Messages

1906

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: calling cues

« on: Jun 18, 2007, 08:11 pm »

I write "LX 23"; say "electrics 23"

I write "Sound 48"; say "sound 48"

I write "Auto 12"; say "Automation 12" or "Auto 12" if I am pushed for time.

Usuaing with fly cues, I describe - but I don't call a lot of fly cues "Branches", "Lamps" in my current show.

1907

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SMing a Shakespeare

« on: Jun 13, 2007, 05:50 pm »

Stage managing shakespeare is like stage managing any other show . . . the difference is that shakespeare shows tend to have the following:

1) Larger Casts and/or more doubling
2) Period Costumes, Props, Sets
3) More attention to text (so, dialect work, accent work, vocal work, pronounciation)
4) Fights, Dance and Music

Do get too hung up on the fact it is "Shakespeare" and have it be a mental block for doing the show - let it be just a big show, and treat it as such.

(This from someone who seems to stage manage nothing but Shakespeare . . . )

1908

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Performance reports (split from The Hardline)

« on: Jun 13, 2007, 04:25 am »

in reagards to sickness and illness noting, I may have said this before, my new thing is to list things as "personal health concerns" if it is not worked related.  (Trying to keep my nose clean with laws.)

My performance reports go out to like 40 people, so saying someone is sick by saying they have a personal health concern is usually enough to report  (this way I am not revealing any private medical concerns).  But, if it is a work related injury, I go ahead and document "splinter to left index finger", "bruise right elbow", etc and note that an accident report was filled out.

1909

Employment / Re: Too Old

« on: Jun 13, 2007, 04:20 am »

but trust me, even if they don't ask you age, looking over a resume it's pretty obvious.

again, another good reason to leaves years off your resume.  IMHO

1910

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Does this happen alot

« on: Jun 12, 2007, 12:53 am »

Sadly in this business, it can happen a lot.

Until you have a contract in hand, nothing is written in stone - and even then - there is always an out.

Consider yourself luckly that you still have something.

1911

The Hardline / Re: performance reports

« on: Jun 12, 2007, 12:52 am »

There is no required list of paperwork.

Like a rehearsal report, that lists everything that comes up in rehearsal, the performance report is just the way of keeping track of run times, fixes needed, etc, etc.  I use it as an all purpose of paper trail.  (Wait until you are typing performance report #1872 for the same show . . . )

We have found it useful over the course of future seasons to look at understudies going, crew outage issues, etc, etc for data collecting.  It's nice to be able to say for 16 shows the light board operator was out sick, for 7 shows this equity actors was out due to this conflict, etc, etc.

1912

Employment / Re: Too Old

« on: Jun 11, 2007, 01:23 pm »

Although a very complicated job and one the benefits from someone who could be older, here are some reasons why a producer may opt for a younger stage manager.

1) A younger stage manager may put up with long hours, etc, easier.
2) A younger stage manager/less-experienced stage manager usually comes with a "can do" attitude and not be as jaded as older stage managers.
3) In my experience, a younger stage manager does not bill for as much overtime as a more experienced stage manager.
4) A less experienced stage manager can off be manipluated easier by a producer - especially one that is hired by the producer as a "favor" or given their card - there can be a strong sense of loyalty.
5) A less expereinced stage manager is cheaper then an expereinced one.

1913

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Problem Actor...

« on: Jun 11, 2007, 12:24 am »

It seems like there is something else up with this actress.  I find that often when there is troubled behavior in a performer - there is something else going on.  They are not making this a priority in their life.  I wouldn't be surprised if this actress was late to rehearsals, missed costume fittings, and was a bit of a problem from day one.  Was she upset by her casting?  Is there something going on between her and other cast members?  Was their issues between her and the director?

Personally, my style would never be one where I would demand the phone or the computer - I would tend to sit down and talk to the actor and ask what it is going on, and ask how I could possibly make it easier for her to make her entrances.  (For example, on my current show give size and length of the show - I do scene pages . . . announcing the next scene coming up.)  I think that if she is distracted by her computer and then a phone, even if you take these things away, she will find something else to be dsitracted by - a book, talking to another actor, staring at the monitor - you name it - I had an actor mis an entrance once because he was distracted by an atlas (He was looking at a map of the Ukraine).

As a last resort, do you have an asisstant who could go down and make sure she is on her way up?  In the end, any sort of interaction with the cast that causes MORE friction then currently there, can often start you do a path that will just continue to cause more friction.  I know it sounds passive, but I think in the end avoid confrentation as a FIRST step can have more a positive experienece. 

1914

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Jun 10, 2007, 12:45 am »

Are we speaking about condientiality clauses . . .

Yes, I have known shows to have these clauses, but in all cases I know about it was because of specific "magic" effects in the shows.  (I think for example the Ragtime magic trick at the top of Act 2 had a clause attached.)

I think in general, as an middle-management, it's best to keep you mouth shut in cases like this.  Especially if you might be involved in the suit.  (The only time I was involved in a law suit as a stage manager, I was informed by my lawyer NOT to discuss anything until I was actually questioned by lawyers - since I could have been part of the "party at fault" - in the end, the case was settled out of court).

Also, you get into a point where this is now this person's medical condition which by it's very nature is confidential. 

1915

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: set changes

« on: Jun 06, 2007, 04:46 pm »

It all depends on the play.

I work with a director where no matter how sexy a 30 second change is . . . it would be a no-go.

You have to feel the rhythm of the scene before, the rhythm of the scene afterwards. 

Basically, as an SM, you should know exactly how long the scene change needs to be (based upon the style of the piece, the rhythms of the scenes, the type of scene change, etc, etc.)  and should be discussed and planned from the beginning of pre-production.  (I often have myself or my staff work on the backstage run book starting the day we have our scenic meeting.) 

1916

The Hardline / Re: Tech Week Bumps II

« on: Jun 05, 2007, 06:23 pm »

http://www.paycheckcity.com/netpaycalc/netpaycalculator.asp

Paycheck calculator you can play around with.

One theatre I worked at gave the tech week bump up the week of pre-production - which was nice since you were setting up house, etc, etc, etc.

1917

Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies

« on: May 25, 2007, 10:56 pm »

Call Outs are located in drawing tools . . . it is basically a text box attached to a line, you place the line where ever you wish, and then place the text box.

1918

Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies

« on: May 25, 2007, 08:25 pm »

From my experience, either proofin at OCR document or typing it yourself; you end up learning the script inside and out.  I actually find tht typing it is a wee-bit faster, but I am a pretty quick typist - although, as everyone here can attest to, not the most acurate. 

I am lucky now, my script is typed for me by the artistic department.

1919

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Is this normal?

« on: May 25, 2007, 07:58 am »

Yep. 

It can always be like this as you continue in the business.  Somethings get better, somethings get worse, but as you stated, it's always wildly dependent on circumstances.

1920

Tools of the Trade / Re: [FAQ] Electronic Prompt Copies

« on: May 24, 2007, 07:04 pm »

Optical Character Recognition (I think)

What it does is read the document and convert the image of a letter to actual editable text - usually for input into a word processing program.