Messages

151

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Backstage Etiquette

« on: Mar 01, 2007, 12:04 pm »

Last season I dealt with a similar problem at the company I work worth -- only it was affecting other people becuase there were always children around, and parents would call to complain.  Yes, the two people were consenting adults and no, it wasn't affecting their jobs -- but it WAS significantly affecting other people.

I think that if there are minors in the cast, you are not out of line to say something to the SM or the company manager (if there is one).  What is your position with this company/show?  Don't try to handle it yourself as it probably won't do any good -- you need to get higher management involved unless you have been appointed to deal with these kinds of company-related issues. 

If the entire cast is over 18 and the PDAs aren't affecting the work, then there's really nothing you can do, short of live with it.  Might be a good idea to keep informal documentation of what and where these situations are taking place, in case a legal situation ever DID come up (but make sure that you are keeping this documentation with a witness of another SM).  It may not hold much clout anyway...but it might help

152

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Tense Director During Tech

« on: Feb 28, 2007, 06:30 am »

I was doing a show where the director wouldnt let us get on with the tech so the LD decided to go extrmely slowly

Matt -- can you elaborate on this a bit?  What do you mean by this? I'm confused why the LD would have gone slowly becuase the director wouldn't let you get on with the technical rehearsal -- why wouldn't he, and how did that impact the LD?

153

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Warm-up/ Games

« on: Feb 25, 2007, 08:13 pm »

I'm a pleasant mother pheasant plucker.  I pluck mother pheasants.  I'm the fastest pleasant mother pheasant plucker ever plucked a mother pheasant in the whole wide world.

I've always done a different version of that:

I am not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant pluckers son, and I'm only plucking pheasants, till the pheasant plucker comes. 

I think one of my faves is:

What a to do, to die today, at a minute or two till two.
A thing distinctly hard to say but harder still to do.
For they'll beat a tattoo, at twenty til two,
with a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tattoo
And the dragoon will come
to the beat of a drum
at a minute or two till two today,
at a minute or two till two.

154

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Lent?

« on: Feb 18, 2007, 01:01 am »

OK I've changed my mind...I'm not giving up coffee, I'm giving up all sugar.  Well, like processed sugar -- high fructose corn syrup, candy, etc.....

Obviously natural sugars occur in fruit and vegetables, that doesn't count becuase those sugars are good for me.  I'm giving up bad sugar. 

I figured, coffee isn't bad for me.  HFCS is! 

155

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Lent?

« on: Feb 14, 2007, 03:04 pm »

That's a good idea.  I'm going to do something similar -- every time I have a craving for my huge non fat latte from starbucks, I'll take the $4 I would have spent, put it in a jar, and then after Easter I'll make a donation somewhere  (charity TBD).

156

SMNetwork Archives / Lent?

« on: Feb 14, 2007, 12:12 pm »

Does anyone on this forum observe Lent?  In terms of "giving something up," I mean.

If you do -- what are you giving up this year? Ash Wednesday is one week away, and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for what I consider to be my ultimate sacrifice....giving up coffee!

Anyone else care to comment?

157

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Tech Advice

« on: Feb 11, 2007, 11:44 am »

Here is a great thread where "seasoned" SMs have shared stories of their very first tech experiences. 

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1595.0.html

Calling in the round really isn't so different from anything else.  You'll probably want to be out front (as opposed to calling from backstage with a monitor).  When I've done shows in the round, I've always arranged my rehearsal table so that I'm watching rehearsals and recording blocking from the same side that the booth is on.  This way you get used to watching the show from the same angle you'll be calling on.  Also you'll want to make sure that there aren't seats that will be blocking your view -- your booth table and chair should be high enough so you can see over the tops of everyone's heads in the house. 

158

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dealing with stress

« on: Feb 11, 2007, 11:38 am »

Insert Quote
I'm very sad to hear that story.
For me, the mantra about 'no one dying' doesn't relate to non-accidental deaths.
I just meant that no one will die because the actor doesn't hit his mark 3" SL. No one will die because the sofa is mauve and not eggplant.
Things like that.
You just have to keep it in perspective - and remembering that an elderly woman passed away doing no doubt something she loved, and enjoying her life until the very last backstage minute, that is also a gift. And shoud remind us to enjoy every minute.

Well spoken, my friend!  =)

159

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dealing with stress

« on: Feb 09, 2007, 10:01 pm »

An Artistic Director I've worked with a lot has a favorite saying:
"We're not the Red Cross. No one will die."

