backstage scenes - and the SMs are actually doing SM work and reacting in a reasonable SM-y kinda way -

cool

1254

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Audition Forms - Legal Issues

« on: Mar 01, 2006, 01:25 am »

Under most circumstances it is illegal to ask for age in a job interview, but you can make sure folks are legal by placing a signature line for parent or guardian for anyone under 18. If someone is getting paid then somebody has their DOB - along w SSN - so the office will know, altho it shouldn't be a factor in casting unless there are questionable actions in the show. However, if you need to know who is of age (18 or 21, depending on what they're doing) and there is a legal minimum age because of certain things related to the show or to the dressing room/rehearsal situation, you are indeed entitled to ask for proof of age.

Good luck

1255

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Need Sound Help!!!!

« on: Feb 25, 2006, 01:52 am »

do you have an ME or some other electrical geek type? it will be simple for them to set up a pushbutton system either backstage or in the booth - and while we used to hardwire them, now many of the doorbell systems can be wireless and you can select the ring. I might add, it's a good thing for a theater to have a ringer board - two or three doorbells and two phone rings all on a board in the booth or backstage at the ASM/deck station, and whenever you need a ring you simply hit the appropriate button.

1256

SMNetwork Archives / Spike Tape Problems

« on: Feb 20, 2006, 09:22 pm »

you can make nice discrete sharpie marks without disfiguring the carpet - and indeed can pick a color that might not be a major prob but useful during your run - but I gotta say, I have almost never had probs w spike tape (well, REAL spike tape) on carpet other than getting it up when the show is over -

any more details? what kind of carpet, is it stage carpet or someone's real floor etc...

1257

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / what should i do?

« on: Feb 19, 2006, 10:43 pm »

what level is this show? Pro or Amateur?

Overview for a professional show: part of your job is to get the u/s up to speed - they shd have their blocking (as noted, depending on how long they've been w the show etc) but generally we rehearse for several hours prior to my call on a show nite - each contract has a specified # of hours you are allowed to call them in - and you are all the other parts, and director etc (that's one reason to be at all rehearsals and listen to the director and how he/she envisions a character or scene). For musicals I schedule time w the dance captain who teaches them the choreo, one or two sessions w the musical director if possible or accompaniment tapes when necessary, costumes are fit into the time sched as well, and ONLY if they are a lead and they have to go on do we deal w other cast members and tech. When our u/s came out of the ensemble, we had rehearsals on the midweek afternoons without matinees, took our dinner break and then ran the show.

In an amateur situation, well, do the best you can. It's your challenge to find a way to make sure they know what they need to know, and theirs to know it, do their acting homework to fit in seamlessly

I love the directing aspect of it, since I have to find a way to relay the director's vision and any other specifics in language my u/s can assimilate.

1258

SMNetwork Archives / fake cigarettes for under-age actors

« on: Jan 15, 2006, 01:48 am »

I think they found it in a joke or magic shop but a some years ago a propmaster brought in fake cigs and cigars that simply have a pre-"lit" end and glow when you appear to be smoking (as in, sucking in) but no actual matches, tobacco or any other nasties are involved - some even have some form of talcum that comes off to give the appearance of ash -

1259

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / It's Half-Hour: Do you know where your SM is?

« on: Oct 22, 2005, 10:04 pm »

yikes - I like to give the calls in person, which makes sure they heard them, and eyeballing where the actors are helps in knowing if there will be any delay from our end (let alone shows where props has last-minute placements for perishability reasons)

I don't call 5 or places until I check w FOH and get their status, so I require my crew/ASM and myself to be on headset as of 5, but before then, there is too much to do!

1260

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 02:32 pm »

and please clarify - did you work that pre-production week alongside the SM or not? ASMs often are started the same day as the actors, sometimes a half-week prior and sometimes (rarely) a full week. When did YOU actually start?