Messages

136

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager as Disciplinarian

« on: Nov 28, 2009, 09:59 pm »

I think of myself as a problem solver rather than a disciplinarian.  When mistakes happen, I always ask the people involved for their take on what happened, and why.  Often in telling me this, they will also propose a solution for avoiding the same situation in the future.  I also find that lots of thespians are like you, GalFriday; they’ll beat themselves up about a mistake more than I ever could.  I use this approach with actors, crew, and SM team.  If the people involved don’t come up with their own solution, I’ll talk them through what steps to take in the future.  I find actor personality conflicts, people who have a bad attitude, or those who are just unsuited to the work of stage management to be more frustrating and less “solvable” than concrete mistakes like forgetting to check a preset or dropping lines. 

I’m usually not in a position to take putative measures, so if the same mistakes continue to be a problem, I’d take the issue to the production manager.  With crew or SM issues, I can sometimes re-assign jobs if I really don’t trust someone to improve.  With actors, I can’t perform for them, so the best I can do is ask for their cooperation.  I mostly work on plays with a fixed end date, so in the worst situations at least I know I only have to deal with the “problem child” for a limited amount of time. 

137

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Who is organizing your promotional appearances?

« on: Nov 28, 2009, 09:12 pm »

At the theaters I’ve worked at, typically the marketing/PR person, or occasionally the production manager, communicates directly with the actors/directors/designers about promotional appearances, interviews, anything “extra curricular.”  Many times I am not in the loop about these things at all unless they effect actor availability for rehearsals, or someone will be sitting in on rehearsal related to the  promotion.  I don’t think that it is necessarily the SMs job to act as a middle man on these things, and it’s unfortunate that you need to pull teeth to get the information, but it does seem like it’s in your best interest to be proactive and do so.

If there is a special event at the theater that actors in my cast are involved in, it’s always been a separate negotiation as to whether I would be SMing the event as well as the show.  If the actors come to me with questions about the event and I’m not actually involved in it, I would refer them to the appropriate staff member, and/or let the staff person know that the actor has questions.

On the other hand, you mentioned that  the dates are in your contracts, so the theater might think it’s a given that by signing the contract  you’re agreeing to work on those events on those dates, rather than that you’re just acknowledging the fact that they are happening.  Maybe you can have a discussion with producer about what dates, such as tech, are not good for these things, and set some ground rules about providing more details ahead of time.  It may be that the theater staff mean well, but are just overworked and don’t make passing along info a priority.

138

Employment / Re: resume format

« on: Nov 15, 2009, 08:42 am »

For those of you who are union, AEA specifically, do you specify which contract different productions are under?  Or do you let the theatre speak for itself and list knowledge of contracts under "Additional Information"?

Yes, at the moment I have sections for SPT, TYA, LORT, Non-Equity, and Events.  Within those sections I have columns for show name, my position, theater company, and director (except for events which are event name/my position/venue).  If I’m applying for work under a specific type of contract, I’ll usually move that section to the top of my resume.  I don’t think I’d put the contracts under a separate Additional Information heading, I’d rather save that space for actual credits.  You can always touch on specific contract types in your cover letter and the interview. 

139

Employment / Re: Sub Calling Stage Manager

« on: Nov 12, 2009, 07:37 pm »

Yes, go ahead and include them.  If the original stage manager leaves the show, and you finish out calling through the end of the run, I’d list it as “take-over” stage manager, but the other suggestions work too.

140

Employment / Re: Post College Employment

« on: Nov 05, 2009, 08:02 pm »

You can get points through most Equity theaters in the DC area.  Some hire non-equity ASMs or PA’s for one show at a time, which would probably be a month or two.  Studio Theatre has an SM apprenticeship that you can get points through, and provides housing and a small stipend.  Woolly Mammoth has a paid, season-long resident non-equity ASM position.  I'm sure there are others around here too.  I would say also, that if you haven't already, you should give some thought to how quickly you want to accumulate EMC points.  One season at a busy theater can get you most of the way toward the points you need to join Equity, but not everyone is ready to work as an Equity SM after only a year or so as non-eq.

