Messages

226

Tools of the Trade / Re: Information access barriers

« on: Mar 08, 2011, 04:40 pm »

Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is Facebook.

I just did a show where the director made a Facebook group and invited all of the actors, designers, etc. We didn't use it for anything official- the cast posted research they found, videos/songs that they thought summed up their characters, cast party info, stuff like that.  The group was private, you had to be invited to see it.  I had actually never been in a Facebook group before this, it's pretty neat- you get a bar with the group name in the left-hand column on your home page, and it has the little number next to it if there are new posts. You can also get email notifications when something new is posted, but that would depend on the individual user's email settings.

I don't know how useful it would be for distributing actual rehearsal reports, but for updating the cast with announcements, designers uploading research or process photos, stuff like that- I think it could work. Especially since nearly everyone these days has a Facebook already, the registration/log-in process is nonexistent, and they are already used to checking it frequently. For those who have Facebook updates sent to their phones, they would get a notification every time you posted a new announcement in the group. Setting up the group & inviting the members is super easy from an admin standpoint, as well- no code, no domain name, nothing to maintain, nothing to pay for, etc.

227

Tools of the Trade / Re: Information access barriers

« on: Mar 08, 2011, 12:14 pm »

I agree with Chris- if we're talking about a website used to distribute information to members of a specific show/company (actors, production staff) and not a website aimed at the public (like the theatre's actual website) then it's the registering, not the logging in, that is the barrier.  The less information you have to provide, the better- just your email address & a password you set should be all you need to access a calendar or announcements. Even better, I think, would be a completely generic login they are given at the first rehearsal- the entire cast of A Chorus Line logs in with the username "actor" and the password "achorusline," for example.

228

Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPhone apps?

« on: Mar 07, 2011, 12:57 am »

I got an iphone for Christmas, and now that I've run one show completely using it, I feel like I can weigh in with which apps I have found most useful-

Todo List
I really like this app- I did my preshow & postshow lists with it (hard copies in the book, of course) and LOVED it. It wasn't free ($1.99 maybe?) but totally worth the price tag, I think.  You can keep multiple lists (I had one for preshow & one for postshow), and within the list you can make notes on individual tasks, color code, and sort by priority (I divided my preset list in half- "preset before house open" and "preset after house open"). I just check off the tasks as I go, and they don't get deleted- they just move down to a separate "completed tasks" section, so then when it's time to start preshow the next day I go back in and uncheck all the little boxes, and voila! So much easier than lugging around a clipboard, using a laminator, etc. Greener, too!

Time Adder
I read this thread & got the time adder app, and I've used it pretty regularly to add up overtime hours & to give a rough estimate of a run time when we've blocked scenes individually but haven't actually run the show yet. Pretty useful.

HeyTell
Basically it turns your phone into a walkie-talkie. You record a message by holding the button & speaking, and it pops up on the other person's screen like a text message alert; they can listen to the message by just clicking on it. It's faster than typing out a text message. The rest of the SM team at my theatre discovered it during the prep for the first tech of a show where we were all scrambling around trying to get props moved form the rehearsal room to backstage and sorted out & such, and it was really useful. Use the iphone headphones with the little microphone & you're like a secret agent, I swear. Also a free app.

ShopShop
Not strictly a stage management app, but I probably use it more frequently than any other app. It's a grocery list app- you can keep multiple lists (I have one for groceries and one for everything else) and every item you type into the list is saved in a master database. You can go in and edit out one-time purchases, but then it makes typing in a grocery list really easy, because everything you buy on a regular basis is already saved. I am prone to forgetting what I needed to buy by the time I actually make it to the grocery store, so this way I just have a constant grocery list going & I add things as I think of them. Best of all, it was free!

229

Employment / Re: Pictures

« on: Mar 02, 2011, 12:44 am »

I've had a couple of companies I've applied to ask for a headshot- some with the initial application and some once I'd been hired (for the program/lobby board).  My avatar is the picture I use for that, as well as for my user pic on LinkedIn, etc.  It was taken by a friend who, while by no means a professional photographer, is very good with a camera & had taken headshots for a couple actor-friends of mine.

I've done Job Contact at SETC & UPTA, and a lot of people that I interviewed with at these big conferences would ask if I minded if they took a photo of me- they interview upwards of 100 candidates over a couple of days and then have to go away to make further hiring decisions, and putting a face to the resume is helpful in the process.  Maybe these companies asking for photos with the application are doing the same thing- not to judge the candidate by appearance (although I think that subconsciously it's unavoidable...) but just to connect a face to the resume or voice on the phone.

I definitely wouldn't ignore the request- no matter their reason for asking for one, all it says to the potential employer is "I don't follow instructions well."

230

The Green Room / Re: Do you add a personal touch to your booth?

« on: Feb 26, 2011, 11:19 am »

I have Cue, the headset duckie who tours with me to ever booth.  He's adorable.

I actually saw your blog a few months ago about the rubber duck, and bought one for the rest of the SM team at my theatre for Christmas, so now all 3 of us have matching Headseat Duck booth buddies!

231

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SAFETY: Open Flame on Stage

« on: Feb 25, 2011, 11:30 pm »

My feeling is that this is an issue that either the production manager or the technical director would handle.

