1831
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1832
The Hardline / Re: Musicals at an Opera House vs. AEA
« on: Mar 16, 2008, 08:03 pm »
AEA has juristrisction over English language musicals and plays, so if you are Equity and work either a English Language Musical or Play, it needs to be on a AEA contract.
It's about your relationship with the union, not the house nor the producer.
Now, it seems like the AGMA organization produced this musical, which may mean there was already some agreement.
It's about your relationship with the union, not the house nor the producer.
Now, it seems like the AGMA organization produced this musical, which may mean there was already some agreement.
1833
The Hardline / Re: Musicals at an Opera House vs. AEA
« on: Mar 16, 2008, 03:30 pm »
Basic answer, to be safe, would be no. You should check with Equity first.
1834
Tools of the Trade / Re: "Mylar" tape removal?
« on: Mar 11, 2008, 08:56 pm »
Have you tried something like goo gone?
1835
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Number Markers for dance?
« on: Mar 05, 2008, 04:29 pm »
I have used numbers from the hardware store designed for street address (big, metal, easily read, reflective).
Rope light can now be purchased at Target or Home Depot - very common. I have used gel over white rope light to mark center. Rope light does the added feature of of marking the edge of the stage.
Rope light can now be purchased at Target or Home Depot - very common. I have used gel over white rope light to mark center. Rope light does the added feature of of marking the edge of the stage.
1836
The Hardline / Re: Equity SMs: Running LX?
« on: Feb 28, 2008, 09:43 am »
Having the Equity SM running a light board is NOT SOP.
In fact, depending on the specific contract, it's a big a no-no.
On the other hand, it can be negotiated for an extra fee.
In fact, right out of grad school I took over a long running show on cabaret contract. It was a good money. On top of my regular salary, I was paid, I think, $150.00 more to run the light board (push go), and do up to 3 hours of maintenance on the show. (Otherwise I can contact an overhire). I was a sweet gig, and gave me a little extra money.
But it is not the SOP.
In fact, depending on the specific contract, it's a big a no-no.
On the other hand, it can be negotiated for an extra fee.
In fact, right out of grad school I took over a long running show on cabaret contract. It was a good money. On top of my regular salary, I was paid, I think, $150.00 more to run the light board (push go), and do up to 3 hours of maintenance on the show. (Otherwise I can contact an overhire). I was a sweet gig, and gave me a little extra money.
But it is not the SOP.
1837
Employment / Re: Seeking Stage Management Fellowship
« on: Jan 31, 2008, 05:22 pm »
Housing is either small studio or shared two-bedrooms on Capital Hill - within walking distance of the rehearsal hall, and a quick trip on the metro to either of the two theaters. Neighborhoods are about as safe as you can get in DC, with the note that living in the big city (well, semi-big city) always has some drawbacks.
Shoot me an e-mail at mshiner@shakespearetheatre.org with other questions.
Shoot me an e-mail at mshiner@shakespearetheatre.org with other questions.
1838
Employment / Re: Seeking Stage Management Fellowship
« on: Jan 30, 2008, 08:15 pm »
Touting my program at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
$150 a week, plus housing, working on main stage shows.
It's all classical theatre all the time, which is a downside. But big shows, big casts, automation, lots of fun toys, BUT you do have to work with me. (A huge downside, I know).
$150 a week, plus housing, working on main stage shows.
It's all classical theatre all the time, which is a downside. But big shows, big casts, automation, lots of fun toys, BUT you do have to work with me. (A huge downside, I know).
1839
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Cheap Rigging-ish
« on: Jan 28, 2008, 01:55 pm »
Olio drops are a possibility - rolling drops with a tube on the end that rolls up the drop as it goes up.
1840
The Hardline / Re: Do you agree with Equity representing Stage Managers
« on: Jan 27, 2008, 12:22 am »
Just by the size of what the union would be - I don't think an exclusive stage management union would have the collective bargaining power as being attached to other unions.
I would be intrigued to see how a stage manager would be represented by IATSE; I have never had anyone paint a scenario I would get behind.
Being in AEA I think it is not the worst thing on the planet. I feel our hours and working conditions are so closely tied with performers, that in the end - having stage managers being in the same union as the performers (AEA, AGVA, AGMA, etc, etc) makes sense. AEA is not the strongest union in the world, but I do think it serves the purpose.
I could see us getting in line with the Directors Guild - but again, I think we would lose power at that point.
I would be intrigued to see how a stage manager would be represented by IATSE; I have never had anyone paint a scenario I would get behind.
