Messages

16

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROMPT SCRIPT: Assistant Stage Manager Paperwork

« on: Oct 01, 2015, 09:47 am »

Excellent point Maribeth, and one that supports my assertion that ASMs should get in the habit of taking blocking.

As an ASM, I have had the responsibility of running full U/S rehearsals myself.  While I generally have had access to the PSM's blocking script, invariably, I use my own book.  I'm more comfortable with my notations, my shorthand, and know which parts are rough sketches of a scene and which parts are 100% accurate (thus informing when I should glance at an archival video for support).

Along the same lines, on long-running shows, the full SM team is responsible for putting in U/S and replacements throughout the run, and often it is just the SMs, dance captain and a new company member in most rehearsals.  As an ASM, yes, you are helping play all those other parts, but (in my experience), it's a team effort, where we all pitch in and help stage "the new guy."  I'll notice the cast member is standing in the wrong spot, give the note / question to the PSM or dance captain to confirm, then give the note to the cast member.  So that means I'm still "learning" the blocking even after a show has opened, while I'm running the deck, calling the show, etc. since I could ultimately be responsible for relaying that blocking to cast. 

17

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROMPT SCRIPT: Assistant Stage Manager Paperwork

« on: Aug 23, 2015, 11:40 pm »

Ok - so I'm not going to repeat opinions already expressed above, but I'll admit: I come from the school of thought that ASMs DO take blocking, sometimes in addition to, or the exclusive of, the PSM.   I've been doing it so long this way that it is my default style in any given show, regardless of my position, and I can comfortably track blocking, prop notes and entrance-exits for a large musical all at the same time.  Sometimes it's stressful for sure, but practice has trained me some tricks to get by.

So here's my question: I've encountered a lot of younger SM types who have casually articulated the thought that ASMs don't do blocking...is this something that's been taught in school?  Picked up along the way by your PSMs?  I just don't understand how you could be in a world where you aren't practicing / honing a tricky skill like blocking on a regular basis, but then, when you get your PSM gig (or an ASM gig like Matt describes), just be able to just do it on demand, and be successful in supporting the room / process.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Script or Running paperwork?

« on: Aug 09, 2015, 06:21 am »

I work a lot as an ASM.  Once I get into the final phase in the rehearsal hall (think designer run-throughs), I usually abandon my script in favor of run sheets.  A script is too burdensome once I'm trying to run the deck and truthfully, isn't all too helpful.  A lot of transitions, QCs and tech elements that I manage as an ASM happen in the blank parts of the script, between dialogue / scenes, so why continue to use that document as the primary reference point?

In tech, I keep a copy of every department's run sheet, plus the entrance-exit chart, for easy reference of "what's next."  For my own runsheet, I just print a copy of the running order with lots of space for each scene / transition, so I can quickly jot in my track as we tech.

Once we're in previews / open, I'll convert that handwritten run sheet into a more formal, "pretty" runsheet that can easily be handed off to another SM if necessary.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: BLOCKING: Ensemble Blocking Taking Systems

« on: Jun 06, 2015, 12:19 am »

A strategy worth considering:

Assign everyone in the cast a number and use that, instead of cast names or initials, in your blocking book.  So F1, F2, F3...etc for female, and M1, M2, M3...for men.   These assignments can be based on whatever makes the most sense:  I've seen them done simply alphabetically, or in obvious casting (putting the principals as the 1,2,3, and lesser characters further down.  Or clumping cast members you know will be staged in the same scenes numerically close - for example: you know there are featured tumblers for the big dance number - so assign them M7-M12). 

Then make a cheat sheet for yourself and your team, and, after a day or two of blocking, the numbers will be second nature. I've used cast numbers for a few large-ensemble shows, though admittedly, I haven't done it in a while, and found it really helpful during huge staging sessions.

These numbers can then be tracked through into the tech process, and given to costume, sound, spots, for easy ID & labeling of costume pieces, tracking, mics.  This is a very common technique on tours, where crew changes every week.   

20

The Green Room / 10 out of 12 - new play off-bway

« on: Jun 03, 2015, 01:26 pm »

Here's a link to a NY Times article about a new play opening Off-Broadway.  It's all about tech!  And the article starts with a quote from the stage manager! 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/theater/anne-washburn-brings-backstage-drama-to-center-stage-in-10-out-of-12.html?ref=theater&_r=0

21

Employment / "What Not To Post": Job Listing edition

« on: Mar 23, 2015, 11:17 pm »

While I don't really apply for SM positions through job search websites anymore, I still look at them regularly, mostly to see who is hiring for what, auditions, creative personnel, etc.  I came across a doozy of a posting today, and thought I would share.  Not because I know anything about this company or their history, but to me, it's like an episode of the TLC show "What Not to Wear."  An excellent example of what not to do when seeking qualified employees. 

http://playbill.com/jobs/job_detail/344844

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Articulation marks in SM calling script

« on: Feb 04, 2015, 11:16 pm »

I absolutely use them.  I draw a little dash under the word where I want to start speaking. 

