Messages

181

Tools of the Trade / Re: Line Note- POST ITS!

« on: Dec 09, 2007, 03:04 pm »

I try to get everyone in the stage management staff to use the same notation for missed lines in the script.  A circle for paraphrasing, and S shape for transposing (around the parts they switched around, almost like a circle, but shows which words misplaced which words).  A circle for added words (in between others).  A big "J" out to the side for Jumped, L for Called "Line", D for dropped.  I try not to tell them "what they actually said", but keep things to the actual script.  I don't do line notes all the time (though I find lately I've gotten directors who want them every day).  But if you have a joint "language" for stage managers, you can take turns who does the line notes, and if you're really lucky and have a spare person during a run through, that person can be writing down the line notes for people a page or two after you've turned the page, and you're nearly done by the end.

When doing them by myself, I tend to give people a page to themselves, using an Excel line chart that lists page number, a key for what they did (the same L, J, etc), and the correct line, with underline/bold of the correct words, and asterick if they added in things.  I've done the single-strip things in the past, but if there are very many line notes, it's a huge waste of paper I think.

When our line notes for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead were SO extensive, I started giving the boys gold stars at the bottom of the page for every time I erased one they'd corrected the next rehearsal.  That certainly helped their morale.

Erin

182

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Injured during tech?

« on: Dec 09, 2007, 02:54 pm »

While ASMing The Secret Garden, I was also in the prop shop during the day.  Three of us went out to pick real branches, etc, to use for set dressing.  Our prop master found a "really cool vine" and threw it on top of the others.  After unloading all of the branches back out of the van, we started to realize...that vine was poison ivy, which I now had itching all over my arms.  Once it moved up into my neck and face, the doctors gave me a Cortisone shot.  Itching reduced, but now I couldn't see across the stage.  Made for a rather scary tech when you're in charge of watching how everything's progressing backstage on a very technical show, but you can't see!  The other student with poison ivy (the asst set designer) gave me an ivy plant for opening, and my mother gave me a troll doll with little red dots she'd put all over it...

183

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: "Shadowing" Stage Managers?

« on: Dec 02, 2007, 05:24 pm »

I shadow whenever I can.  I don't think it's something "just" for students, for as David McGraw's recent survey showed, we ALL have different ways we call a show or set up our script.  I'm not trying to "scam a free ticket".  I really think learning continues your whole life.

Erin

184

The Hardline / Re: List of equity theatres

« on: Oct 17, 2007, 12:46 am »

If you're an Equity member, you can go to the Members Only portion of the AEA website, then search in the "Theatre Directory" on the left-hand side.  Their explanation/disclaimer is:

You may search our directory of Equity producing organizations by City, State, Agreement, or Keyword. Please note that the state information represents the business location of a producer, which may not always be the same as the location of a production. In addition, many commercial producers are listed under limited partnership or corporate names, which may not always be recognizable. The results are based on producing organizations active in the past 12 months.

Erin

185

The Hardline / Re: Guest Artist Agreements

« on: Sep 07, 2007, 03:22 pm »

Ah.  Just looked again.  It was Special Appearance, not Guest Artist.  (I rarely work those two - in fact have only done GA before, so get them confused.)

And it did bump up...by $60 for Tier II.  So, I think the company must've additionally bumped from Tier I to II, as it was roughly $100 my fee would've raised from what they originally quoted.

Thanks, though, Vernon.

Erin

186

The Hardline / Re: Guest Artist Agreements

« on: Sep 07, 2007, 12:31 pm »

But once the producer hires 3 AEA actors, they must hire an AEA SM as well.

Evidently not so.  I just got screwed out of a job because Equity just told the low-budget company I was going to work for that a) they'd raised my rate by $100/week, and then, Oh by the way, you don't really have to hire an AEA SM after all.  So they have 3 Equity actors contracts, and a non-union SM.

Erin

187

The Hardline / SMA - New York City CPR Training Class - Free for Members! Non-Members welcome

« on: Jul 17, 2007, 07:51 pm »

SMA New York City CPR Training Class - Free for Members! Non-Members welcome too!

The Stage Managers’ Association has coordinated with New York’s 
Bravest to provide a CPR training class for Stage Managers in the New 
York City Area.

Each Class is 1 hour and the N.Y.F.D. will provide an inflatible 
dummy, a training DVD, and a workbook for EACH participant to take 
home with them.  Please note that this is CPR training, and not a 
Certification class.

SMA Members will be able to attend this class for FREE. Non-Members 
can attend for $20.

SPECIAL OFFER:  For THIS EVENT ONLY Non-Members can join the SMA for 
the remainder of the year with a waiver of the $25 initiation Fee, 
and the $20 for the Event will be applied as your Membership Dues.   
So get a 6-Month Membership in the SMA (Renewable on Jan 1., 2008) 
and a CPR training class for only $20!

WHERE:   Studios 353
         353 West 48th Street (Between 8th & 9th Aves)
         Second Floor

WHEN:      Monday, July 30th, 2007
         4:30pm & 5:45pm

RSVP:      Send your Name & Desired class time to-
         nyc-cpr@stagemanagers.org
         [Please indicate membership status and intent to join]

~~ RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW, ONLY 20 PARTICIPANTS PER CLASS! ~~

188

Tools of the Trade / Re: Herbal Cigarettes and other tobacco substitutes

« on: Jun 01, 2007, 12:43 pm »

By the way, I saw that touring production of Sweet Charity - in Denver - that they talked about in the NY article.  I didn't see any "cloud of powder" come out, I just figured they hadn't lit it up per the new rules.  My boyfriend was on the local crew and at the time the show folks said it was the first they'd come across a no-smoking rule.

