Messages

271

Employment / Consulting - A Hypothetical Situation

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 12:31 am »

The background:
You're a stage manager, you've never been a LD, a TD or PM - just a SM. You've got a friend who adores what you do. That friend owns a restaurant. A very important man helped your friend get the location for said restaurant. That important man is also part of a board that helped build a brand new performing arts center (attached to a high school) in your city. Your friend wants you to meet this important man, because your friend feels you could get a job at said performing arts center. You aren't really interested, and put off the meeting.

3 Weeks Ago (a little over a year later):
You're eating dinner at your friend's restaurant. Who's there? That important man from over a year ago. You are introduced. The important man and his wife tell you the sob story that no one seems interested in renting the venue, and they don't know why. They would like you to look at the venue and tell them what they could do to make it more appealing. You agree and say you're free during a time period between gigs, and you'll speak then.

Current Day:
The important man has contacted you and arranged for you to see the Performing Arts Center, along with him and his wife, but first - you must have a tour of the company he built from the ground up - as he is CEO and very important.

The Question:
At this point, it feels as if you are going to be a consultant, telling this couple what they need to do/change/acquire to make their venue more desirable for rentals. However, the subject of paying a consulting fee has never come up. Do you bring it up when you meet the important man at his place of business? At the venue? Via email when it's all over? Or are you just screwed because you gave a verbal agreement without mentioning money? You aren't a real consultant, but with your SM knowledge, you know a bit about theaters and what they should have...

What would you do?

272

The Green Room / Re: Oh earthquakes, how I loathe thee...

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 12:04 am »

On_Headset: I guess I am confused as to what you are reacting to. Is it your own comment? Because the excerpt I pulled from the Geary Theater Earthquake Plan was for the FOH staff to talk to the patrons. Not a member of the crew. As I glance through the Plan booklet, all emergency procedures involving evacuation are headed by the House Manager.

And granted, yes, Ushers should be prepared for any kind of emergency and to help deal with the patrons. For those houses that have volunteer ushers, they tend to have a paid staff House Manager who is aware of all emergency procedures. At least that's the case for all theaters I've worked in that haven't had IATSE ushers. (Which have been prepared for anything, at least in my experience with them.)

273

The Green Room / Re: Oh earthquakes, how I loathe thee...

« on: Aug 24, 2011, 05:21 pm »

When I was an intern at A.C.T. in San Francisco, I held onto important informational handouts and kept them in my reference file. They created an Emergency Response Plan booklet, covering several types of emergencies, the order in which they are handled, etc. I found a separate file with SM Announcements to make for various emergency situations. Unfortunately, there is no specific speech for an earthquake, however, here is the Emergency Plan for earthquakes at the Geary Theater in SF:

Earthquake Procedures (FOH)
1. Stay in the building until the shaking stops.
2. If shaking is severe, take cover and direct patrons to do the same.
3. When it is safe to do so, begin evacuation, if necessary.

In the event of a major earthquake the safest thing to do is remain in the building. If the shaking is severe, take cover in hallways, under tables or desks, or in other structurally secure areas. In the theater, take cover between the seating rows below the level of the seat backs.

Expect disruptions in electrical, phone and water service. Do not use telephones or water unless absolutely required. Remember that fire, not the earthquake itself, causes the most damage and injury. Inspect your area for possible fire hazards or gas leaks, and do not smoke or use an open flame.

Here is the section from the AEA Stage Manager's Packet regarding Earthquake Procedures:

Earthquake Readiness for Shows Touring to or Occurring in Earthquake Zones
An earthquake is a unique natural disaster. It is different from other types of natural disasters
such as tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms because it occurs without warning, usually
accompanied by a series of randomly occurring aftershocks, each with differing strengths and
lasting for an indeterminate lengths of time.

Following an earthquake, electrical power is generally lost and gas leaks may occur.
Communication inside a theatre can be lost, so it is imperative that company members be
apprised of emergency procedures.

The following steps are generalized guidelines, because each theatre is unique in its
construction, management and location within a neighborhood or business district.

Especially if you are unfamiliar with standard earthquake procedures, we urge you to make time
to meet with theatre management as you travel through earthquake country.

While earthquake readiness procedures are ultimately the responsibility of theatre management,
the following are suggested guidelines:

Suggested General Guidelines
• Discuss existing earthquake preparedness plans with the resident house and tech staff; if none
are in place, establish a plan for backstage as well as front of house;
• Find out where landlines will be available to the company manager and stage manager, and
make sure the earthquake kit is well-stocked and up-to-date with enough water, flashlights,
spare batteries, blankets and first aid supplies for the size of your cast and crew;
• With the resident staff, determine the safest areas to take cover during an earthquake; i.e.
make-up tables, worktables, arches etc;
• Review securing rolling stock (wardrobe racks, lighting crates, etc.), and confirm that all
suspended scenic pieces are rigged and hung securely;
• Determine pre-established “safe-refuge” locations backstage and front of house, and nearby
the theater in case an evacuation becomes necessary. Walk to them at the first rehearsal in the
space. Review where, how and with whom to check in from these areas;
• Establish the chain of command in an emergency, including who cancels or stops the show,
and who orders an evacuation;
• Confirm who will handle the audience members and other front-of-house staff, and discuss
methods of communication between backstage and FOH.
• Clarify and rehearse procedures with the crew and assign team leaders for emergency areas.
Crew should place or know where to find the emergency kits, flashlights and water in strategic
areas; i.e. dressing rooms, workshops, backstage, booth, etc.;WWW.ACTORSEQUITY.ORG
(over)
• Instruct all company members in earthquake safety. Review duck-and-cover and other basic
procedures and walk the backstage evacuation routes. Remind those with specific medical
needs to keep a supply of required items at the theater during the run;
• Remind the company to avoid open flame (including matches or lighters for cigarettes and
candles) because of probable gas leaks;
• Establish an emergency call-in number to report company status to the production office;
• Provide the company with a check-in number in case of cancelled performances;
• Distribute a central production office emergency number for the company’s family and friends;
• Have company members check with their cell phone carriers about signal strength and
continuity following an earthquake;
• Instruct the company to become familiar with their residential earthquake procedures; in
earthquake territory, phone books print safety information, and motels/hotels have established,
formal routes and procedures;
• Company members with pets should contact the local SPCA for further information.

274

The Hardline / Re: AEA Maternity Leave

« on: Aug 24, 2011, 12:30 pm »

And no, you aren't the first. I had asked around previously on SMNet how SMs that were female went about having a baby and a career at the same time. I am planning on having my first soon, and although I don't work 50 weeks a year with the same company, I do have a season-long gig. We are timing our pregnancy to work out that I have the baby during my off season.

Matthew is right, we are contract employees, so it is much harder for us to make the decision to get pregnant with the Sword of Damocles dangling above our contracts. We are entirely replaceable, we must remember that. For me, it's a decision that I will time with moving on from my current company, because I know I won't be able to jump back in at the top of the next season. They will have to find someone to replace me, and then, is it really fair for me to say, "Ok, I'm done with my 'maternity leave' - fire that person and give me my job back."

275

Stage Management: Other / Re: Spiking a Dance Floor

« on: Aug 19, 2011, 09:19 pm »

Since I work in ballet 80% of my year, and granted, the floors belong to our company - we have always used regular spike tape on all of our studio and performance floors. And I can second Matthew's comment about red spike tape. If left for an extended period of time (about 1 month), it does leave a red stain on the marley. However, if it's only laid down for our short runs (1 week at most) it does not.

But yes, as everyone has said, check with your PM or whomever is the owner of said floor before you put anything down.

276

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Business Cards For Students

« on: Aug 19, 2011, 08:03 pm »

Do SMs not make Wallet Cards anymore?

I do.....I haven't added the performance calendar though - that's a nice touch!

Chris

Maribeth has an example with the calendar backside in Uploaded Forms: http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php/topic,1096.0.html

Though I build mine in Excel. If you're using the badge size laminates, it's easy to cut mine apart, set them back to back then laminate. I'll see if I can find my last version and upload it soon.

277

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Business Cards For Students

« on: Aug 19, 2011, 07:39 pm »

One bit of advice:

When I was a SM in college, I also went the Vista Print route (never again) to get business cards made. In college I was a SM & Costume Designer, and my cards said as such. Though, I had listed the name of my University under my "job titles", because to me it made sense - I was a student at that college and I was doing Stage Management & Costume Design. Once I received them I showed them to one of my professors - she commented that the layout made it look as if I was a professor at the college for those 2 topics. She had a point. I threw them away.

I don't know if you were considering listing your college on your cards, but if you are, don't.

Post Merge: Aug 19, 2011, 07:46 pmAnd jumping to the comments regarding giving out business cards to cast/ordering business cards with the Box Office, Director and SM info on them:

Do SMs not make Wallet Cards anymore?

For every show I do (that's longer than a staged reading) I create laminated wallet cards (supplies paid for by the company I'm SM'ing for). One side has the important contact info and the other has the tech and performance calendar. Seems a bit much to go out of your way to find a company and pay for business cards (who sometimes make you buy in bulk) for one show, when you could easily make the appropriate number of wallet cards. Granted, it's more time consuming, but what do you do with the left over business cards - do you ever give out 100+ to any one show?

Just curious.

278

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Aug 17, 2011, 01:02 pm »

Ok - a perfect 10/10 for just guessing? I know exactly 0 about religion.

279

The Hardline / Re: Theatres That Have Closed--Can You Say "Emergency?"

« on: Aug 17, 2011, 01:23 am »

babens: Yes, it is still the same one, as we still have the same Founding/Artistic Director. The only thing that may be different is depending on when you saw the show - the designs of the set have changed throughout the years (though it's been the same set & costumes since I joined in 2003). Also, the company women are no longer the mice - it's all children from our ballet school.

Otherwise yes, still Dennis Nahat's The Nutcracker (circa 1979).

And they left in 2000...

