Messages

271

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Results of SDA One Act Festival

« on: Apr 10, 2006, 04:35 pm »

Well, one way that you know you earned the "Best Stage Manager" was the fact that you were willing to do research to do a better job, and weren't afraid to ask questions to further your knowledge.  Congratulations.

-Centaura

272

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Calling a HUGE Show... HELP!!!!!

« on: Apr 10, 2006, 04:26 pm »

I agree with the suggestions posted here, and will only add a 'make sure your book is clean'.  Right before tech I will always go through my book and erase any extra verbage, anything that is maybe too small or unclear, or anything that was quickly crossed out.  So that my cues read in a clean column just as I'll call them.  Also adding a few quick notes to yourself, like some cue for yourself that there are cues immediately at the top of the next page.  Or if there is a gap on a page between where you have cues written, but the actual time between the cue sequences is fast, I will write *quick* for myself, to remember that there isn't a significant gap.  I also agree with dropping the warning.  If its that active a show, you shouldn't have to worry about your board ops attentions' wandering.

The other thing that I'll do, in combination with the 'keep quiet on headset' is I will tell folks of breaks in cueing.  Just a simple "Okay folks, we have two pages free here".  I've trained folks that, for me, that's the time to ask me questions or bring up issues.  Unless the sets on fire, things can usually wait until I have a break to listen to it.  And, once the show is up, having a moment when you can be free to tell an odd joke over headset does relieve tension, as long as they respect the " Okay, the break's over".  My crew really appreciated it the one show I did were there were 5 total pages in the script that were without cues.  They would only be minute or so long breaks - but you could get a deep breath, a swallow of water, maybe a short chuckle.  They always respected the 'breaks over' and were ready for the next sequences, so we kept it going the whole run.  It just made things feel more relaxed, even though in reality we were frantically busy.

-Centaura

273

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Creating a call script

« on: Apr 10, 2006, 04:14 pm »

I'm still a pencil & paper person, never having worked on a show that had a copy of a script that was saved to computer in any format.  And not having the time to type the whole thing in.  I did see a recent tour come through here where the SM had a script that had been done on a computer, then printed and in a three ring binder.  For that application - a multiple month tour where things aren't going to change - that made a lot of sense.  He had his cues as highlighted bits of text on the right hand side of the page.  Very similar to how I would write things in my own books, but typed.

-Centaura

274

SMNetwork Archives / How does one deal with being a stage manager and a friend?

« on: Apr 08, 2006, 10:51 am »

I find that it all depends on the maturity level of the folks that I'm working with.  I recently finished a tour where most of the cast were incredibly immature, and they couldn't reconcile the fact that I could be stern with them at the venue, and yet be able to go out to eat with them for lunch or dinner.  I had a very hard time with them.  One day - the boy who was causing problems at venues had to go to the post office, and I needed to go to the post office and I needed to put gas in the van.  My motivations were mainly work-related  (I needed stamps & priority mail envelopes, and the van needed gas).  Though that boy had also caused problems by taking the van and being gone for much longer than he stated he was going to be gone for.    I went with him to reassure the girls that his errand wouldn't take hours - because he had me along to usher him back without detours.

I was accused later of playing favorites and liking him more than the girls because I went with him.  There was nothing that I could do or say that ever convinced the girls that I wasn't 'against them' or taking sides.  I was as friendly with them as with everyone else in the cast, but they couldn't seperate show time from off time, or believe that there was another viewpoint other than "his" and "hers".  (I didn't agree with either side of their arguements)

-Centaura

275

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Stardom

« on: Apr 04, 2006, 12:54 pm »

For me, I find that they often don't look exactly like they do in their promo posters, so when I first encounter them backstage, I don't have instant face recognition.  Recently we had a big-name band that I really liked here, but I hadn't even known what to expect with what they looked like (I listen to their music, but had never seen a poster with their faces).  By the time that it got to the end of the night, I was so tired from being in the theatre for 12+hours, that I was only hanging  around the fan-club meet & greet so that I'd know when it was over and I could lock up - I never even looked at the band members.

I think years of being around actors - any type of actors famous or not - kills the awe of the profession in a theatre person.  You have so much more of a grounded base in what makes things tick.  I think its why theatre folks have an easy time adopting that "whatever" attitude when it comes to dealing with big names.  I would compare it to almost any art.  You may be awed by a master stained glass artist, if you know nothing about how to work stained glass.  But after a few stained glass classes, while the respect for the level of achievement of the master is still there, the 'awe' factor has been reduced, because what they're doing it no longer pure mystery.  Does that make sense?

-Centaura

276

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Production, or no Production. That is the question.

« on: Mar 26, 2006, 08:31 am »

source 4 what?

"Source Four" is a brand name of ETC lighting intruments.  They're the most popular main-stream lighting instrument that you'll find around the US.  I'm guessing that you might be in an old Strand house to not have any Source 4's there?

They're nice instruments - ellipsoidals with removable barrels - so that you can swap what degree instrument you want.

-Centaura

277

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Has anyone read/heard about this? link to article

« on: Mar 25, 2006, 11:11 am »

Wow - well mc, I give you credit for actually making it through the entire thing.  I got about halfway there and couldn't finish.  So, the injury was real,  and if the ASM (I think it was asm - the john fellow) took her aside and had her talk to higher authority, then I also believe that the SM's comments were out of line.  I went through it only because I was curious what kind of injury/claim would merrit $100M.

But, while I have a hard time reading the wording that the complaint is written in, as it resonates with a particulary bad cast I had once, I do believe that she should at least be re-imbursed for monies paid out of her own pocket for medical expenses.  And for her medical leave - as a foot injury in a ballet dancer is nothing to play around with, that is one thing that I didn't take as an exageration - that it could be a career ending injury.  And possibly some settlement if there was harrasement going on - though I do agree that $100M is a bit of a joke.