Erin

189

Tools of the Trade / Re: Herbal Cigarettes and other tobacco substitutes

« on: Jun 01, 2007, 01:56 am »

In every state that has smoking bans non-profit organizations are exempt.

Apparently not true - there's currently a lawsuit going on in Colorado with several nonprofit theatres that has not been able to reverse the legislation.  Currently no smoking anywhere public here - including theatres.

This was discussed earlier in this thread

Erin

190

The Hardline / SMA - Annual Meeting with Teleconference this year.

« on: May 20, 2007, 12:16 pm »

SMA Members should have already received this info by email (several times, in fact!), but just to let everyone know, we're having our first ever teleconference so that our entire membership has the opportunity to participate.  Members, please refer to your e-mail for info on how to call in.  And if you're attending in person, please RSVP to Cheryl by Sunday - and bring along your election ballot if you haven't already turned it in.  If you wish to participate in an amendment discussion (whether in person or via teleconference) please email Margie.

Erin
Co-Secretary, SMA
--
Dear SMA Member,

     Now is the time to RSVP for the Tuesday May 22nd Annual Meeting taking place in the AEA Council Room 165 West 46th Street, NYC, 10036 at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Light refreshments of sandwiches and soft drinks, juice and water will be served.

     Please pay attention to the RSVP instructions as they are a little different this time:

To RSVP that you will attend in person:
Contact Cheryl Mintz at cmintz AT mccarter.org by Sunday May 20th.  Put [SMA RSVP] in the subject line.  Thank you.

Please RSVP even if you think you might attend, so the proper amount of food can be ordered.

     If you wish to participate in the discussion of the amendments, regardless of whether you are calling into the meeting or attending in person, please contact Margie Price at margiepriceaea AT gmail.com to be included on the speakers list. Put [SMA SPEAKERS LIST] in the subject line and specify if you have a question or a comment about an amendment and specify which amendment.

     In addition to the speaker's list created in advance, we will pause briefly after every discussion to take new names for the speaker's list.  This way everyone will be assured of being recognized without creating chaos.

Other information for members calling in:
The Executive Board, and the tele-conference managers at Actors' Equity, strongly suggest that regional members plan to get together and call in from a speakerphone, because the more call-ins, the greater the chance of background noise.  It would also be helpful if you know how to mute your phone so that the local noise/sounds will not carry to the conference call until you wish to speak.
The Council Room is a roomy space and we have a place for all  who can make the trip to New York City.   To those who cannot attend in person, we appreciate your consideration of all the rules we have to create in order to make this tele-conference a success.  This is an exciting new chapter we are beginning. 

191

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Interesting request for performance reports...

« on: May 07, 2007, 10:33 pm »

When you double click to edit the spreadsheet, you can manipulate the size of the viewing window (like cropping).  Whatever is in the window when you go back to Word is what will be displayed...so if you scroll down to empty cells and close it, you'll only get empty cells.

Tried it.  I still get extraneous cells.  (and, everyone, LisaE is who I stole it from...)
Erin

192

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Interesting request for performance reports...

« on: May 07, 2007, 03:57 pm »

That sounds intriguing.  I've never embedded an Excel file into word...how do you do that?

Easiest answer is open the Office Assistant Helper and type "insert Excel" and go to the help topic it suggests for inserting an entire worksheet.  It's in the Insert Menu, then Object.  The program will open up Excel separately for you, and when you're finished with the changes, you just close out of that "sheet" and it saves it into Word (you double-click it from the Word document to open it again).  The only thing I haven't figured out is how to automatically size it to only show the cells I want....so I click on the "object" and then crop it in each side until I only see the cells I want.

Erin

193

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Interesting request for performance reports...

« on: May 07, 2007, 10:03 am »

I'm about 4 weeks into a run using a performance report in Word with an imbedded Excel sheet to do calculations for me.  I'm finding it a great combination.  (Stole it fair and square from another stage manager, and this is the first show I've used it on.)

Then I cut and paste the entire thing into an email (I do have to copy the excel part separately, Entourage doesn't like it all together), and also attach the original Word doc file.

Erin

194

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Who Runs the Tech?

« on: Apr 30, 2007, 11:33 pm »

I find that jumping to the "next section" for Q to Q - calling hold, telling them where we're jumping to getting everyone set up, and then starting back up again - often takes as much time if not more than just running straight through....unless you literally have 35 minutes between cues as I did for one show.

And if it's a show that tech simple - you may as well spend time on the acting onstage...you have eons to adjust the light cue looks around the actors (other than fade up/down times).

Erin

195

Tools of the Trade / Re: Vista and Microsoft 2007

« on: Apr 25, 2007, 08:11 am »

I will be avoiding any further Microsoft products. My current computer is a Dell, and I use Thunderbird, Firefox and Google for just about everything. In the next couple of months I will be switching over to Apple, I'm just sick and tired of Microsoft, and Vista doesn't make things much better, it's just pretty.

I just switched to a Mac about a month ago.  Thing is, you can't totally get rid of Microsoft these days - at least I can't...had to still get the Office products so I can do Word documents and Excel with others at the theatre.  Funny that those and my AOL instant messenger program (I dumped actual AOL a while ago, still using the free messenger) are about the only programs that ever crash on me...

Erin