Messages

16

Employment / Re: Taking Time Off (different situation)

« on: Jun 10, 2009, 11:53 pm »

After college, I didn't work in theatre for about a year. I didn't have a problem getting a paid internship and having completed that in January, I'm freelancing. I've found that most of my jobs have come from word of mouth and networking. My resume isn't that extensive in terms of professional experience, so getting to know people where I'm working now and having them refer to me to people in other companies is how I'm getting jobs. I did get a few interviews from people who looked at my resume, but no job offers.

So I would say that when you're ready to get back into stage management, getting that first job is most important and it might be something low-paying like an internship, but if you make a good impression, that will help you in the future.

Right now with so many theatres closing and the ecconomy being so bad, I wouldn't be surprised if employers didn't bat an eye at a year without you working any gigs. If it did come up in an interview, you could explain the situation of getting married and moving and needing time to get settled and save up a little money outside of theatre.

Alternately, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to find a non-paying part-time theatre gig where you're moving to. Community theatre maybe? Something that you could do in your free time and that would still build your resume.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and graduation!

17

Tools of the Trade / Re: Making prop red wine

« on: Apr 19, 2009, 12:14 pm »

Even better than a white towel (which would be super absorbent and may be more difficult to get the wine out of) would be to get a fabric sample from the costume department of something that is close to the wedding dress in color and material. Then you can see how that really reacts, since that is the most concerned. Be sure to let the fabric sit for however long it would take for it to be cleaned. Is she on stage for 2 minutes and then you could do a quick clean between scenes but not a full clean for another 45 minutes? Test that out.

And repeat the cleaning agent over and over on the sample. Will a bleach-based cleaning agent weaken the fabric and lead it to tearing? Think about how likely the "wine" will fall in the same place. If she's getting a glass-full in her lap then it will. If she's spinning around the room and someone spills an eighth of a cup on her then it's probably going to be a bit more evenly distributed and in less danger of distressing the fabric.

18

The Hardline / Re: Theatres That Have Closed--Can You Say "Emergency?"

« on: Apr 18, 2009, 12:07 am »

Good News (?)

North Shore Music Theatre has put out an update. They're now looking to raise $2 Million by the end of July to do a truncated season:

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) officials announced a turn-around plan today that would deliver a six-show musical theater season, along with its traditional production of A Christmas Carol and other concerts and educational programs, at nearly half the cost of previous seasons, a $4-million savings in annual expenses. The plan's success hinges on the theater's ability to raise $2 million in donations by this July to jumpstart a new business model and launch a 2009 season.

19

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dear Abby: Torn between two majors

« on: Apr 06, 2009, 11:13 am »

Doing a double major is a lot of work. Keep in mind that there are other possibilities than a double major. You could be involved in a theatre club. My school was large enough that in addition to the theater department, there was a non-related theater guild. Those groups always need a lot of help. It will be a different experience to work in something not-academically related. For my school anyway, there was less faculty support, and there wasn't really anyone to teach things. People had to figure it out on their own. What works best for you?

I don't know much about Comp Sci and even the wiki article quickly went over my head, but I would think that a Comp Sci degree could help you get and keep automations jobs. There are ways to be involved with theater, still. Working automations takes a lot of skill and hard work. That is one possible career choice that could be brought up to your parents.

Another important question is if you were to try and double major or just flat out major in theater, would your parents pull financial support? It sounds like they're pretty involved in the process since they gave you a list of school to apply to. Financial support is very valuable. I lost it after my sophomore year. I ended up transfering to a state school and I still have a lot of debt. For me, my decision that made me lose financial support from my mother was totally worth it. But will it be for you? Especially when there are alternatives like a theater guild and community theater?

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. I hope I brought up some points you hadn't considered yet. Good luck on your decision!

20

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Headset Etiquette

« on: Apr 04, 2009, 09:48 pm »

In college, I was trained to turn off my com when not in use - the TD there used to bother others by breathing into the mic (accidentally, of course) and so trained us all to turn off our coms so that we wouldn't bother others. It was good practice for all the techs. I never had a problem with someone accidentally having an open com and dropping their headset (ow) or eating.

In my opinion, the only person who Could/Should have their com open is the SM. Generally, I'm inclined to leave it open most of the time if calling from the booth so that if there's an emergency I don't have to deal with pushing buttons to get things moving. If there is a long stretch without cues or much action, I'll sometimes turn it off, but always keep my finger on the button. I breathe a little easier not worrying that someone can hear me breathe!