280

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 16, 2011, 02:35 am »

To bring this back to my original question which wasn't about working on laptops open in rehearsal, or creating digital prompts or making your crew carry iPads which don't fit in their pockets... My point was more along the line of what PSMKay went into. (See above.)

As I work in Ballet, every show is archived within an inch of it's life, both digitally and in hardcopy format, since the show will be remounted (several times) and having the most up to date information is best. Kay brings up good points with the issues of digital show binders/files, as our technology is constantly evolving. Speaking from experience - I have come across the old 5.25" floppy discs that promise cue sheets of a ballet not touched since 1982, but alas, we have no means to open that disc now. Thankfully a hard copy file folder was made for the show with the same information. Granted, I have to retype all of the information, but back in the 80's, we thought the giant floppy would last. Then we moved onto the 3.5" floppy - and while I still do have an external drive for those discs, some day my external drive will die. While we save our computer files for the show on our hard drives, clouds, or burn to CDs/DVDs - how long are we going to be able to access that information?

Kay's comparison to the lighting console evolution is an interesting one, but from my experience, I would be completely lost if I was asked to recreate a cue sheet and prop presets and deck sheets for a ballet that was on the 1982 5.25" floppy that only had a grainy black & white video which was taken from the back of the house. Thankfully with the hardcopy file, I can.

So perhaps I have just argued against myself that not keeping a hard record of all print outs is a bad thing. Though for the shows I've done since 2002, I still have my digital files and I can still access them.

The eternal question still remains...

281

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 15, 2011, 01:35 pm »

I do agree with that. I find myself with my laptop closed, under my prompt. I take a note on a pad, then on the breaks, pull out the laptop and update the report, etc. I am training some new interns right now, though neither one's focus is on Stage Management (one's an actor and the other wants to be a playwright) - one of them has their laptop open, and pushed to the side, following along in her script during notes, rehearsal, etc. When a line change is given, she updates her script, then goes to the laptop to update the Line Changes sheet for the report. Though there have been times when I glance over and see she's on Facebook, Gmail, etc after she's done the update and it does bother me.

The second intern joined recently, and unfortunately there was no spare script for him to read during the Notes Session. During rehearsal he slouched forward, sometimes putting his head on the desk, and mostly playing on his phone. I passed him a note that said "An important part of Stage Management is being an active listener during rehearsal. Sit back in your chair and put your phone down." Which he did immediately. So yes, I do agree with Matthew, that while technology is great, and will make our jobs easier in the long run, it's best to know when the proper time is to use it.

282

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 12:53 am »

It's very interesting to see everyone's responses, and the different ways you all interpreted what I posted.

In my mind, I did not mean I would never printing anything out, and definitely not that my crew should have iPads or similar items to run shows on. I was simply stating that for my personal binder that I wouldn't print out schedules, calendars, etc and just keep them on my laptop/iPad/Dropbox etc. Of course, for anyone else, I would print.

And of course, you can gather my opinion on it as well, as I couldn't bring myself to make a digital show binder for a 2 week workshop. And definitely never a digital script on a workshop - as it is constantly changing and I don't get electronic updates.

Thanks everyone for your opinions.

283

Tools of the Trade / Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 12, 2011, 11:18 pm »

So not referring to the posts about a digital prompt - I mean the other binder we keep that's full of schedules, calendars, rehearsal reports and paperwork from the departments along with deck sheets. Have you ever just kept one of these in an entirely digital format? Granted, having the hard copies in a binder that you can hand off to someone quickly is a benefit, but in our new era of Cloud fileshare options, etc - what is your feeling about this?

I've even had some actors do all of their work on the iPad. They only need a pen to fill out their contract, then they never need a highlighter or pencil during rehearsal, since they can take notes and mark up their script digitally.

I had debated going digital for the staged reading I'm working on right now, but I couldn't bring myself to do it just yet. And with the rise of theaters asking for SMs to give them a copy of their show files and prompt on CD due to diminishing storage space for show binders and prompts - maybe it is the wave of the future? What's your opinion?

284

The Hardline / Re: Theatres That Have Closed--Can You Say "Emergency?"

« on: Aug 12, 2011, 03:36 am »

 

and Ballet San Jose is postponing their season (no ballet before the Nutcracker this year):
  http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_18618060
 
 

Ugh. Yes, it is official. We are opening with Nutcracker. Boy, I never thought I'd see my company on this thread.

285

Tools of the Trade / Re: How to best use Dropbox?

« on: Aug 10, 2011, 04:44 am »

1. If it's on your personal computer it's great, if it's on a department computer then it is one person's dropbox and to change it it has to be deleted and redownloaded a huge hassle from show to show.

Remember also that there is also the option to log in using the web interface.  It's not nearly as nice as the desktop application, but it would probably be easier than the steps you've mentioned here.

Perhaps I'm understanding this incorrectly - but I just hit "share" on my folder, and it adds my folder to my intern's personal drop box (which means our computers are linked through that folder that is now on both of our computers, and on "the cloud"). Is this in reference to a folder that everyone has the same log in for? Is that why it would be so difficult? (Just curious.)