Messages

1276

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Outdoor Shakespeare

« on: Jul 08, 2005, 07:30 pm »

It's paper, so it doesn't really matter what you plan or how heavy the weight - unless she physically sticks it TO or UNDER something it has a chance to blow away. I would encourage her to step on as much of it as possible during the scene (dropping a minimal number of large tears in as small an area as possible) or collect the pieces and put them under a rock or other weight - and plan on losing scraps on a regular basis.

1277

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Sign Language

« on: Jun 28, 2005, 08:13 pm »

MarcieA - PM me with specific qqs and info on where you are - I work in sign language theatre

1278

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / What do you do with a fidgety assistant?

« on: Jun 26, 2005, 10:19 pm »

It is so much harder to be quiet in a situation like that - wow, good luck! We all need our fidget place to survive!

A few thoughts: first of all, perhaps that ASM is overcaffeinated - she shd make a point of avoiding anything to eat or drink with caffeine for the duration. And she needs to make sure she stays out of the director's eyeline as much as possible.

But this is also a great opportunity for her to find that stillness place inside - because she is gonna need to find the discipline to stand still and hold it in backstage for the sake of the actors once the show opens too. Yoga maybe? Breathing exercises? Even just clenching and releasing to get her muscles to let go and help her learn to just sit still...?

It's a real challenge (and believe me, I know!) but it can be done - but it takes work and constant awareness.

And good luck with tech, when you will all be chattering on headset! (yikes!) - at least when the director moves on and it's your show, you will be able to shift around without getting smacked!

1279

The Hardline / candid rehearsal snapshots?

« on: Jun 24, 2005, 01:10 am »

I agree w Matthew - it used to be only non-pros that did this but w the rampant presence of camera phones this is happening more and more, so I always tell the shooters (I hesitate to call them photographers) to wait a day so I can run it by the whole cast - will do a secret ballot if I think anyone feels itchy about it - and otherwise suggest shots during the production shots.

If anyone gripes, you can point out that it is illegal without specific permission  - after all, we make that announcement prior to every show abt no pix, tapes or videos for the same ruling.

1280

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Backstage or Booth?

« on: Jun 22, 2005, 11:05 pm »

I make sure that I have someone else to run so I can babysit

Oh yikes no - that is when I demand someone ELSE to take care of the kids or help with large casts, because my job is NOT to babysit but to be on top of everything so if anything happens I can take care of it - I would never give away being in charge of how the show was running or when to hold a cue or deal with an emergency or what to put in the rehearsal and performance nightly notes. It's my JOB to be a control freak - to be the proverbial captain of the ship.

1281

SMNetwork Archives / Software that needs to exist!

« on: May 20, 2005, 11:53 am »

to do computerized blocking, you'd have to invent something that worked w a sylus , a plot sketch and a labelled icon for each performer so at least you cd trace patterns.

if someone wants to invent it, I'll be happy to test drive....

1282

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Sound Manipulation

« on: May 17, 2005, 11:23 pm »

same qqs -

if you are talking distortion, there are those wierd Hallowe'en skull mics that alter the voice with compression and overtones and the like - but those tie to corded mics

And you can simply feed something thru a speaker with a difference balance or type of effect -

but the main qq is, what exactly are you looking to do?

1283

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Gunmaster -- any experience?

« on: May 13, 2005, 01:25 am »

my bad - but still, stupid director, stupid gunmaster, and oh my talk abt a lesson for the actor!

When we were doing Oliver, we got the gun at dress reh and the director wanted me to give it to the Bill Sykes to use at that reh, even tho he hadn't touched it, no one had heard it fired, etc. I was the ASM and had joined the company at tech (this being one of those 99-seat shows where they hadn't realized they would need someone on deck to deal with all this). Well, I know we are all about saying "yes," but I refused the director and told him that I wouldn't allow the gun onstage until everyone who handled it had had a chance to handle it, a rehearsal and a gun safety check, outside of the run and with no time and space pressure.