Being in AEA I think it is not the worst thing on the planet. I feel our hours and working conditions are so closely tied with performers, that in the end - having stage managers being in the same union as the performers (AEA, AGVA, AGMA, etc, etc) makes sense. AEA is not the strongest union in the world, but I do think it serves the purpose.
I could see us getting in line with the Directors Guild - but again, I think we would lose power at that point.
1841
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Director and Actor don't get along
« on: Jan 26, 2008, 05:59 pm »
I will kill for a show that only ran 2.5 hours plus intermission.
(Damn Shakespeare)
Having fired people the day before tech (twice in my career) let me tell you there is never an easy time, but the the day before tech seems to be a common time to do a firing.
(Damn Shakespeare)
Having fired people the day before tech (twice in my career) let me tell you there is never an easy time, but the the day before tech seems to be a common time to do a firing.
1842
The Hardline / Re: Too Soon to be equity?
« on: Jan 24, 2008, 06:15 pm »
The choice about going Equity or not is really a business decision on your end. Once you go Equity, there are options that will be shut off to you, but there will be options that are opened up to you. Going to New York with your Equity Card in hand may not be such a bad option, as getting your card in NYC can be a challenge.
Just know that once you get your card, you are competing for jobs with everyone else who has a card (from Broadway SMs to those with SPT experience) - so you just have to think about where you are going to fit into the job market and have a good plan to market yourself.
Just know that once you get your card, you are competing for jobs with everyone else who has a card (from Broadway SMs to those with SPT experience) - so you just have to think about where you are going to fit into the job market and have a good plan to market yourself.
1843
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: New Questions
« on: Jan 18, 2008, 12:46 am »
My Answers:
1) I think that getting a BFA is personal decision, as any educational choice. I think it truly depends on the program, your needs to get from where you are to where you need to get to. Remember, when you are going into Stage Management, you are prepping yourself to be a business of one, and you should get as much education and preparation you need to compete in a highly competitive field.
2) Stage Managers make as much as they want to make. It really depends on what level you want to work. If you are working non-equity you can make anything form nothing to $700 a week. If you work dance or opera, you can make a lot more. Working as an Equity Stage Manager, you can make anywhere from $0.00 a week (stupid Workshop contract) to $250 a week (some SPT contracts) to $1,000 a week (some LORT contracts) to over $2,000 a week (Broadway and production contracts).
You kind of have to figure out how much you want to work - I make about 30% over minimum on my contract and work 52 weeks a year. I probably work too much. It depends on if you want to freelance, be a resident stage manager somewhere, etc, etc. I would say professional stage managers make anywhere between $15,000 and $120,000 a year.
3) The job traditionally does not have a lot of stability, you are free lance worker - if depends on how hard you hustle for the next job. I hate freelancing, so I do make myself open to resident jobs where I work 52 weeks a year. Which is nice, but I am tied to one place, work on the same type of shows, and with the same people over and over. I would say a lot of stage managers, who freelance, work between 20 weeks and 45 weeks a year.
4) Down sides of the jobs. Well, money and stability can be part of the big picture.
You are always, in some way, looking for your not only your next job but your next career move.
I believe o be successful, you have to be prepared to take a job where it may take you - which may mean either touring or moving from gig to gig. I once spent 24 months where I was never "home" for more then 10 days at a time.
The hours are a big draw back - I work primarily in an high-end Regional theatre - and during rehearsal, I work about 70-80 hours a week, during tech I work about 90 hours, and once the show is up and running, I work anywhere between 40 and 60 hours a week. (And I do this about 52 weeks a year.)
Other things - it can be hard to have a personal life, especially when getting start in the business. Marriage and kids also present a difficult challenge.
Given the extra work a SM puts in on show, I find that it is really hard to hold down a day job when I am working on a show - others have made it worked . . . I never could. So, you often have to make do with what you are getting paid.
This job can eat up your life. (And that is if you are "successful" at it.) It slowly works into everything about you.
The job is terribly high stress - even when a show is up and running.
As you climb up the ladder, the job becomes more and more complex, being sort of the ultimate middle management position - balancing needs of administration/producers, artistic needs, artistic temperaments, stars - it all adds up. (Sometime I can tell you over drinks, when you are old enough, some tall, tall tales . . . .)
You end up being a fall guy a lot of times . . . taking the blame for things you have no control over, being yelled at for no apparent reason (Like it's my fault the actor showed up late? He knew the call. He is an adult.)
The whole job can be rather addictive, trying to get the next show show (or "high") and the bigger and better show (or "high"), and it can take over your life.
But in the end, there is no other job I would rather be doing.
Now, of course, if you were to ask about the up sides . . . .
