Messages

211

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Question about entrance and exit flow charts....

« on: Aug 14, 2008, 11:42 am »

I certainly don't mean to say that sarahbear should change the way she does things.  However, I wanted to point out for those of us who have not yet created our own systems that one standard in reading charts is that time flows from left to right.  If you look on financial graphs or scientific studies you'll see this everywhere.  I've found that putting the character names on the side (reading from top to bottom) and scenes/timings on the top (reading from left to right) helps others to understand my charts better. 

I have had wardrobe departments sing my praises upon getting a full entrance/exit chart.  They have blown it up to poster size and posted it in the laundry room to help decide which dresser needs to be where at what time during tech.  If you can add quick change notes to your chart, it's like a paper tech for wardrobe that you don't have to be at.

212

The Hardline / ASMs as understudies

« on: Aug 09, 2008, 12:56 pm »

The LORT rulebook says that in LORT-A theatres, the First Assistant may not act.  Does that also mean that the ASM (if there is only one) may not understudy?

213

Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPhone apps?

« on: Jul 24, 2008, 02:55 pm »

I got the Shakespeare app developed by Readdle.  I also downloaded Flashlight because I can't count the number of times I've used my iPhone as a flashlight in prop rooms.  The game Aurora Feint has nothing to do with theatre, but is very fun.  All of these are free.

214

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Help! Beastly show and actor!!!

« on: Jul 17, 2008, 08:50 pm »

As is usual, I agree with loebmtc on this one - it's clear your actor was trying to pick a fight in order to feel like she had accomplished something.  If that's what she needs to do in order for her performance to be as good as it can be, I'll stand there and take it, myself.  I'll agree with bbdanigrace in so far as it's better to walk away rather than launch an attack yourself; and maybe on this night, it was too difficult to keep calm and listen to her. 

If someone of low experience is trying to give you a note (politespeak translation: screaming at you for being condescending), I think it's often useful to take the note and ask how you might improve.  That often disarms the screamer.

215

The Hardline / Re: Guest Artist Agreement

« on: Jul 17, 2008, 08:39 pm »

Essentially, that's correct, Jason.  Before I got my card, I worked on a non-union show in which the director really wanted his friend the AEA actor to play a particular part.  GA agreements are how that was worked out with Equity.

216

The Hardline / Re: LORT levels

« on: Jul 17, 2008, 08:37 pm »

How do some theatres have multiple LORT levels?

Usually, it's because the theatre has more than one stage, of significantly different sizes; or a touring/young audiences program kind-of-thing. 

217

Employment / in between work...

« on: Jul 10, 2008, 09:39 pm »

The '07-'08 season just ended for me, and I've lined up a great '08-'09 season; but it doesn't start for another six weeks.

I have put in for unemployment (naturally) but a six-week gap is longer than I've had before, and I feel like I should try and pick up some work.  However, all of my experience is in not-for-profit theatre, and I don't know how to look for work in other areas.  How do you get work with industrials, conventions, etc.?  I'd do a bar mitzvah at this point...

In the meantime, I plan on writing introduction letters to various LORT theatres, saying please keep me in mind when you begin planning the '09-'10 season.  Do you have other methods of creating work for yourselves?

218

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Aging in stage management (those late 20's)

« on: Jul 07, 2008, 10:50 am »

ljh: one of the best posts I've ever read on this forum.  Thanks for including all those great tips.  I vouch for each one of them!

219

The Hardline / Re: SF AEA Office to Close

« on: Jun 12, 2008, 09:56 pm »

What is Morgana Silverthorne going to do?  Is she just let go?

220

Employment / Re: Needing advice taking a job or not

« on: Jun 10, 2008, 02:59 pm »

While I agree with Chelley in principle, establishing your reputation in a new region is a delicate process.  There's no harm in asking, you might think; and usually, you'd be right.  If I were in your shoes, my decision as to whether to talk to Company A about Company B's conflicting better offer would be balanced by how much lead time there was for Company A to find a replacement for me; whether Company B's offer were an order of magnitude better than the Company A job; how connected the Company A people are to the theatrical establishment, and whether or not they hold a grudge.

Speaking from experience, it's a horrible feeling for Company A if they get left high and dry.  But if your job with Company A is something like sound board op for four shows a week for $100, and Company B's offer is something like an AEA position for a mainstage show at Manhattan Theatre Club, that might be worth bringing up with Company A; particularly if you have a reliable, skilled friend who can take your place at Company A.

All I'm saying is that as theatre workers, our reputation is so much more important than our resumes in terms of getting future work.  If you're trying to make a name for yourself in the cutthroat world of NYC theatre, I'd be extremely careful in making my first impressions if I were you.

