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Messages - BayAreaSM

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196
Employment / Re: Websites
« on: Aug 14, 2012, 01:03 am »
I took a quick look and noticed that I couldn't view your resume on Mac with Firefox. It did work with Safari. Though the download option is a nice back up.

197
Besieged,

I understand how you feel. While I've had moments of absolutely ridiculous LD's (building/changing cues and placements during a preview while I'm calling the show...) and directors who don't seem to understand that I just need a moment to get the sequence right in my head, and I've had to take some personal time post show to vent/cry to get over it. The main thing to remember - this is not the end of the world. I know that sounds over dramatic, but think about it.

I've had a choreographer I worked with for years that was just as outrageous as your director. During tech, if he heard me call a Rail Cue he just knew I was calling it too early and nothing I did was ever right. Finally, on a particularly trying tech, I took a breath and asked him to tell me where he wanted the cue to go. So we did that. Then he complained that the Rail was too late. He did the same thing to when I called the deck shifts. So we tried his cue placement. Then those were too late. We took a break and when we came back, I offered this, "Let me call this sequence in it's entirety, then please give me notes afterward." I got through the sequence (being as quiet as possible so he wouldn't hear my Go's) and he said it was perfect. Now, it was the same way I called everything the first time - but I needed to just step back from the situation, take a breath, let him get all of his crazy out, and start over fresh. 

Truth be told, no one is going to die as the result of your sound cue or lighting cue placement being a half second off in the director's mind, the world will keep spinning, (the audience will never know), this show will close and another will open. I know it's hard to try to be Zen in techs like the one you're in, but you've got to do the best you can, apologize honestly for the cue not being exactly where the director wanted it and say you'll work harder to get it right next time. It is our job to uphold the director and designer's visions - and those people don't want to hear excuses because you aren't able to do things the way they want them. What you can do, after taking a breath and calming yourself is to say, "I'm not used to running the board and giving silent sound cues before, so this new style is taking some getting used to." You're not apologizing and you're not calling anyone out - you're stating a non-emotional fact. And, in the case of the actor flubbing a line, you could ask the director, "For this particular cue, what is more important - having the cue at the end of the line, or following this specific cue word?" Granted, that question could cause more frustration than it's worth - but if you feel it's wrong to step on an actor's line with a sound cue because the actor moved the cue word to the middle of the line instead of keeping it at the end,  then you may need to discuss this with the director. That may help the director see that the actors are also a part of the technical success of the show and his help is needed to facilitate.

Chin up, do the very best you can given your circumstances, breathe often and take nothing personally. 9 times out of 10, when opening comes, directors say the show was beautiful and everything was wonderful, even though you may have a laundry list of notes for yourself and the cast.

198
Tools of the Trade / Re: The ultimate binder
« on: Aug 10, 2012, 04:48 pm »
The only thing I don't like is the side label is SO small on the spine, so not sure how to make it stand out on the shelf.

I've found myself making P-Touch labels for my binders these days. One of those would probably fit, since you could adjust font size. Though I doubt that will help with the "stand out" problem.

199
Employment / Re: SM Typecasts
« on: Aug 08, 2012, 04:19 pm »
In college, I was pigeonholed (instead of typecast) into straight plays. Others were dance or musical/opera. We rarely crossed over, if at all.

Once I landed my gig at the ballet, I was always put on large cast Shakespeare (what isn't?) with musical/dance numbers or New Works Musicals. Though I think some truth is there with PMs/directors discovering you in one arena and continuing with you in the same vein. With the ballet on my resume, a New Works Festival always put me on their staged reading musicals, because I was good with music. With my staged reading experience, I was put on a staged reading with another company that sent their show from SF Bay to Washington DC. One of the actors in that show liked how I worked with the particular reading style of the production and has since hired me 4 times to do her company's staged readings.

Would any of you consider changing up your resume in order to seem less stereotyped? Downplay the classics in order to showcase your experience with musicals, for example.

Due to my shared professional life between being a season long PSM for ballet and spending my summers/random weekends working for "regular" theaters, my resume is half and half. When applying to "regular" theaters, I put those Shakespeare/straight play gigs at the top, with the dance at the bottom - and vise versa. Everything is still there, it just varies what I put on top.

200
The Green Room / Re: Reality Check
« on: Aug 07, 2012, 03:29 pm »
...and in the end, she didn't get the job.

Reality Bites.

201
When I was in college, I saw another classmate's calling script: she had her entire script in sheet protectors.

HOWEVER...

She had written her blocking notes on the script, and used post-its for the cues, then slid the script pages into the sheet protectors. It was the thickest script I'd ever seen (until I SM'd a workshop musical), and though I never asked, I believe her reasoning was that she didn't want her post-it cues to move/fall out.

