Messages

181

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Auditions: Offering jobs, casting, sharing info

« on: Oct 05, 2006, 10:56 pm »

I've recently come up on a new thing - a producer has asked me to make the initial phone call to offer a part to an actor. I am not a resident with this organization - nor have I worked with them before - and, while this is not an Equity situation, there is some pay involved, in addition to the usual fun of company norms, which, of course, I am still learning.

All in the space of this afternoon, the producer decided (without the director) that a certain actor would be appropriate to cast. No one had mentioned this actor to me previously - and I don't know him from any previous work - and no one had his contact information. It was left to me to rustle up some kind of contact info, call, offer the job, "bring him in" to the company and furnish him with a script. When I called the producer just now to let her know that I could only dig up what might be his home number, and that I didn't know if I was indeed qualified to introduce him to formally offer him the gig, she spent twenty minutes giving me the third degree because this is all "part of my job."

I understand that setting the tone for work, knowing the important and immediate aspects of the company dynamic, being aware of scheduling/conflicts, collecting and verifying contact info... all these fun things, and plenty more, are part of my job. But is it standard practice for stage management to make the first call - where (and this is, perhaps, specific to this context... we start rehearsal in a few days!) salaries and union business have to be discussed? I'm not a member of any unions, so there is only so much I can bring to the talks in that department, and I honestly don't feel it is appropriate for me to know the details of what the actors are paid. Fortunately, this is a reading... but the performers are all members of various unions, and will almost certainly have questions about what agreements and norms are adhered to by this organization.

Is my gut instinct in conflict with industry norms? Or is this a bit odd?

Help?

Many many thanks -
Meg

182

Tools of the Trade / Re: What is Gaffer Tape?

« on: Oct 05, 2006, 09:29 am »

Best creative use...

As the internal structure for an all-duct tape costume for the Tin Man in The Wiz.

The poor man playing the role melted every time the lights came up, but he looked GREAT.

And that was the year that duct and gaff dresses went to the Senior Prom.

183

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: ASMs vs SMs

« on: Sep 27, 2006, 02:20 pm »

Maybe not feet... but I've found that a well-timed back- (or shoulder, or neck, or hand) rub can save a long tech week from becoming too painful!

But really, what an assistant does depends hugely on the context. If you have a large cast or lots of split calls, turning over the sign-in sheet can free you up to be near the director, choreographer, musical director, etc. Likewise, having ASMs handle prop details lets you focus more on the onstage action.

I worked recently with a PSM who asked that all the stage managers keep one another up to date on EVERYTHING - sounds completely obvious, but if your ASMs are new (to stage management in general, to assisting, to this context, etc.) then stating it mildly can make a world of difference. Having assistants in rehearsal can double (or in your case, triple!) the eyes-and-ears you have to collect info. Use them to check in with the cast, designers and crew - are the actors happy? Do they need anything to streamline the rehearsal process? Do the designers need any additional info - details on the director's preference for a special cue, or an extra costume fitting? Does the crew need to schedule an extra work call? Your assistant can take care of smaller phone calls, while you keep your concentration on the action of rehearsal. After rehearsal, or on a break, you can swap/copy notes and keep track of how things are coming along, without anyone's work on the show being compromised.

Best of luck, and keep the SMN community posted on how the show goes!

Meg

184

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Resumes: Starting a cover letter

« on: Sep 20, 2006, 08:05 pm »

Hello all,

I'm nearing the time when cover letters become my life-line... and am very curious about your favorite way(s) to start and move through cover letters.

That's a little vague - this is what I really want to know: what, if any, stock phrases work for you? Do you keep a basic letter on file, and do minor modifications for each application? What level of familiarity do you use when you are sending the letter to someone you know from a previous job?

Thanks in advance -

Meg

185

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: ASM choice conflict

« on: Sep 18, 2006, 01:18 am »

I understand where you're coming from - I've worked as an intern on shows where the PSM wasn't given first choice of ASM, as an ASM where the SM had myself or no one, and as a SM on college shows where the choice was between one of two people I'd never met. It's a rough position to be put in, but can be fascinating as a learning process.

MatthewShiner has a good point; if you feel that you can make this a good learning experience for yourself (and, if possible, for Stu and others!) then I would encourage you to try agreeing to the assignment.

If, on the other hand, you feel that you would be putting yourself in danger - emotionally, socially, academically, or otherwise, or that you would be endangering friends/partners - then by all means, skip the TD and go to the Dean or campus mediators/counselors/Ombuds. If Stu's emails were threatening, then you should not be made to work with him, regardless of his requests. If you intend to go to the higher-ranking department folks, bringing this up is the probably most direct way to refuse to work with him (I'm not telling you that you should do this - but, should it come down to proof, then having copies of the emails would not hurt your case).  The other points you have listed, while strong in a social context, might not hold up as well in the Dean's office. I understand that this is personal information, and using it to affect changes in show assignments could be uncomfortable; please take it with a grain of salt and trust your instincts.