221

Employment / Re: Written test for employment

« on: Jun 10, 2008, 02:50 pm »

In my limited experience, theatres connected to state-run schools come up with amazing hoops to jump through in their hiring process.  Most of it is behind the scenes for the applicant, and just a bunch of paperwork that the person doing the hiring makes their assistant do.  It's because the people responsible for making sure theatre hires are quality, don't have any notion of what we do.  If you know your job, any written test they give you ought to be a piece of cake no matter what format it's in, because the people writing the test don't have the skill set to do our jobs.

Don't sweat the test too much; it won't be an SAT. It probably won't be incredibly detailed.  I agree with smalltimeSM, check their inventory of equipment beforehand and brush up on any pieces that are unfamiliar to you (short of reading the owner's manual from front to back cover - just know what the capabilities of the boards are, etc.). 

I would suggest (because of the state-run school aspect) that you concentrate your preparation on SAFETY.  Review what you know of fire exits, earthquake procedures, OSHA rules, etc.

Good luck!

222

The Hardline / Re: Style

« on: Jun 08, 2008, 02:46 pm »

This discussion may end up being like driving on the highway - the speed you're driving is the "right" speed, everyone driving slower is clogging up traffic and everyone driving faster is FAR TOO DANGEROUS.

223

The Hardline / Re: Style

« on: Jun 07, 2008, 09:27 pm »

I took a show right after grad school that was fairly low-paying (very low paying when you factored in my commute to the theatre).  Their AEA contract specified some ridiculously low number of workweek hours - 29 hours or something.  Anyway, I told myself that I would work only the number of hours on the contract to compensate for the fact that it was so low-paying. 

However, the theatre really did not have its act together.  I didn't have any assistant; the TD was hired late; the director took on the sound design as well; props and costumes were "designed" by the shop mistress; our LD had conflicts with our tech schedule; and we had kids for crew.  I didn't get riled up about everything that wasn't getting done, because it wasn't my job to be their production manager. 

Needless to say, it ended up being the worst opening night of my life.  I was calling half the sound cues for the first time; the light board hadn't saved the last round of changes; the crew didn't have their scene changes choreographed right so they took forever.  At the end of the show, I curled up in a little ball under my calling desk and literally cried.  I promised myself then and there that I would never have that opening night experience again, no matter how hard I personally had to work.  I discovered that I have to do everything I can to make the show be as good as it can be, no matter how much I'm getting paid (or not getting paid, as the case may be).

That's me taking on my own workload, however.  I would never demand that a subordinate or assistant work as hard or as long as I did if it wasn't on their contract.  If they weren't available, or weren't capable, of doing quality work then I would take what I could on my own shoulders in order to make it adequate.  That's why I feel good assistants are an essential part of any stage management gig.

Thanks for starting this thread; I think it's an important topic.  Part of becoming a professional stage manager is discovering what your boundaries are.  Part of becoming a successful stage manager is in sticking to those boundaries and not letting yourself get exploited beyond them.

224

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: "Blood" cleaning techniques

« on: May 28, 2008, 08:19 pm »

For detergent-based blood (good idea, generally, for cleaning costumes) MAKE SURE that your actors don't have allergies.  If possible, if they don't have allergies, still start with hypo-allergenic detergent.  I love the blue-detergent idea, though, wish I'd tried that before!

For two show days; there's no way around it if you're using liquid blood, you need duplicate costumes.  Bring this up right now with your production team, because if they haven't been planning for it, this could be difficult to fix now.

You could also think about using non-liquid coloring on the clothing; the clothing piece is always "bloody" but just covered.  Say the character who's shot/stabbed/bitten wears a coat when stabbed; then removes the coat to get to the wound, and oh look! there's blood everywhere.

just some ideas...

225

Employment / Re: Needing advice taking a job or not

« on: May 27, 2008, 02:57 pm »

Caveat: I have no NYC experience.  There may be good NYC reasons to go against the advice I offer.

Take the job. It's only one month, and it does "get your foot in the door."  This company will be much more likely to talk to you about open positions in the future if you do a great job with the current offer.  Adding a NYC credit to your resume (even as sound op) will help you in future applications.  And, most important, maybe you can get a reference from this job that will connect you to other job offers.

If another job you want calls you up with an offer that conflicts, you just say how extremely sorry you are, but you are already committed to the other company.  You really hope that they call you when something else comes up.  This shows that you a) honor your commitments and b) are in demand, both impressions are vital to beginning a career in a new place.  Company B knows that you didn't leave Company A in the lurch, so they'll be more confident in hiring you in the future knowing that you won't leave Company B when Company C calls.

Hope this helps,