Messages

1351

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 20, 2010, 12:37 pm »

I also think there, thinking over this thread I started, I am much better at being friends one on one with other stage managers when we have more in common then just being a stage manager.

1352

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 19, 2010, 07:07 pm »

No, I have found this attitude across the board in very different locations . . . but I have to admit, in the cases I am thinking about right know as I type were very ALPHA MALE situations (and one case ALPHA GAY MALE situation).  Yes, in DC (but never with you Rebbe :-) ), yes in NYC, yes in the LA and the Bay Area . . . but again, sort of stripping it down, it was less one on one, and more large groups - and never in a work situation.  Interesting, huh?  But could just be my experience - I bring out the worse in groups of stage managers?

1353

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 19, 2010, 06:18 pm »

I did go a "stage manager party" once to try to meet more SMs and I didn't like the vibe...but I was also recovering from the flu at the time, so I'd be willing to give it a go again.

There is often a very cold, vicious, -deleted- attitude when there is a whole flock of us together.  I find meeting one on one with another Stage Manager is often better.  But even then, there is a lot of name dropping, project hyping, breast beating going on.

It's just interesting to note - as I now live in a city with a HELL OF A LOT of stage managers.

(Edit for language ~Tempest)

1354

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 17, 2010, 01:43 pm »

I should also mentioned I was once married to stage manager as well - and we have the benefit of job sharing right around the time we were about to have a baby, and the year following . . . .but Marriage to another SM is a whole other thread . . .

1355

The Green Room / Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 17, 2010, 12:05 am »

So, whats you get outside of school, there are a lot of reasons one doesn't hang out with other stage managers . . .

early in your career you will often be a team of one.
your hours will prohibit you from having much of social life in general.
you may be geographically separated from the friends you made with other stage managers.

but, I was wondering for those who have been able to maintain friendships with other stage managers, how do you deal with?  with the competition, the jealousy, the career envy, etc.

Just interested if people have some insight into that.

1356

The Green Room / Re: Best one-liner from a performance report

« on: Jul 16, 2010, 11:37 pm »

A long note . . . but from tonight's report . . .

Standing Ovation and screams of delight – it was like a Hannah Montana concert audience out there at curtain call (or what I imagine a Hannah Montana audience to be like – I just want it to be known – I have never been to a Hannah Montana concert in my life – I have watched the TV show on occasion, but really only to see what all the hubbub is about.  I did, though, once have lunch at a restaurant across the street from a concert venue right after a Hannah Montana concert – so I think I have a pretty good idea what the audience would be like.  Truth be known, I have never been to a non-classical music concert in my life. Truly.  And there, my friends, is a little insight into my life.)

1357

The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: Jul 16, 2010, 11:34 pm »

And on my end last night I learned that Blockheads at New World Plaza closes at 11:00 on weekdays 

BLOCKHEADS is right above my theatre . . . what were you doing in my neck of the woods.  Maybe it's time for SMNetwork NYC Gathering?

1358

The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: Jul 16, 2010, 07:42 pm »

$1.00 slice of pizza is an amazing thing.

1359

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Accidentally Set Off Building Alarm: What would you do?

« on: Jul 14, 2010, 11:30 pm »

Hey, having been on the other end of this . . . six years of getting phone calls after every alarm went off . . . let me tell you, it happens.  We expect it to happen.  In reality, someone should have been more angry that the alarm was set and a door wasn't lock.

I also have a great story, in which a artistic director set off the alarm, and I watched him scoot out of the building yelling at me that the alarm was about to go off.  I waited three counts, watched him drive away, as the alarm went off.  Now, we had both police and fire department respond, and by the time I could run across the parking lot and turn it off, people were already on the way.  I greeted the firemen (why is there always one really hot fireman in any group of fireman - - - but i digress), and explained to them that this was probably a false alarm . . . they said they had to check it out anyway, and then I began to smell smoke - what are the chances that my artistic director would set off the alarm and then a fire would start.  I said, "Wait, I do smell smoke now."  They all laughed, and pointed at their clothes.  "We always smell of smoke."   I was very embarrassed. 

1360

Employment / Re: CAREER GROWTH: Taking control of your career

« on: Jul 10, 2010, 06:27 pm »

Interesting that networking keeps coming up . . . I feel, in reality, networking, even if you are aggressive about it - is a pretty passive way to take control of your career - it seems to me to be more about getting your name out there and waiting for someone to activate something your way.  To me, networking is about getting jobs, making a choice for a career is much more active.