1284

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Gunmaster -- any experience?

« on: May 12, 2005, 01:32 pm »

That idiot who fired the actor because they wouldn't do a suicide gun-to-the-temple should be thanking his lucky stars that hearing loss was ALL the actor who replaced suffered. People have died from being stupid about guns loaded with blanks.

Sigh

That director needs a lesson in reality, and theater - and the difference!

1285

SMNetwork Archives / Emergency Forms

« on: May 05, 2005, 02:40 pm »

I do basically the same thing, a 1-page emergency info document that everyone fills out w home address and phone, their pertinent medical history and any insurance info, and emergency contact. This also allows me to do the final contact sheet in the first week of rehearsal, saving a ton of time at the end when I am just plain ol' NOT IN THE MOOD.

I add one line at the bottom of the page for birthday, so I can set up a calendar for the run and we can get cards and whatever to help celebrate. Esp on long runs, excuses for events are much needed!

1286

The Hardline / AEA or IA?

« on: Apr 14, 2005, 02:32 pm »

scoot - First off, were we IA, I have no doubt that coming in at or just before tech would be regular practice. That's when the regular IA crew comes on - tech. The produceres can't afford them sooner. The only other viable option for SMs is to be hired out independently, unattached to a union and its protections (like our LDs, SDs etc), and flat fee'd for the run of a show. And again, here, I don't see them bringing in an SM sooner than absolutely necessary due to cost.  WE know the difference when a good SM is part of the rehearsal process, but so many producers don't.

In terms of the value of being members of IA, I also completely disagree. I have been in and out of IA houses on tour and work with a semi-regular crew for a monthly event here in LA - and the experience is so varied from house to house it's scary. When I walk into an IA house, I am stuck w who is assigned - that person isn't there for the artistry, the show or to think (let alone critical and independent thinking). That person is there for the paycheck. Period. Sometimes that person is good and knows what they're doing, and sometimes they aren't. But there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

Mind you, I have the occasional lovely and wonderful crew, and have a couple of IA folks I treasure (including two on my regular crew here), but I have also had troubles. I have had to deal w IA crew members on drugs, not taking vital initiative in potentially dangerous situations, not knowing how to set and clear props, walking under moving flies etc. In one case, the SR Carp didn't want to be there and managed (on the 5th nite) to get himself hit in the head w an incoming pipe. Were we able to trade him before this for someone who knew what he was doing? No. Did IA have an arrangement to cover while he sat with an ice pack on his head or when he left to go home? No. I did his shifts. Because it had to be done, and there was no one else to do it, and my union allows me to do what I have to so the show can go on. I've seen bored IA crew members pull pranks and that disrupted performers on stage let alone SMs backstage. DId I have recourse? No. On one tour, the crews hated the PSM; he was calling from the deck, and in three of the houses the carps managed to run over his feet with every wagon shift. (FWIW when I called the show, no toes were endangered.) I had a local sound crew, someone I otherwise respect, get pissed because of one (granted stupid) woman's attitude and simply "forget" to set up her stuff correctly so her performance was sabotaged.  We don't/won't do that.

Not counting that using IA costs more ot the producers.

As an SM, I consider myself part of the artistic team, being what someone once said is called "the fifth actor." What I/we do takes skill, training, and artistry. I need to know how to breathe with my actors to call cues, to direct (both keeping the show in line and training the u/s), how to tell my various teams what problems to fix and be able to talk someone thru them on the fly if we are mid-show when a personnel or costume or light or set emergency comes up (or at least know how to talk someone thru options). The show must go on. That isn't possible w IA.

Yes there are things to be fixed. That's why I got active in AEA - to take responsiblity for and control over my career. But I also know from experience that my union supports and protects me, and I can instigate change as needed by speaking up. Again, this isn't so in IA. There is too much more to change in IA than in AEA to have it be a good fit.

1287

The Hardline / AEA or IA?