I was blown away by the expense of all those sheet protectors, and the fact that she would have to keep pulling the pages out to write notes or move cues around. Personally, I felt it was a waste of money and personal time. I only use sheet protectors, like Maribeth, for commonly used items like show calendars, contact sheets and scene breakdowns - things I'm pulling out of my binder/tray constantly, since I want them to last.

For my script, I make my slip sheet (I'd actually never heard of this term before this thread - I just call it my blocking page) with the ground plan at the top and numbered lines underneath. I then photocopy the slip sheet to the backside of each script page (hear me out...), then reverse punch my script so that the text is on the left and the blocking is on the right. Then I make 50-100 extra one sided copies of the slip sheet, hole punch them and have them standing by. I use the numbered lines to correspond with the text as to where the blocking occurs, then put my cues on the left side of the text page. So, pretty similar to Maribeth, yet again. :)
If blocking changes too drastically (I've had directors want version A, B....G of a scene), I insert another slip sheet and paperclip it over the original. Same deal if a new page is issued, just insert the new page, clip it over the old one. It sounds nutty, but it works really well for me when workshopping shows. I never lose my old pages, and it's so easy to let the playwright or director know where things used to be when they get confused.

I do like the idea of the sheet protectors for line notes, but I would still prefer to do the short hand in my script to know what they missed and erase later, once again, like Maribeth.

It's good to know that I seem to know what I'm doing - since it's so similar to what others do.

Though lately, my calling scripts have been electronic - and sometimes I make a combo electronic script with blocking and cues (though mostly just for staged readings). When you have two scripts, there really isn't a worry of your blocking getting in the way of your cues.

202
The Green Room / What would you do?
« on: Jul 31, 2012, 02:54 am »
I'm in a bit of a personal dilemma in a professional setting. We've all heard the saying, "there's more drama backstage than there is onstage." This case is no different - and I'd like to know what you'd do, if you were in this situation.

Facts:
1. You are the resident PSM at ABC Company
2. You are close friends with the Costume Shop Supervisor at said company
3. You had been promised *new* Office A before you left for your summer break, which would accommodate you and your SM staff better
4. In the past, you had voiced that the C Shop Super should have  Office B, instead of the person who was put in it, as it makes sense based on proximity to the Costume Shop & Fitting Room
5. A new person is hired at ABC company and is given Office A, and you are told you cannot leave your current office. You are bummed and desperately trying to figure out how you are going to fit into your current office with your staff.
6. The person in Office B quits, and the office is available
7. To make it up to you, upper management offers you Office B
8. You are torn. The C Shop Super should have the office, but you desperately need the space.

What do you do?

203
Childcare is offered for audience members during performances, for a fee not to exceed the cost of a regular babysitter.

FREE childcare will be available for all members of the company, including Stage Management, during rehearsals and performances, in nearby sound proof rooms to each space.

204
The Hardline / Re: AEA MAternity Leave
« on: Jul 19, 2012, 07:24 pm »
Sorry to rehash this older topic, but since this is now extremely relevant to me, I thought I'd offer my insight.

Now perhaps it's not a US item to pay a percentage of income for maternity leave, but California has me covered.

Like I stated in my earlier post in this topic, I planned my baby for my off season. Granted, it doesn't work out that way for everyone, but I guess I lucked out and got pregnant on our first try. I finished my contract season on May 11, 2012 and went on unemployment, since I wasn't due to be labeled as "disabled by pregnancy" until May 27. I even took on another short staged reading that closed on May 24, so that cut into my unemployment pay. Then I went on state disability and off of unemployment, as my pregnancy would hinder me from working. My little one arrived a little over 2 weeks early, at which point I was on new schedule for disability: 6 weeks of healing. After those 6 weeks were up, I had the option to do my 6 weeks of bonding (FMLA) then, or at another time. Since I'm not scheduled to return to my contract work until August 20, I opted for my bonding weeks now. I've been paid by disability since May 27th, and I will end my FMLA pay for bonding when I return to work. (Though I am going to see if I can get my last 2 weeks of FMLA bonding back when my season is over. UPDATE: California FMLA does allow you to split up your bonding weeks as long as they fall within the baby's first year.)

Maybe this is just something special for California, but I am very grateful to receive my disability & FMLA pay to help offset these pediatrician bills before I go back to work and start earning again. And, because of my PSM residency, I will be bringing the little guy to work with me a few days a week. My job has even worked a way to find me a new office that has more space so that I can set up his pack n'play and not block the flow of traffic (my current office is a glorified hallway into the costume shop and fitting room). Granted, I am married and use my husband's insurance, and I literally scheduled my pregnancy around my company's season - and again maybe it's just in California, but making your own maternity leave is something that can be accomplished. It just is a bit unreasonable to expect your company to allow it when you've signed a single show or even season-long contract. If you were a permanent year-round employee, then it would be different.

