Messages

16

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Recourse when actor leaves show?

« on: May 12, 2012, 10:40 am »

Sounds like you are really invested in the success of the company and it's important to you that it succeed. My first question is why did the actor leave? I think figuring that out is important in deciding what to do next.  You need happy, committed actors to have a strong company,and need to uncover the barriers to that before putting a lot of energy into retaliation.

17

Tools of the Trade / Re: Running sound cues in rehearsal

« on: Apr 07, 2012, 01:31 pm »

The expectation I’ve experienced has still been just to be able to play the CD or sound files provided by the designer.  If there are lots of them, I may assign them to an ASM to run, but often it works better for me to run those ques in rehearsals so the ASMs can run their prop/set tracks.  Even though I have a background in radio I have not been asked to edit, nor felt the urge to do so to speed up the process.  I’ve been in a couple rehearsal processes where the sound was so essential the designer sat in on many rehearals to work with us, I wonder if that will become more common.

A key here is that the sound designer is being paid to bring their sound sensibility, creativity, and talent to the production, and basically be on equal footing with the director in doing that.  When the SM does a sound edit that is exactly what the director wants, it may not be the best the show can get for sound for that moment, because the designer isn’t there to add their magic to it.  Their magic might not be exactly what the director thinks they want to hear, but often it turns out to be better.  That’s why we need sound designers; they push, experiment, and negotiate the aural feel of the production, and that isn’t exactly the director’s job or talent.   With the rehearsal props example, we may alter it as best we can for rehearsals, but that tends to be with the understanding that the prop or set design staff will polish it later or make the real thing better.  If everyone can get on the same page that sound will also be improved incrementally in rehearsal by the SM and replaced by a finished product during the tech process, maybe it all works out.  But with sound being so much less tangible than other elements, I think it is easy to get used to what is thrown together by the SM and director, and lose the full value of the sound designer’s input.  I’m not sure we’d have this conversation about lights, ex:  if the rehearsal space has them available and the SM knows how to program a board, why can’t the SM build light cues as we rehearse. 

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Teaching someone to call the show

« on: Apr 04, 2012, 09:34 pm »

I’ve taken over as new-to-the-show and as ASM, I’ve also handed shows over to other SMs.  The biggest benefit with being an ASM is that I knew the names and faces involved, even the nick-names we gave to the props or set pieces.  That lessens the learning curve needed to translate the note in the book to what I see on the stage and vice-versa.  In either scenario, I’ve usually done it where both the outgoing and incoming SM are on headset together in the booth.  That way the new person can call as much as they are comfortable with, and get help as needed.  If they shadow for a 5-show weekend, they’d probably watch Friday night and ask questions during the run, call at least part of the show by Saturday night, and by Sunday night be calling uninterrupted with the opportunity to ask questions/get notes after the show.  Doing a dry tech of tough sequences can definitely help.  I may have even had times when we’ve gotten the actors to walk through a transition with us for training purposes.  Understudy rehearsals and fight calls may also provide opportunities to get an extra look at parts of the show.

19

Employment / Re: Career Goals

« on: Apr 01, 2012, 10:11 pm »

I’m more into ideas and aspirations than long-term career goals.  I feel like the future is such a moving target…every time I have thought I have a career goal I’m working toward, the dynamics change, as does what I’m aiming for.  I do find some satisfaction in achieving shorter-term goals that play out with 3 months to a year.     

20

The Green Room / Re: A Sticky Wicket

« on: Mar 22, 2012, 02:12 pm »

I wonder how it was known that he was “trolling for sex partners on the internet,” and would the host’s attitude about him have been different if he was simply meeting people or had a steady partner he was bringing over.  That may not be relevant to what you do or don’t do, but it’s a thought I had. 

One idea I have is to talk with whoever arranges housing for the company, and ask about whether there is any kind of agreement in writing between the theater, singer, and host regarding the housing.  Perhaps they could add a clause that overnight guests are not permitted when staying in a person’s home for the show, perhaps along with other guidelines, which would clarify expectations for everyone.  You wouldn’t have to mention the specific actor at all.  At most you could say you’ve encountered situations on previous shows where such an agreement might have been helpful.