Check out this thread and scroll down about 10 posts for a short story that will tell you the opposite:

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1412.0.html

Sadly, people do die in the business, and it's really, really not fun when it happens.  =(

160

Stage Management: Other / Re: A Quick Terminology Question for You Ballet Experts

« on: Feb 06, 2007, 01:56 pm »

Are you writing an essay or paper or something?

If you're specifically speaking in ballet terminology, and the group she is joining is a group of ballet dancers, then I think corps would be most correct.

If you're just talking dance in general, or the dancer is joining a group of singers or other performers that aren't dancers, then I think ensemble or chorus is fine.  Although with that taken out of context like that, neither of those terms would automatically connotate dance in my mind. 

161

Employment / Re: Follow Up Thank-You Letters

« on: Feb 01, 2007, 10:10 am »

How about a "thank you song"?  A composer I worked with last season apparently was so impressed that I took such great pains to contact him and negotiate royalties with him (in the dance world, sometimes people just tend to "ignore" the fact that this is the legal way to go about things!)  that at the end of our run after I had sent him his royalties check, he emailed me an iTunes song as a thank you (bonus:  It was so thoughtful, he chose a song that was actually my name)

At first I thought it was a little strange, but then I thought, "well how appropriate for a composer to do something like that!"  Then, when we decided to do the ballet again this season, it was so easy to work with him because I knew how much he appreciated our company/me. 

(BalletDork:  watch out!  you too could receive an iTunes song in your inbox if you are nice to Mr. W!)

162

College and Graduate Studies / Re: College Stage Management Guide

« on: Feb 01, 2007, 09:49 am »

I did a stage management guidebook in college.  It sounds exactly like what your professor is wanting you to do. 

Basically it when through the whole process of stage managing specifically at my school -- from the selection process of SMs to the strike party.  I went through how to submit your resumes to professors/directors, and how each professor works a bit differently. 

Then I went through all the necessary pre-pro work, auditions, rehearsals, tech week, performances, strike, working with your ASMs (at my school there were very specific ways that ASMs were supposed to be utilized so that the whole process was educational).

I also had a section on how communication works at my school and what the heirarchy of the theatre department and college is.  I included a complete contact sheet (including things like, maintenance department, campus safety, etc.)

I talked specifically about running a production meeting at my college.

I also had a more general section about blocking notation, paperwork, etc. 

At the end, i had about 10 pages of "sample forms."

Finally, I included a bibliography for further study.

As I understand, this guidebook is still posted on the theatre company's website at my school and students who are selected as stage managers still have to read it the first time they stage manage.  Something to keep in mind -- it will become outdated, especially as faculty and staff changes, department policies are updated, and the theatre department undergoes reform and change.  Make sure that someone in the department is aware of this (at my school it's the TD) so that they can make changes as necessary or appoint another student to create updates to this book -- if it is truly something that will be used for posterity, then you should make sure that they have your blessing to change things like names, contact phone #s, etc.  Of course, the substance shouldn't change, because then your authorship is compromised.

This sounds like a very exciting project for you and what a great honor to be asked to do it!  Good luck!

163

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Well, if you can't admit it here, where can you?

« on: Feb 01, 2007, 09:36 am »

I'm thinking for future shows im gonna start asking them to give me a $1 deposit to borrow a pencil just to train them to return what they borrow. 

I am TOTALLY doing this on my shows this summer.  Last summer I started with an entire huge altoids box of pencils (you know those big tins they sell?) and by the end of the summer they were ALL GONE.  A deposit is a great idea!

164

Tools of the Trade / Re: Headset Headaches?

« on: Jan 26, 2007, 12:18 am »

Eww, I get headset headaches all the time!  Last season after Nutcracker was over I actually got an ear infection.  Two years ago I got my ears pierced again right before starting rehearsals on a show (which only had a 3-week rehearsal process) and then had to call it -- I had the worst pain in my left ear and couldn't figure out what it was...then I discovered that the hole had become infected from the headset.  Yuck!  Now I try to lysol my headset after every rehearsal/performance. 

I try to shift the headset back on my head a bit so it's not pressing on that tender spot right above my ear.  Ah, the joys...

165

Tools of the Trade / Re: Stage Manager workstation/Desk

« on: Jan 26, 2007, 12:09 am »

okay I found my budget sheet and I guess it was a little bit more than $300; actually about $500, but it's also not mine personally, it's the company's...I suppose if I ever leave I wouldn't be able to keep it.  But what would I do with it anyway?  Keep it in my apartment?  It's not exactly something I could throw in the back of my little honda.  =)

Also I forgot that I had put this post up here so I'll work a bit harder on getting those pictures.  =)