23

The Green Room / Superbowl Half-Time Stage Set-Up

« on: Feb 02, 2015, 08:56 pm »

Here's a link to a time-lapse of the stage set-up for the Half-Time show that I thought others would enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVFRuYIIqy8

24

The Hardline / Re: AEA SMs and your Meal Breaks--some questions

« on: Feb 01, 2015, 12:47 am »

First, some basics about my work experience: Been Equity almost 10 years (in June!), worked on at least 8 different contracts off the top of my head, from the very low-end, to the very top.  And I mostly work as an ASM.  I think this is a salient point because, truth be told, despite the fact that I sign a contract with a producing entity, I'm getting my day-to-day instruction from the PSM, not the GM or producer. 

You ask / raise a lot of points, so I'll just write about one for now: Breaks during rehearsals

I rarely have a full meal break.  Only on my most recent contract, where the company voted for a 1.5 lunch break, did I actually feel like I could take a longer break for myself (and, truthfully, I voted for the 1 hr. break).  In a standard 1 hr. rehearsal meal-break scenario, I count myself lucky if I have 15-20 minutes to eat my lunch (I always bring my own food).  On this most recent show, I took a leisurely 45 minute break.  Now I'll admit, I was first trained under very intense SMs, working in stock environment with "no time to lose."  Since then, I've worked on bigger and more high-profile shows, where, inevitably time is short and pressure is high, so I do the same thing.  But even when the room doesn't require a huge changeover, I feel compelled to use some of that meal break for other show-related tasks: prepping a report, phone calls / emails I can't take during rehearsal, even run-of-the-mill paperwork.  The truth is, all of these tasks need to be done at some point during the day, and the shows I work on rarely afford me time to remove myself from the room to do them.  My choice is get a little done now, and it's less I have to do on the time that is truly mine in the evening.

But this isn't just a question of my personal habits: there is an industry standard expectation that, when the cast/creative return from a break (whether it's a 5, a 10, or a meal break), the room will be prepped and ready for the Next Thing, whether it's a new scene, or a full run-through.  I have rarely received any instruction from my PSM (no less a Producer or GM) instructing me that I should or should not work through a break, because it is, I think, an assumption about our role in the process.  We think ahead, we prep ahead.  And no matter how big your team is (even if it's full of interns and non-Eqs who's rights we aren't currently discussing), it's the Equity SMs who are ultimately responsible for the room, and the room's readiness for that Next Thing.

To the point I suspect you are driving at: I don't think any Equity contract (that I've read) protects or addresses the SM team's right to breaks during rehearsals.  But I'll be honest, I'm not sure Equity can, because it IS a bigger industry standard they'd be up against.  If I told a director the room wasn't reset because "I needed to take MY 10," I can envision several scenarios: one where the director throws a fit, another where I am not hired for the director's next show because I'm not a "team player." 

Though this is a question posed in the performance scenario, I could take it a step further: You ask if any contract / instruction has been given telling an SM to arrive prior to 1/2 hour...I'll speak here to the rehearsal version of this question: No one instructs us to arrive early for rehearsal either, but what if we didn't?  Coffee wasn't made (the horror!), new script copies still to be copied, collated and distributed, and props not set?  The truth is the SM work day is never equivalent to the actors'.  And in the rehearsal world, I have easily done 11 hours of work, in the rehearsal hall alone, before heading home.  One of the reasons I hate when directors chose to use the Straight 6?  Because, with an hour book-ended to the beginning and end of rehearsal, guess who actually works a full 8 hours without an break?  The SM team.  It's my least-liked rehearsal option for this very reason.  Now that I phrase it that way, it sounds like it easily violates standard labor law (isn't an employee required to have a break after 5, 5.5 or 6 hrs. of work, depending on the state?)

25

Self-Promotion / Re: Theatres That Have Opened - Easing the Emergency

« on: Jun 29, 2014, 08:15 am »

In the spirit of celebrating theatre success stories, I'd like to give a shout-out to the long-established, but once-struggling Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn NJ.  The theatre was in dire straits back in 2007 (before the recession began), complete with the emergency fund-raising drive, mandatory staff furloughs, and the down-sizing of their 5th show of that season to a staged concert instead of a full production.  I have many friends who were working out there when the crisis came to light, in the middle of tech for "7 Brides For 7 Brothers," and there was question every day if they would get paid this week, next week...