141

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PRE-PRODUCTION: What is your prep week style?

« on: Oct 23, 2009, 07:12 pm »

I mostly prep from home, spending time at the theater on one or two days to print documents, tape out the floor, and pull props.  Most of what I need to do involves email or generating paperwork, which I can do at home as easily as at the theater, and several theaters I work at don’t have an SM office (or it’s disfunctional in some way), so ithere isn’t a good place for me to do computer work there.   I may email projects back and forth with my ASM, or just call them for the days I plan to work at the theater, depending on the work load for the show.  I let the Production Manager know what my plans are,  and they usually don’t  care as long as I’m reachable by email/phone as needed and get my work done.   Occasionally I’ve had a show with late-breaking script changes, that sort of thing, and I’ve come in on the day before first rehearsal, even if that’s when I would technically be off.  It’s hard to estimate how many hours I spend prepping.  Probably in the 20-30 ball park.  But I also tend to start certain prep tasks several weeks before rehearsals, rather than saving everything  for prep weeks, so I figure everything balances out.  I do have a prep checklist that I adapt for every show, it reminds me about everything from paperwork templates to finding out how to adjust tempreatures in the rehearsal hall.  I usually call the actors.  If I do contact them first by email for some reason, I specifically ask them to reply to the email so I know they got it, and if I don’t get that response, I follow up by phone.     

142

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Help, I'm being sabotaged!

« on: Oct 23, 2009, 04:46 pm »

This really sounds frustrating.  I don’t know if it helps you to think she’s just incompetent, rather than out to make you look bad, since from what you’ve posted that sounds like a possibility.  I’d try to talk to my supervisor at the job.  You could frame the conversation in terms of “can we talk about the most efficient way to communicate contact information/strike needs/etc,” rather than laying blame about how she’s not doing it.   If they say that it comes through the person you’re having issues with, then you can bring up the specific examples you’ve noted to show that system isn’t working (not just for you, but others suffer too).

I’d echo NomieRae’s idea about the contact sheet; just save your own copy.  You could even cut and paste info that was missing out of her attachment and back into your original if you feel confident the info you do have is correct, and don’t want to re-proof every number and letter.

143

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Should I give it a shot?

« on: Oct 20, 2009, 07:43 pm »

Have you thought about getting some hands-on professional theater stage management experience before deciding to transfer and starting fresh?   If your college or area has any kind of theater, getting involved there might be a good way to start.  Or maybe there’s a way to to an internship during intersession or the summer.  Keep in mind too that there are plenty of people working in theater with degrees in another area.    It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

With a career in stage management, expect the same kind of lifestyle that you’d have as an actor.   Whether it’s a solid markert or not depends on how you define solid.  You need a high tolerance for change and uncertainty to be happy with this as a career.  Even if you’re an amazing SM, there’s no guarantee you’ll have year-round work, or work that pays enough to live on, just like a talented actor might go a year without being cast. There are  other threads on here with thoughts about making it to broadway, if that’s what you mean by large-scale.  But remember that success and a sense of accomplish aren’t necessarily defined by the size of your productions.    Stage Management has been my bread and butter for more than six years, but it’s not for everyone.   There are some threads here about people’s plan B, or about transitioning out of SM’ing; you should check out those too as you think this over.  Generally I'd only suggest a career in stage management to someone who really isn't happy doing anything else, because there are just way to many downsides if you don't love it. 

144

The Hardline / Re: Script rewrites

« on: Oct 18, 2009, 12:48 am »

I mean, seriously “But, in no case shall the Stage Manager’s or Assistant Stage Manager’s rehearsal and/or performance workweek exceed the hours specified in Rule 50(A) without overtime compensation.” 

The rules are so contradictory in the book.  Reading that note, anything after 50 hours would be overtime. 

But, I can’t bill for “(a) Calling, scheduling and coordinating all rehearsals, note sessions and any other calls.  (b) Communicating and coordinating with the artistic, production and Theatre Staff.  (c) Maintaining the artistic intentions of the director and the Theatre after opening to the best of his ability, which shall include giving notes and calling rehearsals when necessary.” 

