Messages

196

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

« on: Sep 09, 2014, 02:03 pm »

Stage Management is tough in that you're middle management in what can sometimes be a polarizing labor environment.  It's good business on your part to toe the company line (in this case, to the degree that is ethically sensible); but from a practical sense you also need to get the show up every day, which involves working very closely with folks whose direct job requirements don't necessarily require a symbiotic relationship with upper management.  That isn't meant to be condescending, this is obviously a familiar concept from reading your post. 

If you were challenged by management as to why you did an end-around and gave the information to the IA Steward, what would you have said?  I probably would have asked the producer for his/her proposal to hold a successful tech rehearsal without IA knowing when said rehearsal was scheduled...

I think you walked the fine line between management and staff about as well as you can in this situation.

197

The Hardline / Re: Choosing your team?

« on: Sep 09, 2014, 01:51 pm »

Sorry if this is a cop-out answer - last year you had two DSMs and (presumably, based on your post) were able to delegate each to a particular show.  This year, one DSM will (again, presumably) take on more of both roles.  Have you given any consideration to who is the better "juggler"?

198

Tools of the Trade / Typ.io - Font Matching

« on: Aug 18, 2014, 03:53 pm »

Typ.io recommends different font combinations that go well together aesthetically.  Another way to give your paperwork or website an extra design touch!

Typ.io: Fonts that go together

Originally seen on Lifehacker

199

The Green Room / Re: How to be a good stage manager?

« on: Aug 15, 2014, 06:40 am »

It's a wiki, y'all. The last edit to that page was 8 days ago. This thread is 7 days old. Qwitcher[bleep]in and go fix it if you don't like it. The illustrations are lovely and the instructions are a good start for a community theatre SM who's been thrown into the position unprepared.

The edit should just replace the text with a link to this forum!

200

The Green Room / Re: How to be a good stage manager?

« on: Aug 08, 2014, 01:38 pm »

They also exist for every profession, so we probably shouldn't take too much offense.  I'm sure many nurses would balk at the "how to be a good nurse" wikihow... 

201

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CALLING: Projections...how do you call it?

« on: Jul 22, 2014, 10:35 am »

Just like the rest of my calls, I reduce the number of syllables as much as possible.

Projections = Slide

Honest question - how does that translate in an educational setting?  Slide projectors have been obsolete since before you and your peers were born.

202

Stage Management: Other / Re: Shipping a Marley Floor

« on: Jul 21, 2014, 03:37 pm »

It does sound like you're on the right track in terms of shipping, but at this point I am questioning if it'd be easier/cheaper to rent a dance floor locally in Little Rock?

203

Stage Management: Other / Re: Shipping a Marley Floor

« on: Jul 18, 2014, 09:18 am »

Hello EzBrEzPSM,

One role I used to fill for my employer was that of Logistics Manager, so hopefully I will be able to help a bit, but need more information.

How many rolls?  How far are you having it shipped?  How fast does it need to get there?  Do you have road cases or anything available for protection?  Where are you located?

In terms of shipment prep, outside of road cases I can't really think of a fail-safe way of providing some protection.  You could also build cases out of wood.

One challenge with vinyl flooring is the rolls are typically larger than a 48x48 pallet, which can make LTL (Less than Truckload) shipments risky.  You don't want things bumping up against the rolls, especially the edges, as it could damage the flooring.  If you have road cases (which I doubt as by asking this question it doesn't seem your company is tooled for touring) then throw them on an LTL shipment and you're set.  With LTL shipments your freight is consolidated with other LTL shipments.  If you're shipping less than 10 pallets, LTL is usually cheapest.  LTL will also take the longest, as your freight will go between depots or distribution centers for consolidation. 

If you have enough rolls it may be cheaper to do an FTL (Full Truckload) shipment.  I doubt you are shipping that much, but important to differentiate between FTL and LTL shipments.  In this case your freight has a dedicated trailer, nothing else is on it and therefor you mitigate the risk of damage.  You don't necessarily need to have a FULL truckload for an FTL shipment to be the best option.  With LTL the cost is increased a bit as there is more work involved for the carrier with LTL.  If you have half a third trailer load or more you may find FTL to be a better option both financially and operationally. 