Flash-forward to the present: Paper Mill is alive and doing very well.  Two shows that originated at the theatre are currently running on B'way (Les Mis revival, and Newsies), with Honeymoon in Vegas coming in the fall.  Their next season has some other strong contenders for future life, and it has established itself as an ideal stop for a near-to-NY "out-of-town" try-out location. 

Back in 2007, things looked very bleak for them - here's hoping in the coming years, we'll see / hear other "back-from-the-brink" theatre companies and their stories.

26

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROMPT SCRIPT: Summer Stock Prompt Books

« on: Mar 16, 2014, 06:38 am »

This question has been covered at least once before, though under the question of summer stock in rep.  The consensus then was also to keep separate binders:

http://smnetwork.org/forum/stage-management-plays-musicals/rehearsalsrunning-2-shows-in-repertoire/msg38119/#msg38119

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REPORTS: Including break times in report?

« on: Feb 06, 2014, 06:11 pm »

Twice I was required to include breaks in the reports.  In both cases, I was working in a summer festival environment with multiple productions/venues/SM teams, and we were required to use a standard rehearsal report for consistency's sake.  Included in the form was a break section. 
In one case, when I inquired with the production manager about the inclusion of a breaks section, he gave two reasons why:
1. Multiple SM teams with varying degrees of experience.  One way to keep tabs on the SMs, I guess, though I found that a discomforting reason...if you can't trust us to call breaks properly based on a union-wide standard, how can you trust us on the many more complicated tasks and judgement calls we handle on a daily basis?  But I didn't fight it. 
2.  Each festival was operating under a Special Agreement / LOA with Equity.  It was the PM's way to cover his butt in the event Equity came around asking questions.

I found the tracking of breaks to be a little annoying, but it wasn't a big deal.  I would never chose to do so on my own. 

28

The Green Room / Broadway Opening with Major scenic issue

« on: Jan 18, 2014, 10:38 am »

Link to story about opening night of Machinal at Roundabout this Sunday.  The show must go on...with a crew plucked from the audience.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/186637-PLAYBILL-ON-OPENING-NIGHT-MachinalA-Showstopper-The-Set?tsrc=hph

29

Tools of the Trade / Skin-tone colored Ace bandages/wraps

« on: Jan 15, 2014, 12:14 am »

Has anyone found a brand of bandages or wraps in any skin-zone color beside the typical "Ace bandage beige"?  I did a quick bit of research tonight online that yielded no helpful results.

Many times, my actors will use Ace bandages during performances, but invariably they ask "do you have anything darker?"  That standard bandage color jumps out against an actor's skin tone under stage lights, even on my palest actors (let alone on African-American or Hispanic cast members).  On the fly, I've adjusted costume pieces a bit to make the actor in question feel comfortable going onstage with the wrap (unroll sleeves, hike up socks a bit higher, even applied make-up over the outer-layer of the bandages).  Is it possible that the medical commodity industry really hasn't caught onto the fact that humans come in different skin tones and would appreciate products that mirror that reality? 

Any helpful leads would be appreciated.  I will delve deeper into internet research on this, hopefully tomorrow, and post any promising results.

30

Tools of the Trade / Re: Ergonomics and the Tech Table

« on: Jan 03, 2014, 12:09 am »

Moderators, my comments are in response to the articles about the dangers of sitting rather than ergonomic desks/chairs, etc.  So feel free to split this to a separate thread if it seems appropriate.

When I first read these articles, I thought to myself, "This can't apply to me."  I'm currently the ASM on a a musical where I alternate between running the deck and calling the show.  In either instance, I stand for all but 10 minutes of the show (and that's erring on the side of over-estimating my sitting).   But these articles really stuck with me, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I DO sit a lot during the day. 

Taking a cue from diet and financial experts who suggest tracking your daily habits to understand where you need to make changes, I kept a "sitting diary", just for one typical two-show day, from waking up to sleep.  The result? 405 minutes of sitting (that's 6.75 hours - in the danger zone of 6+ hours).  Despite the 5 hours of standing I do during the actual show, it was all that extra time we SMs build into our day that hurt my numbers (call time is 1.5 hours before curtain, I kill 1.5 hours between shows in the office, I sit on my subway commute into work...).

I have already made a few adjustments to my daily routine to try and keep that number down: I stand on the subway ride into work, after I check preset at half-hour, I try not to sit at my desk unless I have specific paperwork to do.  Heck, I'm typing this post while standing at my kitchen counter (which is conveniently a pretty comfortable height to serve as my at-home "standing" desk).