« on: Apr 11, 2005, 01:59 pm »

FWIW, I know we fight for assistants - whether ASMs or PAs assigned to the SM - at every turn. It's the producers we have to convince - because AEA members already know -

1288

The Hardline / AEA or IA?

« on: Apr 11, 2005, 01:52 pm »

isha - yes, in LA we have a subgroup of theaters that are 99-seat or smaller (or are only allowed to sell up to 99-seats when larger). A Code has been developed to allow producers to use union perfomers and stage managers without a contract for many reasons, including because the venue is too small to realize a profit. It has a mixed rep, as many actors who want to be seen by TV/Film casting directors work in this world (which is nicknamed 99-cent theater), but I also have worked shows that wouldn't be done under other circumstances - such as large casts, originals going through growing pains, experimental/abstract theater - and "other" categories such as sign language productions. The SMs often end up doing much more and without an assistant, often running at least one of the boards, shopping for props, etc - but the actors and directors appreciate a good SM. On the flip, rehearsals go on for weeks, far past expectation, and there aren't as many safeguards and protections in place. So I ask for more money. But it can be rewarding, fun and lead to good things - reallyl.

1289

The Hardline / AEA or IA?

« on: Apr 10, 2005, 06:46 pm »

isha - that happens with some frequency in local 99-seat code theater - producers bring in the SM a little before tech week and we cram the show from there....

Back to the topic - Granted, I've worked w a handful of old-time actors who disagree, but along with the majority of my casts, I believe we  belong in AEA. And not just because of the rare and decreasing role of ASM-u/s. This gets reinforced every time I work w a SM who comes from the production side or struggle to get things done with an IA crew.

I laugh every time I remember my first experience with professional NY stage managers, whose T-shirts after opening read "God", "Asst to God" etc. But it's the truth - we have so much responsiblity. We all know that part of our job is to protect the show and the actors, to keep an eye on the safe and sanitary, and to keep the peace. We are the pin not just between the artistic and technical components, nor just between actors and the producers. If we were with IA, given the time requirements and the overtime they take for granted, we would never get our work done - or be owed even more OT than we are now. The flexibility we take for granted in AEA doesn't exist. And it seems obvious to me that because producers have the money, the power and the ability to hire and fire, if we were on their team there would be no safeguards or safeties for the rest. As SMs, we need to be able to deal with the reality of the each situation, cast and show. We need to be able to walk down the middle, to find the creative, fair and impartial options, to see past the issues of money and temperament.

Perhaps the fit with AEA isn't perfect - but it is much better than with IA or producers.  It's what makes us one team, all equals working together for a common goal - which is very different than in TV or film where every group is their own separate camp and rarely considered equal partners. I love that we are all on the same side as our actors -  jointly aiming for the best possible result while dealing humanely and humanistically with each other as fellow artists.

For those who don't know we are part of AEA, I delight in waking them up. And, BTW, my union - at least in the western region - greatly respects our input as SMs and makes sure we weigh in wherever possible, even issues that are not SM-specific. Committees ARE valuable, things DO get done - and our opinions are greatly valued because we look at the whole rather than the pieces. I personally have seen things I've suggested go into the rule books, become part of our union's mode of operation or be considered in a given producer's current and future contracts.  Each of us makes a difference just by getting involved. After years of complaints and thinking nothing of blaming AEA for things, I got involved in my union when I was both deputy for and ASMing a high-maintenance-star's project, and I learned how much difference each one of us can make by sharing our experience and suggesting solutions. Really. Join a committee and find out!

1290

SMNetwork Archives / on the other end of the headset spectrum

« on: Apr 04, 2005, 12:49 pm »

I have worked in a theater that consistently has headset problems, and we worked out a system where if they go out (as in, they can hear me but I can't hear them) we have been able to use the nasty sound that accompanies the click as acknowledgement - a single for all ok, multiples for holy-crap -problems. And the advent of cellphones has given us some interesting options - where producers have negotiated either none or the wrong kind of headsets/walkies, we end up phoning each other (on vibrate) for calls and info. Weird.