21

The Green Room / Re: What's next?

« on: Mar 22, 2012, 11:29 am »

I'm pretty much post-stage-management now, and training to be a therapist.  No...really...I just can't stay away from "crazy" people :-).  More seriously, I got into theater partly because I feel it does something positive for the world, so I want my next thing to be in line with that. 

There are some related thoughts in this thread: 
http://smnetwork.org/forum/employment/civilian-jobs/msg38223/#msg38223

22

The Green Room / Re: When is it abuse?

« on: Mar 22, 2012, 11:18 am »

I’d agree with what’s been said about feeling abused and it being a personal attack.  I’d add that in my opinion abuse has to do with a power imbalance, where the person doing the yelling or criticizing has significantly more power or perceived power than whomever is on the receiving end.  In a work setting there are laws and policies intended to protect us from victimization.  If your gut tells you someone is crossing a line, you should look to those laws and policies for protection.  Deciding whether you need to do that is a personal, situation-specific decision.  I think young stage managers can be ripe for abuse.  Talk to your support system of friends, family, and trusted colleagues to figure out whether you should take steps beyond just talking to the person to clear the air.  If you find yourself in a pattern of feeling abused in production after production, it’s a good idea to get some professional help from a therapist to sort out your feelings and figure out what dynamics are at play.  I’ve often heard actors talk openly about being in therapy, but SMs are often too busy with everyone else’s problems to take that time for themselves.  There is no shame in reaching out for help, especially if feeling abused is keeping  you from enjoying situations you would otherwise love.

23

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SAFETY: Guns and promenade staging

« on: Mar 14, 2012, 05:01 pm »

If you have a fight choreographer knowledgeable about prop gun usage, they might be a good person to explain the risks or alternatives to the artistic director.  I’ve found them to be helpful resources, sometimes they come across as more credible than other team members.   Maybe they can help you and the actors develop a backup plan or two, so they have several options for whether to stand or where to point the gun if audience members seem to be in a bad place for it.

You mention the production manager is involved in the discussion; is there a general manager who could be involved as well?  It seems to me that protecting the audience may fall more onto the GM or business side’s plate.  If they feel comfortable about the risk level to patrons, and you’re looking out for the actors, all the bases are covered. 

I’ve done several shows with guns fired offstage with blanks, coordinated with non-functioning on-stage gun.  It really can work out nicely with practice.  Maybe you and other staff can practice coordinating that, and demonstrate it for the director so they get a sense of how it works.  There are so many things we do in theater that amount to the magic of lights, sound, and distraction, that it’s kind of selling the team short to say the gun needs to be “real” to have a big impact. 

24

The Green Room / Adjusting Theater-Sized Expectations for Non-Thespians

« on: Jan 03, 2012, 08:41 pm »

I find myself having a low tolerance for non-theater people who arrive late, leave early, or take sick time when they aren’t really sick.  Basically, I expect a stage-manager-like work ethic from people who aren’t stage managers, and have jobs with sick time, overtime, benefits, people who can cover for them, the ability to telecommute, all those frills.  This attitude serves me well, even in non-theater work, because employers appreciate my diligence and extra effort.  On the other hand, friends and family can feel put off when I question why they don’t go to the doctor if they’re sick enough to take the day off of work.   

I guess I’m just wondering if others can relate to this, and what works for you in terms of moderating your expectations.

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The Hardline / Re: OFF-BROADWAY - Actors being the musicians and issues

« on: Jan 01, 2012, 04:44 pm »

You may be aware of this one, but if there is a sound or props crew person familiar with the instrument, they could be delegating tuning it, and doing a sound check, pre-show.  The green room amp seems like a good supplemental option. 

26

Employment / Re: Response Time

« on: Dec 29, 2011, 06:23 am »

It’s interesting to hear you say that; I’ve never been in a hiring position, but I’ve often been frustrated from the other side (waiting for person who is hiring to respond).  I know we’ve had some threads about that here and the consensus, as I recall, seems to be that you shouldn’t expect a response to an application unless you’ve had an interview. 