205
Stage Management: Other / Re: first time SMing ballet
« on: Jul 19, 2012, 02:45 pm »
Beth - I'm curious to know how your first time SM'ing ballet went. What did your calling script look like? Did you enjoy working in ballet? Were there any things you wish we'd told you but we didn't? Do you have any advice for someone else calling ballet for their first time?

And, of course, would you do it again?



206
The Green Room / Re: 54 uses for Binder clips
« on: Jun 29, 2012, 11:27 pm »
Man, I thought I was unique when I was using medium binder clips to hold up my hair when hair ties and rubber bands were no where to be found.

207
The Green Room / Re: Gifts and thankyou cards
« on: Jun 25, 2012, 02:33 pm »
During my 6 years with a Shakespeare company, I was known for candy. I always provided candy in rehearsals, but once we got into tech, the candy stopped since my available time to go to Costco/Walgreens stopped. So for every opening night, I would provide each actor with their own individual hand-sized bag of candy.

Granted, that sounds generic - but each bag of candy was special. During rehearsals I'd take note during the breaks of who would eat what. Some people loved snickers more, others gobbled my chocolate covered altoids, and yet one particular actor loved my ice breakers sour mints. I'd pack each bag with a small variety of candy, but mostly their individual favorites. If the cast was large, I just gave the candy in small gift bags. If the cast were smaller, and generally more close-knit, there would a small token related to the show given with the candy, or sometimes the candy would be inside the token item. At least with the actors I worked with, they always appreciated the candy.

As far as for the design team, it was not a point of mine to give them anything. And I didn't receive anything in return - except one time a costume designer for a very long-running show made cards with her renderings on them for everyone. Those were really special. I tend to write a thank you card to the director, and for my SM team, I would give them gift cards based on what I picked up during rehearsals. Complaints about gas prices and how far away the theater was, the fact that they were always stopping for Starbucks before every rehearsal and tech, or they were almost finished with this particular book in a series and that they really wanted to buy the next one.... Just like the actors and their candy, I'd give each person a gift card that fit their particular wants.

208
Employment / Re: Following up on an application
« on: Jun 06, 2012, 03:19 pm »
As someone who hires assistants seasonally, here's what I recommend (to not tick off the potential employer).

1. Double check the posting to see if it says "No Phone Calls." If so, do NOT call to check on the status of your application. That will immediately put in the hiring person's mind that you do not follow directions.

2. Double check the posting to see if it says "Do not call/email to check on the status of your application." In other words, they are saying "Don't call us, we'll call you." Once again, if you do this when the posting says not to, they will know that you do not follow directions.

3. Keep in mind that if you saw this posting, so did others. There was one season where I had 75 applicants from all across the US for just one Production Assistant job. I had so many that I had to store them in an email folder and when I finally had free time, I started sorting through them.

4. Check out the theater's website and see if they are in tech/performance and see if you can figure out who you applied to. For PA's, they apply directly to me, the PSM, and if I'm in tech/performance, anything not show related is going to be put off until the show closes, or at least until after opening. If you're applying to the Production Manager, they should be free for a follow up after a show opens. If you're applying to Human Resources, be aware that they may want to run through qualified applicants with hiring staff (PM/TD/PSM, etc) before contacting potential hires.

5. Some companies only want to send out one email. As I said in #3, I didn't have time to answer each email with a "Thanks for applying, I received your materials, we'll be in touch." Instead, once I had time, my ASM and I went through all applicants, picked those that we wanted to interview, then contacted the rest letting them know that the interview process was already full and that we would keep their resumes for the next round of hiring.

6. If 1 & 2 above do NOT apply in your case, then I recommend either of the following:
    a) You can call to say "Hi, my name is xxxx and I wanted to make sure you received my resume and cover
        letter for the xxxx job posting I saw on xxxx." Depending on your email situation, you can add, "I've
        been having a bit of trouble with my attachments sending properly and I wanted to make sure you did
        receive them." (I personally have this problem with my work email.) There is also the option that your 
        email got caught in their Spam filter. You could say "Sometimes my emails get caught in Spam filters,
        since I use Yahoo (etc). I just wanted to make sure you did receive it."
    b) You can send an email stating the same items in (a), though if your original email got caught in Spam
         land, then odds are this one will too.

7. Don't be pushy. If they said they received it, they will get back to you when they are ready. If you are applying for a job and need to know by a certain date as to whether or not they are interested in you, keep that in mind and when you don't hear from them - move on.

209
Self-Promotion / Re: My 15 Seconds of Fame
« on: Jun 06, 2012, 01:16 pm »
My thoughts exactly re: his shoes. Great videos!

A few years back we had a newscaster who did something similar during our Nutcracker, but instead of him actually doing anything, (we actually had a dancer who looked very similar to the newscaster), there were several splices during the video using the professional dancer.

210
Still working through the book as well. My husband flew my parents in (surprise) for my baby shower this weekend, so there was no time for reading. However, this coming week I have my eyes on the prize.

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