1) I think that getting a BFA is personal decision, as any educational choice. I think it truly depends on the program, your needs to get from where you are to where you need to get to. Remember, when you are going into Stage Management, you are prepping yourself to be a business of one, and you should get as much education and preparation you need to compete in a highly competitive field.
2) Stage Managers make as much as they want to make. It really depends on what level you want to work. If you are working non-equity you can make anything form nothing to $700 a week. If you work dance or opera, you can make a lot more. Working as an Equity Stage Manager, you can make anywhere from $0.00 a week (stupid Workshop contract) to $250 a week (some SPT contracts) to $1,000 a week (some LORT contracts) to over $2,000 a week (Broadway and production contracts).
You kind of have to figure out how much you want to work - I make about 30% over minimum on my contract and work 52 weeks a year. I probably work too much. It depends on if you want to freelance, be a resident stage manager somewhere, etc, etc. I would say professional stage managers make anywhere between $15,000 and $120,000 a year.
3) The job traditionally does not have a lot of stability, you are free lance worker - if depends on how hard you hustle for the next job. I hate freelancing, so I do make myself open to resident jobs where I work 52 weeks a year. Which is nice, but I am tied to one place, work on the same type of shows, and with the same people over and over. I would say a lot of stage managers, who freelance, work between 20 weeks and 45 weeks a year.
4) Down sides of the jobs. Well, money and stability can be part of the big picture.
You are always, in some way, looking for your not only your next job but your next career move.
I believe o be successful, you have to be prepared to take a job where it may take you - which may mean either touring or moving from gig to gig. I once spent 24 months where I was never "home" for more then 10 days at a time.
The hours are a big draw back - I work primarily in an high-end Regional theatre - and during rehearsal, I work about 70-80 hours a week, during tech I work about 90 hours, and once the show is up and running, I work anywhere between 40 and 60 hours a week. (And I do this about 52 weeks a year.)
Other things - it can be hard to have a personal life, especially when getting start in the business. Marriage and kids also present a difficult challenge.
Given the extra work a SM puts in on show, I find that it is really hard to hold down a day job when I am working on a show - others have made it worked . . . I never could. So, you often have to make do with what you are getting paid.
This job can eat up your life. (And that is if you are "successful" at it.) It slowly works into everything about you.
The job is terribly high stress - even when a show is up and running.
As you climb up the ladder, the job becomes more and more complex, being sort of the ultimate middle management position - balancing needs of administration/producers, artistic needs, artistic temperaments, stars - it all adds up. (Sometime I can tell you over drinks, when you are old enough, some tall, tall tales . . . .)
You end up being a fall guy a lot of times . . . taking the blame for things you have no control over, being yelled at for no apparent reason (Like it's my fault the actor showed up late? He knew the call. He is an adult.)
The whole job can be rather addictive, trying to get the next show show (or "high") and the bigger and better show (or "high"), and it can take over your life.
But in the end, there is no other job I would rather be doing.
Now, of course, if you were to ask about the up sides . . . .
1844
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What to do with an actor behaving badly?
« on: Jan 11, 2008, 08:03 pm »
To explain how to deal with this situation, depends a lot on how you have managed this person up to this point. It's all about your personal management style.
You say this person has been 5 to 15 minutes to every call - has this been noted in the report? have you spoken to them about it? have you notified management above you about this situation? is your director pissed off about this - or is he the kind that doesn't mind someone arriving late.
As far as having booze on the breath . . . well, I have encounter actors who have NEVER performed sober, or at least without a quick drink before the show. As long as it is safe, it's hard to make a big stink about it unless there is something either in the contract or the theater's posted policies.
In the end, actors, like most employees, crave very specific boundaries - if you let an actor slide in late over and over, they are going to make a bad habit of it. Why not? No one seems to notice, no one seems to care, there is no repercussion. Why not have a drink or too before the show, the SM doesn't seem to mind bad behavior? Why not change blocking? It can just keep escalating.
Anyone in this business long enough will start to develop their own style in how to deal with things. I usually handle my cast with a light touch - I am jokey, I am not a total dictator, but I like people to know I run as tight a ship as I can - if an actor is a couple of minutes late, and we were holding for some other reason - then I am not going to make a big deal. If an actor is late and we are holding on him, I usually make a big deal asking if they alright, and say that mostly we were just worried about them - or, take a light jokey attitude like "12:00n or 12:05 - really, just show up around the call" - usually they get the message right away - they are being watched.
On the the second time, I will probably speak to them at the end of rehearsal, seeing what the root of the problem is - but treating it a lit more serious. (Is it transportation issues? Family issues? Whatever. You can learn a lot by a quick little heart to heart at the end of the day.)
