Messages

1996

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Starting a cover letter

« on: Oct 25, 2006, 09:42 am »

What I am saying is that not all people will be willing to share thier personal cover letter, as it is the first step of personal marketing.

There are plenty of web sites that can help you:

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/resume/Do_Cover_Letters_Really_Matter__20021115-1038.html?subtopic=Cover+Letters

http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/cletters.php

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverletters/

http://jobs.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/careerbytes/cbarticle.aspx?articleid=160&siteid=sep_gps_kw_cover_letters&sc_extcmp=gps_kw_cover_letters&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=9311821c77c7470a9715de1af2573b4d-215084483-XI-2

http://www.careercc.com/resumpr.shtml#Sally

http://www.collegegrad.com/coverletters/

Hopefully that is more of a help.

1997

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Starting a cover letter

« on: Oct 24, 2006, 11:06 pm »

I thought of posting my cover letter, but I am very proud of it, and it has evolved over the past seven years into something I don't want to share.  (How rude is that, I know.)  But in the end, the cover letter is part of getting a job, and in the end, I could be applying for the same jobs as some people on the list.

I think you can find many, many webpages that covers cover letters.

1998

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dialect Rehearsals

« on: Oct 24, 2006, 02:50 am »

Although you do not need to be in the rehearsal, I feellike you should be there to set up and make sure everyone arrives on time.

1999

The Hardline / Re: Fight Captain Selection

« on: Oct 22, 2006, 02:20 pm »

This may not be the case with this show, but how do you handle fight calls when there are a lot of fights (more than 15 minutes worth) to go through before half hour?

One, is ask for a concession from Equity through your general manager. 
Two, is to pay overtime for the extra time.
Three, is check with equity if you can use your weekly allotment of rehearsal hours to cover the extra fight time.  They may allow you to do - they are being generous in allowing you to use that time for other things . . . but it's something to check with.

I have always been able to get fight call done in 15 minutes, it's amazing once youare organized how quickly you can run through things.

2000

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Prompt Book Help

« on: Oct 18, 2006, 10:47 am »

I leave 1.5-2 inches usually.  But I write big.

2001

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor Calls

« on: Oct 16, 2006, 11:48 am »

I just feel like waiting until the house is handed over to you to call places creates a lull of 2-4 minutes where NOTHING is happening, and the audience can get a litlte fidigity.  I think it is always better to try to land the house being turned over to you and actors being ready to go at the same time.  I know it's always a bit of a crap shoot.

Idealy, I hang up with house management, start the pre-show announcements, do a final check in with my staff and then start the show, all pretty much one right after another.

I am also a fiend about starting on time. 

2002

The Hardline / Re: Fight Captain Selection

« on: Oct 15, 2006, 11:02 am »

Something interesting recently came up, and I never thought of this before.

Before you and the fight director finalize the decision about a fight captain, you should get your general manager involved as well.  There is a contractual issue involved, since they have to be ridered and paid extra on some contracts.  I never really thought of that as a major issue, but some actors could want to negotiate a fee LARGER then the minimum, or may have wording in their contract that may complicated matters.

Just remember if there is a contractual component, it's best to make sure those who have to write and sign the contract have a say in the matter as well.

2003

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Grad School vs Experience

« on: Oct 12, 2006, 09:57 am »

I'd have to say that I'm in the opposite camp...the "Don't waste your money because you start at the bottom anyway" camp.

On the flip side, I went from graduating at grad school to being a stage manager at a major regional theater because of the grad education, and I have never assiststed again.

It all depends on the top of the school, the type of student and where they are and where they want to go.

2004

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Running Tech, etc.

« on: Oct 11, 2006, 10:21 am »

Dry tech is usually the time for the deisgners to sit down with the SM to disucss cue placement - I find this is pretty much just a school thing, as in regional theatre I have never had one in my life.  It's a waste of the designers' time most of the time.