Both FTL and LTL would be for non local shipments.  If you're staying in the same region, check regional freight lines as they're usually cheaper than the national carriers.  If you're staying very local (~3 hour drive) you should look into a local courier or delivery service.  They'll have box trucks that could be dedicated to your freight.

One final note, and not to directly contradict Nick below - but UPS and FedEx freight are usually considerably more expensive than a trucking line.  That said, they're definitely viable options and can get the job done.

204

Introductions / Re: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

« on: Jul 16, 2014, 07:52 pm »

Like a fine wine...

Welcome.

205

The Green Room / Re: Mini-rant: This Voicemail Box Is Full

« on: Jul 15, 2014, 03:42 pm »

I've had this frustration with a subcontractor that I've hired for different jobs.  Honestly, his phone works fine and he has voicemail set up - he just ignores it.  He winds up not getting as many calls for work from me because of the difficulty in communicating.  His loss!

206

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling Software

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 09:59 pm »

WOW!

KMC - thanks . . . this maybe an answer - I will play along with.

(The reason why database came up - my husband is a data base manager . . . it's his answer for everything)

No worries - happy to help.  In my life after stage management I do a LOT with Excel, a fair amount of it being on the financial side.  I've learned a lot of formulas as a means of analysis and time saving.

Still trying to think of an elegant way to tackle the payroll thing.  I have a couple in mind, but both require a good bit of manual effort still.  Ideally I think you'd like to be able to send the accounting folks one list per pay period that has the names and number of days worked.

207

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling Software

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 10:23 am »

On second thought, pivot tables may be a better option to accomplish this than my last suggestion of VLOOKUP.  It can be done with one tab containing your raw data set as a "named range".  I've called mine "ChoirList".  From there, add separate tabs for each discipline.

Example, sign in sheet for the mass choir call - you can select the "choir group" from a drop down menu, and your sign in sheet is populated with the names of those in that group.

For wardrobe, you select the "choir group" and a list of robe sizes and quantities is populated so they know exactly what's required for that show. 

You can manipulate the data any number of ways doing this, and for any number of disciplines - you could even create a contact sheet for that night's show based on the choir groupings. 

It takes some work to get it going, but once you do disseminating information for that night's rehearsal or show takes about 2 minutes.

Here's a very basic example. 

Disclaimer - this is very much FUNCTION over form    I put this together in about 10 minutes over morning coffee, please go easy on the formatting

208

Introductions / Re: From the console to the stage

« on: Jul 07, 2014, 08:42 am »

Welcome!

209

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsal Room 101

« on: Jun 30, 2014, 08:44 am »

If the visitors are new to the rehearsal process in general it may be helpful to include a short blurb about why the below rules are important, explaining that the rehearsal room is the sanctuary for the creative process, and in order to foster that environment we must ask the following.

Also, you mention students and younger visitors.  May be worth moving cell phones to silent to the top of the list, and even including it twice...

210

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PRE-PRODUCTION: Noises Off! How to be Prepared?

« on: Jun 23, 2014, 08:59 am »

Hey Delia...Our local community theater is going to be doing this play, Noises Off, in the fall and I do the lights and sound for the club...Can you please tell me what sounds, etc..I should be preparing to have ready come rehearsal time...I have 4 plays to get ready for and I like to start early getting ready with no surprises.....Thank you very much

The sound effects / foleys used for the show should come from your sound designer.  In terms of rehearsal props/effects, the best way to gather this list would be to give the script a good read through yourself (you should be doing this anyway, I hope) prior to rehearsal and have a discussion with the Director about what s/he expects to have available in the rehearsal room.  From there you can coordinate with the various creative departments to make these resources available.

As a general note, the community here is very willing to help you, offer advice, suggestions, etc. - what we're not willing to do is to complete your work for you.  You may find better response in the future by asking a question like "Noises Off - in your experience, what are some key things the director is likely to ask for in rehearsal?" as opposed to "What is a list of sound effects I need for rehearsal?".

Seeing as this is your first post, the staff would encourage you to introduce yourself on the Introduction board as well as read through our community standards.  Welcome and happy posting!