Best of luck, and keep the SMN posted on the outcome!

Meg

186

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What do you want to tell Actors???

« on: Sep 13, 2006, 10:27 am »

"I know you have a long rehearsal day - because I am here an hour before your call, and in all likelihood, will still be here for an hour after you are released."

187

SMNetwork Archives / Re: A Great Site

« on: Sep 10, 2006, 03:28 pm »

This looks fabulous - do you know how their shipping time is?

I really like that they have a note on the homepage about the new TSA regulations on liquids/creams...

188

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: dramaturg

« on: Sep 08, 2006, 02:29 am »

You might want to play with some of the theater history links at www.artslynx.org. I don't know what kind of digging you'll have to do, but it's my favorite first stop for theater-related historical research.

Best of luck,
Meg

189

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stagemanaging for High Schooler

« on: Aug 29, 2006, 02:26 am »

My first suggestion would be to take a look at a handful of the recent threads in this forum - there are a bunch of really interesting discussions that are still rolling along at full speed.

While I'm not familiar with Hofstra, my sister (a director/writer type) just started at Sarah Lawrence, and from what I can tell, it's a great program. They do not offer a BFA degree, tho.... they don't actually offer anything but the BA in Liberal Arts at the undergraduate level, if my info is right. Their conference system fascinates me though, since it's so student- and research-oriented (I'm assuming you've looked at how they structure their courses... please let me know if this is Greek to you...). From this vantage point, it looks like a perfect program if you want lots of flexibility and lots of writing. We'll see what kid sister says after she's gotten her footing for the year... I'll keep ya posted .

As far as preparing for a degree in SM, my vote would be to do everything you can, especially in high school. Learn to do every job in theater - from costume maintenance to acting to electrics to house management - it can only help you better understand what a SM does and can do. Even if you walk away from each job thinking "I should be SMing," you will also have a sense of what the person wearing those non-SM shoes needs from the SM, and that will make you a better SM on the next show.

Best of luck in your search, and keep the SMN posted!

megf

190

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: What DO we Do?

« on: Aug 20, 2006, 03:14 pm »

My first thoughts -

I was in a similar situation between my junior and senior years in high school. I SM'd the summer show; my friend, let's call her Laura, was the AD. The director, who was a "walk-on" from our sister school, asked that we take on technical/production and artistic responsibilities, respectively. This meant that I was in communication with the TD daily (we were all in the same building - I could step out of rehearsal and ask him questions mid-scene), tracked props, created most of the show-running paperwork, worked on all of the build and electrics calls, tracked purchases and rentals for the show, and called every performance. Would I say that I was, then, the Stage Manager? What I did on that show is more a mish-mash of Production Management and what I typically think of as (mostly...) the work of an ASM, with some Stage Manager duties sprinkled in. Laura handled the nitty-gritty of the cast - blocking notes, understudy rehearsals, scheduling conflicts, and when the director left the show (she had another gig) Laura gave me artistic notes re: cue placement during technical rehearsals, fed the cast lines and gave them acting/maintenance notes. (FYI: this was not a school that had "designers" per se - lighting, scenic and costume design were typically viewed as the joint responsibility of the Director, Stage Manager, TD and the lead crew folks)

Reading between the lines of your post, Kristina, it sounds like you are less than thrilled at the prospect of the AD taking on the responsibilities you listed. School theatre can be tricky this way... since you do have to shift from the (usually) level social ground to professional hierarchy mid-day, and changing that hierarchy around inevitably shifts the social playing field as well. What Laura and I found worked for us - we were in two academic classes while we did this show, so we had to switch between class-buddies and professional-colleagues mindsets A LOT - was sharing every little scrap of info we had, cross-referencing paperwork like crazy and being very clear with the cast about who they needed to go to for what. So, if a cast member was struggling with lines, they were *always* sent to Laura, and if they were afraid of a set piece or uncomfortable in their costume, they were *always* sent to me for a solution. At the beginning of the process, it felt really strange to not be feeding lines or dealing with actor issues, but by the end, we worked fabulously together - and had divvied up the work so that neither of us went nuts during the tech/dress period.

Rather than rattling on... I have two questions:

What are *all* of the things that you have done as SM in the past? The reason I ask is that sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in the on-your-feet part of the job, and dismiss the paperwork/planning - which is just as important.

Why not go out to lunch with the AD?

Hope all goes well - and keep the SMN posted!!

Meg

191

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Managing the World

« on: Aug 18, 2006, 06:28 pm »

Yes - often - at traffic lights, since they are so much a part of living almost anywhere in California, and also at a lot of stores. Lately I've had the time to do a little relaxed people-watching at Starbucks and Borders, and watching salespeople approach customers, or customers select a drink, one can usually sense the moment of "and... GO."