On the third time, and rarely does it get to this point, I am handing them a written letter, and notifying upper management. Look, I was nice, I was stern and then I cutting to the point that this crap needs to be dealt with. (Usually upper management will chose to cc correspondence to the agent as well.) Usually step one works, but step two solves most tardiness issues. Rarely I am at level three.
Now as far as the drinking - was it once? Did it effect his work? Unless the director or upper management wanted me to step in on this issue, I would steer clear of it. Like I said, many actors have a casual relationship with booze. If this becomes a more serious issue, then it should be dealt with by upper management. Remember, you have to keep a working relationship with this actor for the run of the show - you could easily step into some awkward personal issues when dealing with booze and actors - and quite frankly, I think it's best to have stage managers dealing with issues that are might best left to professional psychologists.
Now it may sound like I avoiding the drinking issue, but I have dealt with this on MANY occasions and with little success. Often, the only time is to get upper management involved so they realize the professional consequences of the drinking.
Best of luck - but know that dealing with this issues are truly the core of stage management - typing a daily call, teching a show, calling a performance tend to be the easier parts of job - but the day to day management of the humans we work is the heart and soul of our job, and can easily separate the good ones from the bad ones.
- Matthew
You say this person has been 5 to 15 minutes to every call - has this been noted in the report? have you spoken to them about it? have you notified management above you about this situation? is your director pissed off about this - or is he the kind that doesn't mind someone arriving late.
As far as having booze on the breath . . . well, I have encounter actors who have NEVER performed sober, or at least without a quick drink before the show. As long as it is safe, it's hard to make a big stink about it unless there is something either in the contract or the theater's posted policies.
In the end, actors, like most employees, crave very specific boundaries - if you let an actor slide in late over and over, they are going to make a bad habit of it. Why not? No one seems to notice, no one seems to care, there is no repercussion. Why not have a drink or too before the show, the SM doesn't seem to mind bad behavior? Why not change blocking? It can just keep escalating.
Anyone in this business long enough will start to develop their own style in how to deal with things. I usually handle my cast with a light touch - I am jokey, I am not a total dictator, but I like people to know I run as tight a ship as I can - if an actor is a couple of minutes late, and we were holding for some other reason - then I am not going to make a big deal. If an actor is late and we are holding on him, I usually make a big deal asking if they alright, and say that mostly we were just worried about them - or, take a light jokey attitude like "12:00n or 12:05 - really, just show up around the call" - usually they get the message right away - they are being watched.
On the the second time, I will probably speak to them at the end of rehearsal, seeing what the root of the problem is - but treating it a lit more serious. (Is it transportation issues? Family issues? Whatever. You can learn a lot by a quick little heart to heart at the end of the day.)
On the third time, and rarely does it get to this point, I am handing them a written letter, and notifying upper management. Look, I was nice, I was stern and then I cutting to the point that this crap needs to be dealt with. (Usually upper management will chose to cc correspondence to the agent as well.) Usually step one works, but step two solves most tardiness issues. Rarely I am at level three.
Now as far as the drinking - was it once? Did it effect his work? Unless the director or upper management wanted me to step in on this issue, I would steer clear of it. Like I said, many actors have a casual relationship with booze. If this becomes a more serious issue, then it should be dealt with by upper management. Remember, you have to keep a working relationship with this actor for the run of the show - you could easily step into some awkward personal issues when dealing with booze and actors - and quite frankly, I think it's best to have stage managers dealing with issues that are might best left to professional psychologists.
Now it may sound like I avoiding the drinking issue, but I have dealt with this on MANY occasions and with little success. Often, the only time is to get upper management involved so they realize the professional consequences of the drinking.
Best of luck - but know that dealing with this issues are truly the core of stage management - typing a daily call, teching a show, calling a performance tend to be the easier parts of job - but the day to day management of the humans we work is the heart and soul of our job, and can easily separate the good ones from the bad ones.
- Matthew
1845
Employment / Re: Two sided resume?
« on: Jan 10, 2008, 01:07 pm »
like all advice here, take with a grain of salt.
I would say, yes, your resume should be one page, you can have a second for references - that would be true for most 80% of the people who read this list.
Applying for a resident position, teaching position, or perhaps a position that is more then just your average show - going to a second page might not be such a bad idea.
One sided is best.
I would say, yes, your resume should be one page, you can have a second for references - that would be true for most 80% of the people who read this list.
Applying for a resident position, teaching position, or perhaps a position that is more then just your average show - going to a second page might not be such a bad idea.
One sided is best.