Messages

211

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Sharing Paperwork with ASMs

« on: Aug 03, 2014, 04:56 pm »

Ugh . . . that would suck.

I would buy them word.  (Or at least license it for the rehearsal period)

212

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Sharing Paperwork with ASMs

« on: Aug 03, 2014, 02:31 pm »

I have never had an issue where the ASM doesn't have WORD

Drobox

And every sub folder has PDF folder internally

So there is

PROPS
and
PROPS/PDFS of DOCUMENTS

Everything sent out is as a PDF

213

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling Half-Hour

« on: Aug 01, 2014, 04:18 pm »

I feel like we have talked about it, but an 8:00pm show if it takes the cast three minutes to get to deck. . . I do my calls as such

7:30p Half-Hour
7:42pm 15 minutes until Places
7:52pm 5 minutes to Place  (Crew to places for headset check)
7:57pm places

If there is a hold, I push back 5 and places call only . . . unless for some reason I suspect it to be a very long hold.

214

The Hardline / Re: assigning Dance Captain

« on: Aug 01, 2014, 12:08 pm »

I have been this case before - what we did was assign an AEA and non-AEA Dance Captain. 

Painful, but works.

I have found that is best to let the producer do the final hiring of a dance captain and/or fight captain (suggest someone to them, based on input for director, choreographer, etc).  Since this is a contractual position with pay attached, you want to make sure the person doing the hiring has a say in it.  I have had dance / fight captains say yes to me, but negotiations with the general manager / producer fall apart - so we had to go on to another choice (most often to wanting more pay for the additional job duties.)

215

The Hardline / Re: Notes After Half Hour-Dance Captain Impunity?

« on: Jul 31, 2014, 07:29 pm »

A quick look of all the contracts I have worked on it – only the SPT disallows it.  (Some say specifically musical director, dance captain, fight captain and stage manager only can give notes).

So, apparently, the less you are paid, the more protection you get for half-hour.

I have always given notes during half-hour, but not for arty stuff - but, maybe things like a new prop in the show, a lighting instrument that is out, a wheelchair in the house which may effect an entrance . . . etc.

I think the cultural issue is AEA on AEA notes are somehow okay – weather it be a fight captain, dance captain or Stage Manager – as long as it is maintenance and not NEW material (the SPT contract has very specific rules about rehearsal that is for maintenance versus NEW material).

One of the reasons I love doing musicals is that there is so much more support – dance captain, music director, etc, etc . . . and during musicals, often, a dance captain may give notes or even rehearse DURING the show – especially for new split tracks, etc.

I think culturally, we are set up for that.  If someone had a problem with these notes after half-hour, I would look at the specifics of the contract and figure o the kosher way to get these notes out.

216

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsals: Giving line notes - a real novice question

« on: Jul 30, 2014, 05:57 pm »

Oh - PSMKay - Projection Scorpion - the code name for my current Data Base project is killing me already.

Ultimately, this is a tricky thing about line notes and who is on book and who is giving lines notes - and the team dynamics - ideally you have one sm on book and one sm taking line notes - but some staff sizes would limit that - even on my luxuriously large teams, I don't think that is the best use of resources, except for perhaps during a run.

I am worry about putting this all on to a computer - and here's my on my well worn soap box - a computer, by nature, and how we interact with it - is a multi-task machine - and putting someone with an open computer, you really have to fight staying focused on the task at hand (prompting / being on book / line notes). 

I think the easiest high tech way of taking line notes is open the script, highlight missed parts, and then cut and past into email.  Saving that script with a date.  I never want my assistants to put the WRONG thing they said, so, sending a note

HAMLET
To be or not to be

Should be enough to give the actor note where he messed up (And yes, I had an a Hamlet call for line after that . . . he really just screwed up his blocking, but being off in blocking made him screw up his lines)

217

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Call Times

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 12:08 pm »

I, for one, would get OUT of the habit of announcing the next days call prior to sending it out at the end of the day.