The hiring person has an upper hand, so response-time expectations may be different, but I would still hope that impatience does not rule the day.  I would think a 5-7 day window would be more reasonable than three days, unless the initial email to the person states a “please respond by” date.  Otherwise you may miss out on someone who would be a great fit just because you wrote while they were on vacation (especially at this holiday time of year) or dealing with a family emergency.   A lack of response could be indicative of an SM who is extremely busy and makes their current project a priority, a valuable trait in a potential  hire, and they are waiting for their day off to write a good response. 

As the potential hire, I would question whether there are underlying problems within a company that has enough of a rush on a project that they can’t wait more than three days to hear from me.  Yes, theater is different from other professions in many ways, but this may be an aspect of the industry where it doesn’t hurt us to be more like everybody else.

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The Green Room / Re: Picture Wars!

« on: Dec 25, 2011, 09:12 am »

The Kiwi is no match for the power of the dark side!

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The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: Confessions of a Serial Intern

« on: Dec 25, 2011, 08:46 am »

I never had a theater internship, but have interned in other areas, for academic credit.  I remember being shocked, when I got involved with professional theater, to learn that internships were not restricted to students.  I wonder if going back to that idea that an unpaid internship must be linked to a school, so something is begin given in return for labor, would be useful in reducing exploitation.  If you wanted to gain post-college, un-paid experience, you could do so as a volunteer.  This may seem like just nomenclature, but some companies value and respect their volunteers more than their interns, and it could be valuable to adjust the expectations on both sides.

I agree that “just say no” to what equates to work without compensation would be one way to eliminate this problem, but I think the target audience for internships is getting too many mixed messages to do that.  It’s taken the “serial intern” seven chances with it to begin questioning the system, and many of us here speak from the experience of seeing numerous interns in action.  I did wonder reading the post what part of theater she is an intern for, since some interns get more credit and job connections than others.

29

The Hardline / Re: Re: Breaks During Run-Throughs

« on: Dec 20, 2011, 08:35 am »

I usually have had productions take a break during first-read through for one acts, but I will have discussed with the director beforehand where a good stopping point would be.  I’d want to find a place to take a 5 in the middle of the play, even if it means breaking earlier than 50 minutes in, rather than cutting us off right at 80 when the end is in sight.  At the same time I could see doing as Matthew suggests for a 2-3 act play. 

If you were just caught off guard by how long it was going and wanted to protect the actors’ rights, it might be helpful at this point to have a chat with the director so they know where you were coming from, and that you are not completely inflexible moving forward. 

My discussion with AEA centered around runs directly preceding tech week, and I think they may have given a different answer for first reads, so I believe your decision was supported by the rules as written in SPT.  While a break does interrupt the flow, my perspective is that a first-read isn’t the epitome of beautiful flow-ing-ness to begin with, and it’s important to establish early that breaks will be respected.  I’ve found that if the first read through is at the kind at first rehearsal that’s swimming with VIPs and the entire theater staff,  plenty of them will be eager for a break earlier than 80 or 90 minutes in.  It’s also a stressful day for the cast, and I think giving them a chance to relax and refresh will be of greater benefit in terms of seeing the flow of the end of the play than pushing through would be.

30

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: AMS: What is in your intro/rules speech to your new ASM?

« on: Dec 16, 2011, 04:31 pm »

I prefer conversations to speeches.  I don’t think I would like to be given a speech on my first day as an ASM, so I try not to put others in that position.  If circumstances allow, I try to start with a low-key meeting, maybe going for coffee or the like, and get to know each other a little. I like to know how they got into theater, what are their favorite things about stage managing, things they are looking forward to on this show, for example.  I’ll try to feel out the opposite facts as well; pet peeves, challenges they’ve faced or are expecting in this show.  I’d share my take on these issues, too, and answer any questions they have for me.   If possible, I’ll delegate them duties that play to their strengths (hopefully they like things I hate, such as taping out the set).   The most important thing I want establish at the beginning of the process is that we work as a team and engage in open communication.  I don’t think there can be a “perfect” tone, every production is different, but if there were, it would be a tone of mutual respect.