Some of the other firings - again, I need to know the other side of the story.  What might have been coincidence is being assumed to be conspiracy in the complaint - and without the reasons for the other firings, I don't want to make an opinion.

I too am now curious about how things are going to turn out, as I do think that things need to change on that tour.

-Centaura

278

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Has anyone read/heard about this? link to article

« on: Mar 24, 2006, 07:01 pm »

Hmm... like most short articles - it leaves me wanting to know more about the details.  Is there medical evidence that there was injury to the toe?  I've lost an actor to a thumb - a seriously dislocated thumb that he was leaving to have surgery on - so there was an ongoing medical history of the dislocation, how it got worse, and then the final surgery.  But I have also had non-injuries, where repeated medical professionals couldn't find anything wrong with the offending appendage, and knowing the personality of the actor(ress), I totally believed were fake.

I'd have to know more about the people involved to have an opinion.

-Centaura

279

Employment / Alternatives to more money

« on: Mar 24, 2006, 12:49 pm »

I've been given a stipend toward my cell phone bill, and the occasional meal.

-centaura

280

Students and Novice Stage Managers / in the states. . .

« on: Mar 22, 2006, 01:00 pm »

Usually, the CSM is 'above' the PSM/DSM in the heirachy of things and they usually keep the entire show (and company) running smoothly.

Here is where its different between Australian & British theatre and American theatre.  Here in the states we don't use the titles "Company Stage Manager" and "Deputy Stage Manager".  Here's a brief list of what the roles tend to be:

ASM:  US:  assists SM
ASM: AU/UK: assists SM, can also be prop person

SM: US stage manager
DSM: AU/UK for "Deputy" - roughly the equivalent of a US stage manager - is the one who actually calls the shows

PSM : US - usually someone in charge of an entire season of shows, not just one show in specific.
CSM:  AU/UK - the equivalent of a US PSM, thought often has aspects of a US Company Manager and Production Manager

Yeah - I know - I used Company Manager and Production Manager without the "S" in the middle - those are other jobs in management.


That's about as basic as I can break it down - and even then that's really over-simplified.  As a HS student, you're basically a SM.  The other roles are for larger companies - just think of it in terms of the more people there are to deal with, the more people you need to deal with them.

But these are also just basic guidelines as well - often companies will create titles to suite their purposes/ interpretations.  Its just something to be aware of - but be sure to ask a company what the job role is as they see it when you apply for something.

-Centaura

281

Employment / Company Management VS. Stage Management

« on: Mar 22, 2006, 12:32 pm »

It depends on the company.  I toured for years as a combo SM/CM, where I took care of everything.  I'm in a road house now, and today we've got a major equity tour in.  I talked with the stage manager re dressing room assignments and production offices, water, phone lines, rehearsal piano.  I assume that it was the SM who put up their stuff on our call board.  I didn't actually talk to the Company Manager the fist time until last night when he was the last one to leave cause he was still dealing with box office stuff.  The other person who I who I talked to before their arrival was the Head Carpenter.

-Centaura

282

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Production, or no Production. That is the question.

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 05:28 pm »

DSM = Deputy stage manager.  I learned CSM & DSM in London, and I do believe that MC is an aussie - so it seems that the British titles have worked their way down under.

A lot of companies use the various prefixtual terms interchangably.

This is where things get confusing - 'cause he's dead right.  I've worked at a small theatre where their two titles were PSM and ASM, and we were it for the SM department.   I also worked somewhere where on most shows the PSM was the SM, but there were two shows in the season where there was a different contracted-in SM, so the PSM became her 'boss' for those shows, 'cause he was the venue's permanent SM.  So, just to confuse you - it can mean something sometimes and it can mean nothing other times.

Confused yet?  

-Centaura

283

Employment / moving to the other city PHL

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 05:19 pm »

My main job reference sites are backstagejobs.com and ArtSEARCH.  backstagejobs.com has nation-wide coverage, though they do specialize in Chicago area as well.  Other than that, I've worked for a Philly based touring company, but they were the smallest of small-scale, and most of the folks who I knew there have moved on.

-Centaura

284

Tools of the Trade / buying them

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 05:15 pm »

Oh, I always had fun on tour going to the local Walmart and buying them out of their unlubricated condoms.  My favorite was the tour that we used whip cream as a prop - buy those two in bulk/combo and see what kind of looks you get.   That, and I'd get "knowing looks" - looking at me and my often male sound tech - from the local register clerk.  That was really fun the tour where my sound tech was a 43 year old black guy and I was a 25 year old white girl.  We got to the point where, down south, I'd go alone to a different register to pay.

I also loved the days when I was getting stuff for myself - so I'd have my personal transaction, and then I had the transaction on the company card - and the condoms would be on the company credit card.  I'd say that it was the company card to the clerk just to see what the reaction would be.  Got to keep yourself amused somehow on tour - especially when you're checking out with 10+extra large boxes of condoms.

-Centaura

285

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Production, or no Production. That is the question.

« on: Mar 21, 2006, 06:36 am »

"The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked"

Hey - if you can't ask your fellow stage manager a question - especially in a category of "student and novice" - who can you ask?  That's a very good question, one I left my university not really understanding the difference between, as they used the job titles a bit off.  I consider a Production Stage Manager as a role in larger theatres where they might have multiple shows with multiple stage managers going on.  In that situation they're in charge of all the stage managers and ASMs running around.  Company Stage Manager is the British version of that title.  While that is what I think of when I hear PSM, there are times when just a regular stage manager will be called a PSM - to me if there's no other full stage managers working at the theatre, then the 'p' is not needed.  That's my understanding of the titles.

-Centaura