Running a tech is the HARDEST part of a stage manager's job.  It really is.  You need to balance so many people's needs, while being a strong advocate for the show.  I don't think it is a skill that is easily taught, and after doing this professionaly 18 years, I find my style still evolving.

Yes, you do want to keep things moving, but the goal is not to finish teching the show in record time.  No one will give you a reward for teching a show in the fastest amount of time.  Tech will take as long as tech will need to take.  Meet with your director and production manager and ask when you want to get a dress run in, and then schedule that in your mind, and divide the rest of the tech time up for the play.  Remember, opening sequences of acts will always take time.

I disagree with Mac Calder's opinion about desk fixes - if it is in terms of lighting, most likely he will need the actors there to light it.  I think there is a desire by a lot of young stage managers to say, "This is taking too long, we will come back and tech it later."  Yes, this is sometimes the answer - especially if there is something physically that needs to change with the production - but tech time is tech time, and that is why we have tech.  Being union, I am called pretty much the same amount of time the actors are called, so except when they are getting into costume, I don't have a lot of free time I can store up to use later.  Actors need to learn that this is a very time consuming process.  They got to rehearse for X amount of weeks, we now have a week for a lot of other people to do their jobs.  Same thing about running sequences over and over; I think it is best to have actors there . . . they are the ones setting the pace on stage, and their traffic pattern should be taken care of.

Keep everyone one focus at the job at hand and keep safety the number one priority.  Make sure you finish teching the show in time.  That is your job.

BUT . . . remember to have a light touch to everything.  You have been working for 10 hours with 5-10 voices in your headset, but most likely the actors have had it worse, sitting around for 10 hours with nothing to do.  I try to keep things light with a casual joke at break times, when holding for a light cue, engage the actors in quick conversation, and continually keeping them updated on what we are holding for.

2005

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor Calls

« on: Oct 09, 2006, 10:19 am »

being creatures of habit, is this reason I do my calls until places. 

If I call 5 minutes until top of show, and then call places 3 minutes later - I do have cast members who would go, WAIT, I HAVE TWO MORE MINUTES. 

2006

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Email Nightly SM Reports

« on: Oct 08, 2006, 09:04 pm »

All my reports and daily calls are titled specifically for people to sort

so current show

BeauxDC1006 = Beaux Daily Call October 6
BeauxPR1005 = Beauc Production Report October 5

Allows sorts to work very well.

2007

Employment / Re: Day Jobs? Yes or No

« on: Oct 06, 2006, 07:11 pm »

There comes a point when stage management becomes a full time plus job, I can't imagine SMing at the LORT level and having a job - I put in close to 60 hours a week during rehearsal.

Personally, when I am doing a job, I like to committ to 110%, so having an outside job always seems to interfer with the stage managing - so, I position myself so that if I took a SM job, I could support myself with that job only.  Once you make it a priority to make a living at this job, you figure out how to make it work.

2008

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Actor Calls

« on: Oct 06, 2006, 07:04 pm »

I do my call as thus

REAL TIME                                                  Page Announcement
-30 min until posted show time                      "Half-Hour Call"
-17 min until posted show time                      "15 minutes until places"
-7 min until posted show time                        "5 minutes until places; crew to headset"
-2 min until posted show time                        "Places"
* I will adjust the places call if I am anticipating a hold.  I will not call places until I can be reasonably assured we will start in 2 minutes.

2009

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Email Nightly SM Reports

« on: Oct 04, 2006, 10:56 pm »

With my department, we cut and paste into the body of the e-mail, and it seems to hold up - even with tables.  We have not had an issue in about two years.  We also attach the .doc file so that if people want to print out the pretty version (with show graphic, etc).

2010

Tools of the Trade / Re: Binder Spines - I need your feedback!

« on: Oct 03, 2006, 06:27 pm »

The answer is simple young grasshopper.

1)  Laminate it - it goes it really easy.

2) Use a metal ruler to guide it in.

(BUT - I am Laminate them all now.)