My favorite instance of this would have to be the new customer service rep at my local Borders bookstore... it's a ten-second "and," which is just endlessly endearing.

192

The Hardline / Re: What Colleges (Don't) Say About AEA?

« on: Jul 31, 2006, 03:29 pm »

My university sees a lot of discussion of AEA membership - many acting students in the undergrad and grad programs seem to view the card as their ticket into the professional world. Unfortunately, there are no courses that really focus on performing arts labor unions and associations. There are some stage manager-types (the school has no SM program...) who make AEA membership their first goal after graduation, but for the most part, those who want to get their cards wait a handful of years before joining EMC or contracting in.

nmno - I'm curious about what school you went to - I'm based in LA, about to finish my degree, and feel similarly about how the acting program is more film- and TV-oriented than strictly theater-oriented. The theater and film departments actually have very little crossover, but the techniques taught in the acting classes seem to me to line up more with what is demanded of film actors than not... for instance, projection is barely mentioned. Ever.

I have mixed feelings about schools promoting unions. I see nmno's point about universities pushing membership - and it does seem that it would be risky for a university program to advocate membership in a union rather than, say, a MFA/MA. It also surprises me when a higher-ed program *doesn't* educate students in the arts about the history of their craft - how can you get a liberal arts degree with a theater concentration, or a degree from a theater conservatory, without learning about Equity? One of my professors made it a point to encourage students in their junior year to write papers on AEA and IATSE, but by and large, the on-campus support for union knowledge is weak.

VSM, any thoughts? I'd be particularly interested in hearing your take on this... and of course, the thoughts of the SMN community as well!!

megf

193

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Finding work: Turnaround time

« on: Jul 28, 2006, 05:23 pm »

For the folks who are going to interviews: how much turnaround time do you expect/usually experience between first touching base with the person in charge of offering the job and actually sending in your answer to their offer?

For the folks who are interviewing/hiring: how much time do you typically allow or aim for between offer and needing to know?

I was recently surprised by how quickly a manager asked me to respond - 18 hours to decide whether the offer was something I was interested in taking - and would love to know what the SMN community consider to be standard practice.

Thanks!!

megf

194

Employment / Re: So...I want to go on tour

« on: Jul 26, 2006, 06:46 pm »

Wow! I started doing theater at CTC 13 years ago, and was back only last summer as a staff member at the Advanced Conservatory!! How's the summer program going? Summer Rep? That's so cool! Small world...

I have heard from a number of CTC company members over the years that the tours are fun - great opportunities to see the country, to move a show, etc. For a while I kicked around the idea of hopping into a SM job there upon graduating from college, but have found that musical theater suits my preferences more. I'm a Production Assistant for a national tour right now, and it's quite an experience - my first tour, first time traveling a show hundreds of miles (our move from rehearsals in NYC to our tech theater was 2,000+ miles... whew!), and first time working with the various performing arts labor unions in this setting. After being "brought up" in the hands-on CTC atmosphere Gina describes, it's a lot to adjust to - but I'm having tons of fun, and learning plenty!

Gina - I'll be in the SF Bay Area from July 29 thru August 5 - my kid sister is an Intern in Training 2 this year. Maybe we should find a moment to chat around the Festival of Plays?

megf

195

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Newbie at ASMing - would love some advice

« on: Jul 25, 2006, 11:46 am »

Quick and dirty - be the sweetest, kindest, nicest person you can be. It sounds like this is a great chance to show off how well you can work - not to mention how fast - and nothing shines more than a person who can keep calm and pleasant when the going gets rough. Even offering to get a bottle of water can help you brighten someone's day.

That said, my personal preference in fast production environments is to write down everything I can - better to take an extra three seconds to jot down a note than to take it on the fly and then forget/misinterpret. Small notebooks, steno pads, post-it notes, whatever works for you - I tend to wind up with a steno pad or folded bundle of papers tucked under my arm, or a smaller notebook tucked into my pocket/belt. I also like to make diagrams more than lists - they are easier to scan through, and can save you a lot of time if you are called on to explain "how it was this morning" to anyone, particularly non-management or crew types. I also agree with Mac - if you have any favorite shorthand or abbreviations that really work, do take advantage of them.

I would also recommend, if you have the luxury of getting into the space before things start rolling (that is, prior to your three-hour mark), that you check out the basic geography of the venue - bathrooms, first aid, telephones, dressing rooms  - particularly if you are expected to deal with mics, this will be important - and dangerous areas. It sounds like you will be doing a good portion of the scene change-y business, and of course the crowd-control backstage during the acts. Knowing what parts of the stage the talent can use before they go on will help you streamline things and keep people safe.

This sounds like an interesting project... and an exciting one! Let us know what your decision is...

Best,
megf