I agree those LORT rules are contradictory, since those are exactly the tasks that extend the stage manager’s day.  At first I thought it was meant to give SMs an out, that we could say we couldn’t do whatever task because it would put us it into overtime.  But another part of those rules says the SM shall fulfill the responsibilities, which seems to indicate we need to get it done, no matter how long it takes.  Interesting that in SPT, the contract I’m most familiar with, there are no “duties exempt from overtime” listed, so it would seem that there the SM could run into overtime on more issues.

In any case, my read on the rules is that script tasks are NOT un-billable.  They are not specifically listed as the AEA SM's responsibility.  One might argue it falls into communicating and coordinating with the staff, but you could cover “communicating” in more simple ways than the detailed, time consuming process of script tracking lists, electronic formatting, and new pages, which is really helpful in keeping everyone on the same page in the long run.  Even the rule about the SM maintaining the production script doesn’t say you have to deal with anyone else having an updated script, as long as yours is accurate by opening (maybe even closing?)  I think you’re covered.

Whether this is a battle you want to fight is another question.  I have almost always done script changes for my productions as SM because I usually have the most current information, and care about dealing with it in an organized matter.  And I work on lots of new plays with smaller sized casts, so my pre and post rehearsal time isn't exhausting.  But on big LORT productions, I think it could quickly become an unfair extra burden to on the SM staff who already spend many more hours in the rehearsal hall than anyone else.  Dramaturgy or directorial staff could reasonably be asked to step up to the task.  If they don't , I say you have a right to bill script time as overtime.       

145

The Hardline / Re: Who makes sure the rules are followed?

« on: Oct 04, 2009, 01:19 pm »

Everyone who signs an AEA contract is responsible for making sure they themselves, and the producers, and their fellow actors, are following AEA rules.  The whole point of signing a contract is that it means we’re agreeing to play together by a standard set of rules as laid out in the rulebook, and we get specific protections/benefits through that.  The SM is usually the most familiar with the rules.    The deputy is appointed to keep a paritcuarlly sharp eye on rules for their production. 

Now, I don’t know anything about right-to-work laws.  If you actually signed something saying you’ll follow AEA rules, than it seems to me you should do so.  If you just signed a contract involving dates and times and pay, and it happens to be a production where others are under an AEA contract, I guess you’re off the hook.  But if you know an AEA person is being asked to do something against the rules, it still seems to me that pointing that out to them would be the right thing to do.   

In the examples you mentioned, I do think they SM should tell the producer, director, and actors what the rules say if it looks like they’re about to be violated.   I don’t think you have to be the police, and insist on seeing the contract riders.  But you should make sure the actors in particular understand their rights and responsibilities.  Sometimes the actor may make a conscious choice to lend a costume piece for free, as a personal favor to the designer or PM or something.  I think that makes it harder for the next actor to get fair compensation, because whoever they struck the deal with may insist most actors don’t really get paid according to the book, and there's the slippery slope to how rules become meaningless.  Letting actors make set moves without compensation would make me, personally, very uncomfortable, so I would call Equity on that one if discussions didn't work, even if the actors weren’t concerned about the violation.  Where you draw the line between informing people of rules and reporting them in some way for not following them is the tricky part where your own judgment comes in.  It’s like thinking driving over the speedlimit isn’t a big deal, but having a small child ride without a car seat is wrong.  Sure, we should follow all rules/laws, but in practice it doesn’t always happen. 

146

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Adjusting your style

« on: Oct 03, 2009, 11:26 am »

Using systems that work isn’t necessarily rigidity; it’s just smart!  When you're at the same theater, with scores of full-time staff, and your cast and SM team are the main source of turn-over, it makes sense to use the same proven methods.  Interns/apprentices may have to adjust to your style if it's not how they were taught, but they may find your ways click for them in a way others don't, so going with what's comfortable for them isn't always doing them a favor.