232

The Green Room / Re: Two Dopey, But Obvious, Questions

« on: Feb 05, 2011, 01:14 am »

1) I was on the wardrobe crew for a production of Metamorphoses my freshman year of college, and it is still one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of theatre I have ever seen. I would have given my left arm to stage manage that show. The lighting was gorgeous, the costumes were gorgeous, the set was a freakin pool I mean come on!, the cast was wonderful, and it was directed by my favorite director that I worked with in school. I think it sticks out in my mind because I was fresh out of high school and had never seen anything like that before, but since then I have seen a lot of beautiful theatre, a lot of moving theatre, and nothing has struck me like Metamorphoses did.

2) I would love to do Noises Off! I'm a big fan of farce, and metatheatre. I would also kill for Spring Awakening, the musical version.

233

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Preset before performance

« on: Feb 01, 2011, 01:25 pm »

My preshow list is longer than most, I think, because I am the only crewmember on my show- I am the light & sound board op, and there's no run crew backstage, so my preshow also includes turning on sound equipment, sweeping & mopping the deck, prepping food, etc. I have a hard copy of the list in my book, but I got an iphone for Christmas and I've been using a to-do list app as a checklist for pre- & post- show duties, and it's been really helpful not having to carry a clipboard around while I do my presets.

234

Homework Help / Re: Deadline February 1, 2011: Stage Mangement

« on: Jan 24, 2011, 12:28 am »

Getting to Yes- it's about peaceful conflict resolution and 3rd party negotiation/mediation. It's geared towards spousal disputes, employer/employee disputes, etc. but it's 100% applicable to actor/actor or director/designer or whatever combination.

235

The Green Room / Re: Just a reminder . . .

« on: Jan 17, 2011, 10:52 pm »

My darling father, who is a genius in so many ways, has a harder time understanding theatre than almost anyone else that I've met.  I've been explaining things to him for over 10 years now, and still he occasionally asks, "Okay.  So what's the difference between the lighting designer and all the other designers again?"  I don't really know what to do with him.

Every time I see him, he asks me whether or not I've become a director yet.  When I tell him that I don't WANT to be a director, I'm a stage manager and a board programmer (lighting and projections), he is completely bewildered.  In his mind, the director is the very top of the food chain, and the ultimate goal of everyone in theatre is to become one.  I think the reason for this is twofold.  First, the movie world teaches us that the "best" people (the ones whose names everyone knows) are the actors and big-time directors.  The director is "the boss".  Second, my dad is a Lt. Col in the army, so his world is very hierarchical - he doesn't seem to comprehend the idea that in theatre, one designer isn't necessarily better than another, and the director isn't the top rung on the ladder.

Similarly, he frequently asks, "So why aren't you working on Broadway yet?"  To him, Broadway is the ultimate goal for theatre folk, and since he accepts nothing less than "the best" from his daughter, every year I spend not on Broadway is another year I've failed to really succeed. *sigh*  I may someday go to Broadway for the experience if the right opportunity pops up (and who knows?  maybe I'll love it), but I don't think that it's for me!  I love regional theatre and at the moment, see myself doing it forever.

Your family sounds like my family. 2 generations of Air Force officers... Until my senior year of college, I don't think the words "stage manager" ever came out of my mother's mouth in that order- it was always either "stage director" or "theatre manager," & my aunts and uncles ask at every family gathering when I'm going to move to New York.

236

The Green Room / Re: This one goes to Eleven!

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 10:26 pm »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SMNET!

In January of 2000 I was 12 years old, in the 6th grade in Oklahoma City, and had every intention of becoming a lawyer like my dad...

237

Tools of the Trade / Re: How long should one keep old prompt books?

« on: Jan 11, 2011, 12:16 pm »

I haven't hit the point yet where I need to downsize, but I think that I would keep hard copies or scan in anything I was particularly proud of or wanted to keep as an example for a portfolio (tricky blocking section, really excellent cues, something like that) and then I would also keep a copy of the script itself, minus the paperwork, if I don't have a cleaner copy of it somewhere. 

238

The Green Room / Re: Suffering from what I call "theatredox"

« on: Jan 09, 2011, 06:29 pm »

I love doing tourist-y things like going to museums or seeing some historical something-or-other, or just checking out local sights.  I've been in unfamiliar cities doing internships for a while now, so going to the National Mall in DC or Sun Studio in Memphis or the local farmer's market in Granville were wonderful distractions during time off.

239

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: How to tape out a staircase...

« on: Jan 09, 2011, 06:27 pm »

When shrinking the set to fit for the rehearsal room, I always recommend the following trick.  Get a piece of plexiglass that is big enough to draw the rehearsal room in the same scale your ground plan is drawn is in (1/2 or 1/4 inch).  Draw the walls, doors, and other architectural elements of the room on the plexiglass, which will allow you over lay this on top of of the ground plan and figure out the best way to lay out the room (which orientation, etc.)  Once your theater have a 1/4 and 1/2 scale version of these overlays, you can just keep with rehearsal locations. 

If your rehearsal room is small enough (like mine is) an 8.5x11 sheet of transparency (for an overhead projector) works too.

I also agree with Matthew re: checking with the director.  There have been numerous cases when I've checked with a director and some element of the set that I was going to shrink or "gloss over" in the taping was something that they NEEDED in blocking (extra space upstage of a some scenic element, etc.).

240

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage Manager IN the report

« on: Dec 26, 2010, 04:07 pm »

I usually refer to myself as either My Name or Stage Management.  I dislike using the personal pronoun, I'm not sure why. I think it sounds too informal for a report that's going way on up the food chain.