If I were doing a show in which there were automation, I think I would ALWAYS leave it open. There's too much that could possibly go wrong and too quickly to be fiddling with buttons.

21

Employment / Re: Where do I begin?

« on: Mar 20, 2009, 11:16 pm »

It will depend on your college experiences. If you can afford to do low-paying internships during your summer to get professional experience under your belt, I highly reccommend it. Get to know your professors. They are wonderful resources for future jobs. You never know when a professor might had heard of a job that you would be perfect for.

I graduated college two years ago and am struggling to find work. There are others who have never had to take an outside job. You're obviously willing to travel which is in your favor.

Yes, there are people who are crazy enough to date and even *gasp* marry us stage managers. You never know if you might end up with someone inside the biz or from a completely different field. I'm sure you'll make friends and get out to meet people.

Meeting people and getting along with people is so important to networking and finding future work. Use your years wisely. Work on projects that challenge you and help you to grow into a better stage manager. Work, work, work. Volunteer to work in the scene shop or costume shop or wherever. The more you know about how the theatre works, the better a stage manager you will be. Use your advisor to help you pick out suitable classes. I definitely reccommend taking an acting class, directing class, and design classes. These classes will help you understand what everyone in the theatre does and improve your communication between departments. These skills will help you find jobs.

I would definitely try to get going in the theatre department your first semester if possible. Right at the start of the semester, go to whoever is in charge of the stage managers for the theatre department and say that you would love to ASM. If the ASMs are already picked out, get yourself into shops and volunteer. Look for student productions you can SM. The more you can do in those short four years (they seem so long, but really they fly by!), the better prepared you will be to step out of school and find work and jobs.

Although I'm stressing work, don't forget to have fun! College is exciting and overwhelming. It's a good time to learn your breaking point and how to step back and say, "No." when your plate is too full. College SMing is very different than professional SMing. It was so much more stressful for me in college. I was jugling a full class load, SMing a mainstage show, working 30-35 hours a week, and in a committed relationship my junior and senior years. It was absolutely nuts. I once figured out how many "productive hours" I was using and how many "productive hours" we're supposed to have a week. (I believe it's 60-80?) I was WAY over the limit so it was no wonder there were nights I would come home and break down. Now, I'm doing one job. It's still exhausting and still long hours, but I'm not juggling nearly as much. So remember in the dark, scary times when you want to give up and go home, but still need to finish a lighting plot, that there were many more who came before you and many more that will come behind you. You are not alone and you will get through it.

*Whew* That turned out to be a lot of advice. Try not to worry so much about what the future is. College will turn your plans it upside down, and that's a good thing. Make the most out of your four years and your future will figure itself out from there.

22

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: "We'll sort that out at the theatre"

« on: Mar 12, 2009, 10:26 am »

Ugh. As soon as I read the title, my insides turned inside out. That is definitely one of the worst things to hear a director say. I would start preparing solutions in my head so that you can offer something when you get "to the theatre." Is this director approachable at all? Could you ahve a conversation about a "tech prep" time where actors ask questions and you two answer them "as best you can"? (I'm sure that you'll have a lot of answers ready to go, but I can imagine he might struggle with choreography issues...)

I can't believe that he told the actors that wardrobe didn't need to know that kind of information! Wow.

No matter what happens, good luck! Hopefully you'll be able to sort everything out and you'll be able to move through tech...

23

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Working with a Russian Director

« on: Feb 02, 2009, 09:15 pm »

Woah. Sounds like she's used to a very different rehearsal process than what your school is set up to do!

I've been with an "organic blocking" kind of director, where the actors really decide the blocking with whatever feels best for them with minimal direction from the director. I would definitely look for similarities and see if there's a basic pattern that they're following. My guess is that they are. I think that most actors will want to find their blocking nad stick to it for the most part.

It sounds like the playwright's changes are pretty crazy, too. Messing with all the page numbers is definitely difficult to deal with, but it sounds like you have that at least in check, if not under control...

I definitely second that you need to get some backup on making sure actors are not skipping classes. I really had to put my foot down with a student director that wanted to change the schedule without warning and force the actors to stay late just because. I told him no, but he went right past me and asked the actors. It was clear to see that they were NOT pleased and felt forced to do it. I really ended up putting my foot down and telling him that he needed to respect their time, just as they respected his and arrived earlier than called and spent several minutes in silence because he asked for it. But skipping classes goes way beyond that and needs to be dealt with by someone from the school.

