Messages

16

Employment / Re: Finding SM's to hire

« on: Apr 07, 2009, 08:19 pm »

It costs $20, but I say post on playbill.com.  Almost everyone checks there for jobs.
Good luck.

17

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Quick Question

« on: Apr 03, 2009, 01:35 am »

Why don't you ask your TD?  I don't think it is bad for you to ask questions about the line sets, unless you've been his rigger for years...

Allison

18

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Working with animals?

« on: Mar 16, 2009, 07:24 pm »

Check local laws.  I did a production of Inherit the Wind where the director wanted a monkey.  There were laws in place (what kind of handler, etc) that made it economically impossible for us.  We ended up using a dog.  It worked pretty well.  We had a fake ape in a store window...

Allison

19

The Hardline / Re: Dear Abby: AEA issues with show hand-off

« on: Feb 22, 2009, 08:12 pm »

It's not an AEA rule, it's a law: the Taft-Hartley Act.  One time only, you can work on a union (AEA, SAG, AGMA, etc) contract up to 30 days, and not join.

This is true, however they must still be under an AEA contract.  They don't have to join the union, but this does not override the producers' obligations.  This law has absolutely nothing to do with the producer - they are required to have their SM sign an AEA contract and need to make all payments (P&H) that go along with that.  Also, the working dues would still be deducted and given to AEA because they are still protected by the contract even if they don't join the union.

Allison

20

Employment / Re: Unemployment Benefits Claims??

« on: Feb 07, 2009, 03:13 am »

I am sure your unemployment claim will be upheld, eventually.  It sounds like the employer is starting trouble.  A contract ending is lack of work.  Hopefully, NYS will investigate quickly so you can resume benefits.

As for collecting unemployment while working on a showcase or under 1099 work, that is NOT legal.  You need to be available for work every day.  Each day you work, whether paid or not, you lose 25% of your unemployment benefits for the week.  Also, any money you earn, whether they send you a 1099 or not, is taxable.  That being said, many people still do collect unemployment while doing showcases or 1099 work.  Just be aware that it is not legal, and there are potential ramifications.

Allison

21

Tools of the Trade / Re: Glass breaking

« on: Jan 08, 2009, 10:06 pm »

I have an amazing sound designer.  That is not the point.  We need something to break that does not sound like plastic.  This is not about getting the sound of glass breaking.  It's about not pulling the audience out of the moment by having something that sounds so wrong.

Has anyone ever broken sugar glass?  Either on purpose or by accident?

Thanks,
Allison

22

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Who is part of the crew and who is part of the creative team?

« on: Jan 08, 2009, 10:03 pm »

In order to avoid hurt feelings, I sometimes list "Production Staff" and "Crew" instead of "Creatives".  The only people I put under crew in these cases would be run crew, wardrobe crew, board ops.

Allison

23

Tools of the Trade / Re: Glass breaking

« on: Jan 08, 2009, 12:40 am »

Thanks.  It's an intimate space, so we don't want to use a sound cue.  We also don't need it to sound to be any louder than would be natural, we just don't want it to sound like plastic. Does sugar glass sound like glass when broken?

Allison

24

Tools of the Trade / Glass breaking

« on: Jan 07, 2009, 12:06 am »

I searched the site for break away glass and the like, but none of the threads really solved my problem.

In my current show, we need to drop an oil lamp hurricane and have it break.  Very quickly after, we need an actor in just his socks to "cut" his foot on the glass. We plan on reinforcing the socks so that actual cuts are less likely.

We need something that will break well, can be cleaned up by actors during a scene, and the biggest problem - we need it to sound like glass, and not like plastic.

I figure that if there is a good solution to this problem, someone on this site will know about it.
Oh, yeah, we will have about 70 performances, so we do need it to be cost effective.

Thanks for your help!
Allison

25

The Hardline / Re: Hardline Meal Break Expansion Thread

« on: Jan 06, 2009, 11:54 pm »

It is my general practice to not announce meal breaks ahead of time because of these problems.  I will usually say that we will take a 90 minute (or 60, depending on vote) break starting sometime between 1:00 and 2:00, depending on a good stopping point.  I try to keep the same actors called after break as before, if possible.  I can also usually tell if we will be running late in enough time to have a PA call the actors to give them a later call.  If an actor needs to have it be more specific for a particular reason on a particular day, I will work with that.  I have almost never received an objection to this. 

Allison

26

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: When the show is going bad

« on: Dec 06, 2008, 11:39 pm »

I have to say, I know I am paid for my opinion.  I work for the same handful of directors and producers all of the time, and they want and expect to get my opinions.  Then again, I have been working with these people, on and off, for the last ten or twelve years.

Allison

27

The Green Room / Re: I can't believe I just had to do that...

« on: Dec 02, 2008, 11:33 pm »

Ok, I'll explain the poop thing.  A few years ago, I did a new musical that had a talking bird in it.  Believe it or not, this was a professional, off-broadway show with some pretty well known actors in it.  Well, the bird had a bit of an attitude and the writers and director wanted poop to fall on a character that the bird didn't like so it looked like he pooped on her.

We eventually cut it, thank god, but not until I spent more than 2 hours saying, "Standby poop.  Poop...GO, reset poop, Standby..."  We were testing different consistencies.

oy gevalt

28

The Green Room / Re: I can't believe I just had to do that...

« on: Nov 30, 2008, 11:18 pm »

I've had to call "Standby poop" "Poop...GO".  Not my proudest moments.

Allison

29

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Let's Talk "Places, Please"

« on: Nov 20, 2008, 12:00 am »

For the most part, I have my asm confirm that everyone who enters within the first minute or 2 of the show are present.  Sometimes I have actors who are ready and waiting at places even though they don't come on until a little later.  In those cases, if that actor isn't there at places, I will have crew check in to make sure all is well before I start.

Allison

30

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament II: Electric Boogaloo

« on: Nov 19, 2008, 11:06 am »

Wow.  I seem to really know very little about religion.  Oh well.
Allison