I think it's a smart move in everyone's career to only take jobs that pay a living wage (I wish we all held to this belief . . . it might end those $300 run of the show contracts) . . . but there will be times when it may be in the best interest of your career to take something that pays a little less to open up new doors.  I took about a 10% pay cut to take my show in New York City, but it got me working in the city, on a pretty popular show, gives me a steady income while I work with a Broadway GM, make connections, "network", and sort of wrap my head around what I want to do next. 

Also, on the personal front it has allowed me to flex the muscles of maintaining a show in the long term - something that is not really a major issue in most regional theater.  We just hit 100 performances this afternoon - very few regional theatres get to 50 performances, let alone 100.  I wanted to prove to myself that a) I could still do this (I did 2 long running shows earlier in my career) and b) if I still found it interesting (especially in a market where the best paying gigs are on long running shows, you need to be able to find an interest in maintaining the show and where your skills lie in that situation - if you are going to market yourself there.)  It was also interesting to “take over” a show – and everything that is involved in that.

In my two months here . . . I have learned quite a bit about myself - what I miss about being in the regional theater model, what I don't miss, what I like about being in the commercial theatre world, what I don’t like, and some of the major frustrations of being a freelance stage manager who wants to stay in NYC and in the commercial theatre world. I wish, for myself, that what I learned made the next choice clear, but in reality, it has made it very difficult – in that I love and hate things in both worlds, and the reality of the situation is I think I could be happy in either, but always doing the grass is greener thing.  Sigh.   

One of the biggest things I find myself facing is “what type of stage manager” do I want to be – do I jump from one show to another?  Do I show loyalty to a show and the direction?  Do I show loyalty to a General Manager?  Do I just look out for myself?  These are all things that sort of reflect on me – and word gets around pretty quickly about what time of SM you are.  (To this day, the two contracts I bailed on . . . for very legitimate reasons – still haunt my mind, and I think may have hurt my early career.)

But, I do want a career filled with fresh challenges, that will continue to make me grow – which is why I want to take control of my career and be able to steer in the direction that I feel can make me the greatest success I can be.

 

1361

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: TECHNOLOGY: Anyone else using Google Sites?

« on: Jul 09, 2010, 07:42 pm »

Unfortunately it wasn't as successful on the cast's end. For the first half of rehearsals I only did the online callboard, which after it was updated would send an email to cast members. But several of them, even after reminding them twice to subscribe to site changes, did not subscribe; and after one time when they didn't get the callboard updates, I switched to personally emailing the callboard. I didn't want to take a chance of another missed rehearsal when we had just a month to rehearse. Every rehearsal was precious! Another problem I had was syncing Google Calendar with Sites; even when I had given an actor permission to view the calendar, Sites would say they weren't authorized to view it. The only solution I found was to make the calendar public rather than private. From the feedback I received I believe if this problem hadn't occured so early on and for so long the actors would have used Sites more.

In the end, setting up a mailing list to push out e-mail of daily call and/or reports is nill cost and nill work load issue.  And, again, PUSHING information is always better then making someone come to it.

1362

Tools of the Trade / Re: Paperless World

« on: Jul 08, 2010, 07:02 pm »

Just be careful that these new additional duties and maintaining this new technology doesn't get in the way of your stage management duties . . . I found even maintaining a simple wiki site was problematic . . . for example, when i left my theatre, it took months to get it transferred and taken over.  Also, you don't want to be the only person who can solve document problems when you are in the middle of tech.

1363

Employment / Re: CAREER GROWTH: Taking control of your career

« on: Jul 07, 2010, 07:42 pm »

Yes, lobtmc, that is the main thrust behind behind this conversation.  But, part of what you need to do before you make the move is figure out where you want your career to go - so SMrose really brings up the conversation to have BEFORE the one I am proposing now.

Really, I am talking about the career choices when you are past the "I just need a job", to make your next job choice with the bigger career choice in mind.  Granted, continued employment is part of that, but there comes a point where you have to say "the next job is not the job that is going to take me to the next point in my career".  And how do you know it's time to shake up you career?  When does a series of jobs not make a career?

1364

Tools of the Trade / Re: Paperless World

« on: Jul 07, 2010, 01:59 pm »

To answer the bigger question, you and your company might be on the edge of needing to hire a specific IT person (maybe not full time) to set up a system and network that will fit your needs and growth possibilities. 

1365

Employment / Re: CAREER GROWTH: Taking control of your career

« on: Jul 07, 2010, 01:38 pm »

Being open to what the universe brings you is great, but the real question is how do you take control of the career?  How can you make the opportunities happen?  How can you shake up your career and take it to the next level? 

And finding the balance between a personal life and a professional life is a whole other thread . . . but I can say often when my career seems to be in shambles, my personal life is most happy and the other way around.  Ironic, huh?