Messages

181

The Hardline / Re: AEA LORT COSTUME FITTINGS

« on: Sep 28, 2014, 02:03 pm »

Okay, I have received three answers from various LORT Business Reps, and none perfectly line up.

One says, the as long as the "Block" of costume fittings is consecutive to the rehearsal block, and all other break rules are followed you are fine.

One says, that ANY fitting that isn't immediately consecutive to the rehearsal block is billed as overtime.  But see below for the work around.

What I have proposed to my business rep, and he has tentatively agreed, has to do with the work week - and I think i's a fair compromise.

In the case of the 10:00a fitting, that last 30 minutes, we deduct the 30 minutes from both the work week and the seven hour pool.  No one disagrees with that.

Then the 90 minutes downtime we deduct from the work week hours.  This keeps some accountability for the long pause, and keeps a SM from doing it multiple times.

THE MORE EXTREME OPTION - which was proposed as a work around, but no business rep seems to want me to go to this extreme - would be for the 10:00a - 10:30a Costume to be scheduled as a two hour fitting - 10:00a - 12:00n (so it's now consecutive) - but oops, the fitting let out 90 minutes early.  In that scenario, you have just burned out 2 hours out of the week and 2 hours out of the pool of seven.

Confused . . . well, as I said, the rule seems to be written to be vague.

Still waiting for an official answer from my business rep team . . . but, we do agree that there are ways to do this without overtime.

182

The Hardline / Re: Recording rehearsals for designers

« on: Sep 28, 2014, 01:34 pm »

Yes, it is allowed on the LORT contract, and I think it's an amazing use of technology.  Being able to dry tech, or paper teching a complicated sequence off a video is great.  Also, for complicated sequences, being able to check blocking off the video tape is pretty good back up.

I think this is a positive thing, and I wish it was allowed on more contracts.

But, you need to check that it is allowed on your contract - the more lucrative contracts seem to allow it.

183

Introductions / Re: The Worst Questions

« on: Sep 25, 2014, 10:31 pm »

I like to say "I say go for a living" and leave it at that . . .

but the cocktail party answer I have is "I work in management of live entertainment events, on the production side, help facilitating the directors vision and mainting the show during the run."  Leave it at that.

184

The Hardline / Re: AEA LORT COSTUME FITTINGS

« on: Sep 25, 2014, 07:40 pm »

Not getting a clear answer from my business rep - - - seems to be an on going conversation . . . will let you know when I get a clear answer.

But, I think, from all my conversations is this is a deliberately vague rule to allow interpretation . . .

A gray area on purposes.

185

The Hardline / Re: AEA LORT COSTUME FITTINGS

« on: Sep 25, 2014, 02:19 pm »

What's tricky is full AEA company (but two), and an ensemble based show . . .

I asked this of 12 people privately, and go basically six different answers . . . its a vague area.

And - this seems to be a different readings of the rules based on the East Coast versus West Coast, as well, as individual business reps.  Vague rules are normally open to various interpretations . . . which is often good - this is getting tricky.

I don't think the union actors should bear the brunt of understaffed costume fittings or a designer's schedule . . . but I don't want to end up with a ruling that hinders production.

186

The Hardline / AEA LORT COSTUME FITTINGS

« on: Sep 25, 2014, 01:49 am »

I sent this to some people directly . . .

So, today, I went crazy, and realized I may have been doing something “wrong” per AEA.  And I wanted to see how you, the theaters you have worked at in the past, or your current theater deal with this particular issue.
 
I have a pending ruling with my current AEA business rep, who should remain nameless.
 
Issue – Costume Fittings

Contract LORT

Rule In Question:
(b) After the Beginning of Rehearsals.
In addition to rehearsal time, but within the maximum hours of the workweek as outlined in section (A), the Theatre may schedule a combined total of no more than seven hours for costume and/or photo and/or media calls per production.
 
Costume calls must be consecutive with the rehearsal hours as specified in section (A) and must be calculated in segments of no less than ˝ hour. Combined rehearsal and costume calls may reach a maximum of six consecutive hours without a break.
 
Current show:  I have a maximum rehearsal week of 42, with a work week of 45.
 
So, let’s just out line some important numbers . . .
 
I have 3 hours outside of rehearsal that count to the work week, these reset every week.

I have 7 hours for costume/photo/media calls per production.
 
The sentence that I am wrestling over is . . .

Costume calls must be consecutive with the rehearsal hours
 
I have always read that (and had a previous verbal ruling to back me up, from a business rep, who is no longer a business rep) as to mean all of the costume fittings scheduled prior to rehearsal, need to be consecutive to the call.  So, this rule would not allow you to do costume fittings from 8:00a – 10:00a and then do a rehearsal call from 3:00p to midnight.
 