I find that freelancing definitely keeps me flexible, but I don’t consciously change my style, since in my mind style is mostly about personality.  An example of style might be that I never yell at actors, I try to keep things positive, even when telling them things they don’t want to hear.  My priorities do change though, to meet the expectations of the theater or director.  How soon we use props, or take line notes, or tell actors they’re blocking is off, are based on the director.  Who communicates crew call times, leads production meetings, or schedules the design run, can vary by theater.   

The ways I use my team, beyond the basics of coffee making, sharp pencils, and copies, is based on the strengths of the people involved.  Some people just aren't as good at pre-sets or handling script changes.  But I do expect that if I give someone a project, it will be done unless they tell me otherwise.  I expect them to ask me questions if they don’t understand, rather than just moving forward blindly.  And there are probably a dozen little things I'll ask of my team, couched in phrases like “just humor me..,” or “I’ll sleep better if…” or “this sounds crazy, but please”  that I’ve learned through experience just work better a certain way.

147

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Being Assertive

« on: Sep 06, 2009, 12:46 am »

I know it’s easier said than done, but keep in mind that it doesn’t really matter what she thinks of you.    Keep the positive opinions of people you respect in mind when you approach her.  As maximillionx pointed out, you don’t even know that she thinks you’re a moron.  You could try to imagine a more positive backstory, like assuming  her intimidating tone is just her getting into character.  As stage managers, we often interact with people in high stress/high emotion situations.  I generally assume negative vibes are not about me personally, but about the situation.   

It may  help to give a reason in your interactions with this actor, and speak to her privately rather than in front of the group when possible.  Your original examples sounded like things you might have called out across the room.  Maybe you could have walked over to Lena and said something like “We’ve noticed that noise carries into the theater from here, and the director has asked us to keep our voices down.”  Many times I’ve had actors respond better to that approach because they don’t feel like they’re being yelled at.    Then you also don’t have to worry that she might “talk back” to you in front of the group, and it makes staying quiet  not about your needs, but about the director, whose good side she probably wants to stay on.  Good luck!

148

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Require cast to have an email?

« on: Sep 05, 2009, 11:54 pm »

I agree that you can not require an actor to have an email address.  And even if you could do that, you couldn’t require them to pay for internet service at home, or to actually check their email daily.  A rehearsal hotline is a great alternative option.  I delegate recording the hotline to an assistant.  If you have an ASM, maybe one of their jobs could be to keep an eye on your all-cast emails and call the email-less actor with the message.

149

Tools of the Trade / Re: Creating unnumbered pages in a numbered script - Help!

« on: Aug 02, 2009, 12:31 pm »

Another option would be putting each lettered page into a separate document.  So you’d have “16A as of 8-2-09” or something like that as the file name, and could easily make the page number and text whatever you want it to be.  You can then still email the script, just with the extra page as another attachment.  You could even put a note on the original p.16 saying “see p.16A insert before going to p17”.  While it’s nice to have just one electronic document that’s fully up to date, I usually end up doing this, especially with new plays, because I don’t have the time to spend on getting the pagination right otherwise. 

150

The Hardline / Re: Half Hour Call

« on: Apr 14, 2009, 10:26 pm »

Where is the rule that says the SM has to give calls (ie.1/2 hour, 15min, 10min, 5min places). I have always assumed this was just a courtesy, but i was told by a deputy when i missed the 10min call that I had to hold curtain.

I don't think there are official rules about announcing the time.  Some SMs regularly skip 10 and only announce 15 & 5, and the time of the places call varies (I think there are posts about the places call elsewhere).  If the actor fell behind in their personal pre-show routine, because they normally do something at the ten minute call and didn't because it wasn't made, I could see it being reasonable/necessary to hold for them to get ready. 

I tried to find something in the book to support me but I couldn't even find a rule requiring an actor to be in the space 30mins prior to curtain. I found rules that reference 1/2 hour but that is it.

In the SPT book, I think what you're looking for is under Duties of the Actor, rule 21(B)(2) says the actor shall "appear at the theater no later than one half-hour prior to the performance."