You might be able to tell the possible span, but a lot of the time, when you get to the end of the day, you might have to change the call - add a costume fitting, adjust someone's call - and then you have to think - wait, who did I tell when - and then have to contact them to tell them, "Hey, check the call - you are now coming in earlier".  I have fallen into the trap of actor saying "Oh, you told me 7:00p, so I didn't even check the call".

What I do say is "It looks like your call will be 6:00p, but check the call tonight to confirm."

It just ends all confusion by putting out one call sheet with all the calls, and gives you the freedom to make the best call possible.
Post Merge: Jul 28, 2014, 12:09 pmAnd - putting up a sign in sheet too early does lead to the problem of people signing in and leaving . . .

218

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsals: Giving line notes - a real novice question

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 07:59 am »

You should get in the habit of breaking down notes to the individual actor - and including the actors involved in one specific line note if it effected multiple people.

219

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Call Times

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 07:58 am »

The standard now seems to email the call when it's set, typically 12-hours prior to the call - some theaters also do a hotline where you call in, but many theaters are doing away with that.

Often when you get to show calls, unless there is something special with that call - a stage manager will do away with the specific daily call break down.

One may indeed be posted on the call board, but who is going to go to work to find out what time their call is - to come into work.

220

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

« on: Jul 16, 2014, 06:49 pm »

welcome back . . .

221

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling Software

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 10:46 pm »

I am planning the last day of the performance report to be the list of performers / crew on for that show.  So, there is a daily document of who did what that show.
Cast, conductor, SM, crew, and choir . . . Orchestra is orchestra (and will just mark the typical outages or subs . . . )

In the body of the report listing important changes / outages (first time a new mixer mixes the show, etc)

222

The Green Room / Re: SM Over The Head

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 06:57 pm »

But good on them for keeping him thru the various incarnations, because normally that person is left in the dust, bitter and muttering about fairness and opportunity.

Yes, but here is the one time it back fired on the producers . . . I think it's lesson to learn that sometimes the development PSM may not always make the best PSM in production.  So, if you get passed over on a production it might be good to remember this.

I think that's is also a good lesson that not every stage manager is right for every job.

223

The Green Room / Re: SM Over The Head

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 05:03 pm »

Sadly, the PM was not an AEA Stage Manager . . . and truly the size and scope of the budget would not easily allow another AEA contract due to money $$$ (not to mention the PM was filling in a lot of the SM duties over seeing the deck for a complicated show . . . )

Again, everything on this show was exasperated by too small of a theater (too young of a thetaer) trying to do something too large.

224

The Green Room / SM Over The Head

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 03:56 pm »

So, a recent situation has arisen . . . I am at a weird junction is that I know both sides of the story.

A PSM, let's call him Jake, was hired to do a new musical at a regional theater . . . and Jake has been with the show from workshop phases, for many years - long before a theater or the level at which the show was going to be producer.  Jake had put a lot of work into the show, and it was, in everyone's opinion, the right thing to let Jake continue with the show.

Very quickly the physical production grew - size and scope of the show - and Jake was very excited to be working on such a dynamic show.  Then the show hit tech, and it became very apparent that Jake was out of his element, and was in way over his head.

I know both Jake, the director and the production manager . . .

Jake felt like e could eventually handle it, but was just not picking it up and working as quickly (and thoroughly as the Production Manager would like) - and he was not able to call the show as precisely as the director would like.   Many options came up - do they let the SM go, bring in an more experienced SM to come over Jake, do they dumb down the show (make it easier to call)? 

There was a lot of pride in Jake's handling of the situation . . . he didn't ask for more help as the show grew, he was perhaps too stubborn in his dealings with people trying to help.  The production manager could also be at fault for knowing where the show was going production wise and allow Jake to continue on with the show.

How would you handle it if you where in this situation?

(Jake's situation played out okay  . . . the show was simplified a bit, and a lot of the tech time was eaten up by "calling rehearsal" - and a lot more dry tect time , and everyone is walking away a bit smarter . . . perhaps . . . )

225

Tools of the Trade / Re: Scheduling Software

« on: Jul 12, 2014, 03:34 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)