Ah, at least you can look on this as a great learning experience...

24

Employment / Re: Temporary Housing & Transportation

« on: Mar 27, 2008, 12:06 am »

This is a very good question. I just got an internship that has a housing option, but being married, that situation won't work for me. I'm waiting to be contacted by the Assistant Company Manager who is going to give me a list of some housing possibilities. Company Management could probably do something similar for you, as I'm sure you wouldn't be the first person who lives out of town that they want to work with. I'd ask about it during an interview.

25

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: sound cue debate - letters or numbers

« on: Mar 20, 2008, 02:13 pm »

I've had this problem. It was the same situation. I asked the sound designer why he prefered numbers to letters. If there were more than 26 sound cues.... Easier to add a cue between cues.... THe program worked better with numbers.... (which I doubt, actually. At this point I'm betting that he could have called each cue a name and the program would have taken it.)

But that's what he was taught to do, and he wouldn't honor my request to change it. So I got used to it. It look a bit of adjusting, but by the end of the show I was comfortable with it. I also have fly cues in that show, so I gave them letters instead. Worked out fairly well.

Good luck!

26

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Caling the show...

« on: Feb 11, 2008, 11:32 pm »

I have only called from FOH in a booth CS all the way in the back of the house. The only time I did otherwise was when we were doing "Play in a Day" and it was easier having multiple SMs to call from SR. I hated that because you couldn't see the apron do to sightlines and we didn't have monitors since the norm was calling FOH.

27

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Drawing the line?

« on: Feb 03, 2008, 07:04 pm »

I've been there!!!!!

I'm going to send you a PM because I don't feel comfortable discussing this in an open forum where my name is clearly my name and could possibly be linked with me.

28

Tools of the Trade / Re: A stopwatch that doesn't keep accurate time?

« on: Feb 02, 2008, 10:25 pm »

Have you tried switching out the battery? If it came with a battery in it already and it was "ticking" when you got it, then I wouldn't be surprised if the battery was running down. If that's not the case, then I have no idea what would be wrong with it.

29

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Multiple Rehearsals at same time.. HELP!

« on: Dec 04, 2007, 10:04 pm »

If you haven't made an actor plot already, then I would highly suggest you do so. (http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1091.0.html)

If you're just talking about the issues with scheduling, then it probably will take a long time to figure out how things work together, especially at first, but will get easier over time. I would suggest making a list of scenes that can be rehearsed at the same time easily: The Lovers and the Mechanicals generally don't have scenes together... and I would make sure that every scene ends up rehearsed. Sometimes it's hard to fit in those short transitional kind of scenes. Don't let "We'll get to them..." sneak up on you!

If you're discussing actual rehearsal, then you'll have to rely on your ASM(s) (You do have at least one, right?) to pass on information. Make sure you have a good system of communication going on and that they know what information you expect out of each rehearsal. I keep a rehearsal log (very similar to rehearsal report, generally more info and just notes, though) and would ask them to do the same.

Good Luck! Remember to breathe.

30

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Rehearsal Checklist?

« on: Nov 30, 2007, 01:28 pm »

A rehearsal checklist IS a list of things that you do before and after rehearsal. For example, sweep the stage, mop, make coffee... etc. It's important so that you don't forget anything like, "oh crap! I need those prop balloons for the scene with the clowns! Assistant, go run next door to the place and grab those!" while clowns are all waiting around impatiently for their ever necessary balloons.

That said, I've never actually made one. Should I have? You bet! I've forgotten things on occasion (like shutting off the compressor so it doesn't make a tremendously loud noise while the actors are trying to talk...), which would have been taken care of had I created a checklist.

For a rehearsal checklist, rather than a show checklist, I might even break down props etc that you need by scene that way you can say, "I need a table, lamp and chairs SL for when we get to scene 5, but then we're jumping to scene 7 so I should put the balloons SR because they normally get moved there after scene 2" Whereas the balloons may usually start the show SL (and that's that you're Pre-Production checklist would say), but they're moved during the show so they have a different starting place for a different scene. Generally, I would have that information elsewhere that I reviewed before rehearsal to make sure that we had all the rehearsal props (or even rehearsal prop-stand ins) needed in the right place.

Hope that makes sense and also explains why a pre-production checklist is a little bit different. If you've got a small show with a limited number of props and very easy daily set up, it may not be necessary, but if you've got a lot of things happening (and if you have assistants so you're not all working on the same project) it can be useful.