 
So, for this example, let’s say the rehearsal day is 12:00n – 8:30p  (7 hours plus 1.5 hour break, the full amount allowed on a musical.)  Let us say for this example, the full cast is always called.
 
I get a request for 4, 30-minute costume fittings for Friday.
 
One reading of the rule would have me able to schedule
10:00a – 10:30, 10:30a – 11:00, 11:00 – 11:30a, 11:30a – 12:00n, and then rehearsal.  Since these costume fittings, as a group, are consecutive to the rehearsal hours, we are fine.  Each person would deduct 30 minutes from their “work week hours”, and 30 minutes from their “seven hours”.
 
The debate we got in today (and it doesn’t matter who the debate was with),  was as follows, “No . . . any fitting that is NOT right before the rehearsal, would be paid as over time”; so in my above example, the 10a, 10:30a, and 11a fittings would be paid as overtime.   Thus you can have only one costume fitting per day prior to the rehearsal.
 
How  do you deal with this – trying to serve the show, as well as being a good steward of the theater’s money?
 
My work around solution would be as following . . .
 
For the extreme example from my outline of the day would be - For the 10:00a – 10:30a fitting, we would deduct the 30 minutes from the work week, and the 30 minutes from their seven hours for press/fittings/etc.  And then the time between 10:30a and 12:00n – 90 minutes – we would deduct from their work week hours - so those get burned up.  (I feel pretty strongly it doesn’t come out rehearsal hours.)
 
Has anyone gone around about this? (and I am interested in west coast versus east coast in particular)
 

187

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Freelance

« on: Sep 23, 2014, 08:27 pm »

things are very different if you have a day job - sadly, SMing at a living wage and day jobs are hard to mesh.

188

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Freelance

« on: Sep 23, 2014, 07:04 pm »

Freelance sucks.

You get very clever about accepting work you either butt up shows, or allow a big enough gap you can fill a show.  (I chose the former).  I tend to look for a job when I start a new job, and have a hard ending date - but, currently, I am booked to 2016 (and possibly longer . . . depending on how some of these show fall).  You can also be a jerk, and double book yourself - which is my case - I have jobs lined up in case something falls through - but, they do know I may not be able to do it - it's tricky when you start working with commercial projects.

Most SMs, at the AEA level, are paid through normal payroll - so you just have any additional business/travel deductions - it gets tricky if you are paid a fee . . .

189

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Shadowing experience thank you gift

« on: Sep 18, 2014, 08:10 pm »

Shadowing is part of the professional experience.

I personally would feel awkward with a gift for that.  Especially something personal.

190

Introductions / Re: New & A Student at Ball State University

« on: Sep 17, 2014, 02:34 am »

Who the SM instructor at Ball nowadays?

191

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Professional Prompt Book for Audition

« on: Sep 17, 2014, 02:33 am »

This may seem a bit extreme, but is there any way you could give a description of what all of these documents are? Some of them are self-explanatory, but the majority I have never heard of.

Hmmmm.....

I wouldn't know where to start as I think those documents are pretty standard - although you may not have them for every show.

192

Employment / Re: "...interviewing locals only..."?!

« on: Sep 10, 2014, 11:55 pm »

What would you do if they asked you for an in person interview for a local job and you were out of town for a job?

Visiting a friend?

I live n NYC and have interviewed for jobs in NYC while I was in China, in a hospital in NJ, Boston, Chicago, etc, etc . . .

Sorry, I can do a phone/skype interview, I am currently out of town.  If they press for an in person meeting - well, then - then they have called your bluff and you should fly out there and meet with them (for seasonal work, I would be reluctant to hire ANYONE without spending some time in the room with them).

193

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSALS: Sweeney Todd Rehearsal Dilemma

« on: Sep 09, 2014, 11:47 pm »

and there is always the old standard - get the set piece in the hall - but would be difficult with the space I feel.

194

Employment / Re: "...interviewing locals only..."?!

« on: Sep 09, 2014, 11:45 pm »

Here's the thing - in this day and age, no one knows where you live really.

If you think are going into a situation where the housing is an issue - just leave off your address.

If they call you for an interview and you are out of town, you could always say "I am currently out of town on another job"

It's tricky, because location, is not a protected job category as far as discrimination, but still feels lousy.

195

The Hardline / Re: Play nice with other unions, or don't get involved?

« on: Sep 09, 2014, 11:42 pm »

The red flag is your boss told you not to do something and you did it.

The beef is between the union and the producer and not you.

There might have been other work-arounds other then go against your boss to get it done.

There might have been a bigger reason NOT to include the steward that you were not made privy to.