Messages

31

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: FORMS: Reports - Getting people to read them

« on: Nov 12, 2010, 10:45 am »

Isn't it interesting how when this post was started, 4 years ago in 2006, pretty much everyone attached their reports - across the board.  Now, in 2010 when someone picked it back up - it's copy and paste into the body of an email/google docs/etc.  I find it fascinating how the age of the iPhone, blackberry, and Droid has changed the way we send our rehearsal reports, in the same way email eliminated the hard copy of the report.

Do people generally find their reports are more consistently read now that it has become more standard just to put directly into the body of the email?  I know I do - and then the TD doesn't even have to go into his office in the morning, he can pull up the report directly on the iPhone, read the notes, delegate out, and get to work. 

32

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SHOWS: What's the most controversial show you've ever worked on?

« on: Aug 22, 2010, 12:05 pm »

Okay - I know this is an old thread - and I haven't posted on this in FOREVER, but something drew me back to it today for some reason and I am thrilled to find this topic. 

I just presented a paper at a symposium in New York about working on shows that challenge your personal beliefs, and how do you as a stage manager (the person responsible for the maintenance of the artistic integrity) work on a show in this capacity when it conflicts with your faith.  It's a slightly different idea than just working on controversial projects, but similar.  I might start a new thread to deal with it.

That said, the most controversial show I have worked on was an original piece called "Seven Passages:  The Stories of Gay Christians."  We took over 100 interviews of people who are gay and Christian and devised the material into a play, structured around the seven passages in the Bible that are traditionally used to say homosexuality is wrong.  We had stories from whole gamut, from very conservative people who follow church policy in spite of being gay, to people who have left the church because of cruel treatment...everything...you name it, we had some form of it.  The piece was remarkable in that we didn't offer a bias or an "answer."  It was - here are people's lives, and people's stories, and you can't deny them those stories.

My validation that it was a good play came when my dad, who has very conservative leanings, found me after the show with tears in his eyes and told me he was so proud of me for working on this play and that we had done an amazing job of being real, and honest, and true and that it would change people's lives. 

It was a really interesting show to call for various reasons - but that's also another topic.  =)  That said - I hope to be on these boards on a more regular basis once again!

33

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Fight the flu?

« on: Oct 23, 2009, 11:27 am »

What kind of flu?  Seasonal, or swine?  If anyone has a fever - send them home immediately.

If anyone has any connection to someone working in the medical field, see if they can get ahold of some of the super strength industrial sanitizer that basically kills everything.  And wipe down everything with it.  I forget what it's called, but it kills pretty much EVERY kind of bacteria and pathogen.

The #1 way to stop the spread of germs is to WASH HANDS.  Make sure people are washing their hands constantly, with soap and water, for 15 seconds.

You could also call your local CDC branch and ask them your questions (they'll give you much more accurate and true answers).  Explain to them your concerns, and ask their advice about the best way to prevent the spread of germs.  Believe me, they will appreciate your conscientiousness and will be happy to help you.

34

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Electronic interuptions during a performance

« on: Oct 13, 2009, 11:01 am »

The links in this discussion are somewhat irrelevant - the issue of electronic devices is an increasing issue in our business.  Even the LORT and Production Contracts have now changed their language to reflect what the post show announcement needs to be!

I'd love to see some responses to the OP's original thought:

Insert Quote
I've been an audience member when a phone went off in an elderly lady's purse and she couldn't hear it.  The actors kept going and an usher finally got to the lady and asked if he could remove her purse from the house. She thankfully allowed the purse and usher to leave the auditorium.

As an SM, have you been in a situation like this before?  How did you handle it?  How did your cast handle it?  What might you have done differently?

35

Tools of the Trade / Re: Creating unnumbered pages in a numbered script - Help!

« on: Sep 15, 2009, 10:28 am »

I believe the option you want is break-->section-->next page, and then you have to do the same thing AFTER the inserted page.  So the new page becomes it's own section.  Under view--> header/footer, there is an option for "section break" that I believe allows you to deal with your headers and footers.

I figured this all out last year during a new play - it's hard to do when you're not actually trying to do it.  Just play around and figure out what works for you.

I'm also a fan of making lettered pages separate documents.

Are you mac or PC?  If Mac, sign up at the apple store to take a free workshop in Office and they might be able to help you.

36

The Green Room / Re: Where and when are you at your best?

« on: Sep 15, 2009, 10:16 am »

I am at my best when my strong personality and high energy level are able to balance out a mild and laid-back director.  I've found that when I work with a director like this, we are able to support each other and work as a team, which in turn gives the cast and other creatives faith and trust in our varying degrees of leadership. 

Conversely, one of my best friends and favorite directors to work with has a very similar personality to mine, and we are a great team.  Maybe it's because we know that we are very alike and we know each other so well; in turn we know how to curb the various parts of our personalities that would butt heads with each other. 

37

Employment / Re: Moving for a Career

« on: Jun 09, 2009, 11:43 am »

Not really related to the topic, but I was just wondering why you have to do this ? In the UK, a driving licence is valid everywhere !

Still a bit off topic...but not so much that I don't think this is applicable.

In some states - like California - your residency means a whole lot more for you than just living there. 

I had to become a California resident as part of my tuition waiver for grad school.  I will have to prove my residency - i.e., my intent to live permanently in the state of California - for my tuition waiver to kick in.

Also, if you want to vote in current elections that your city is having (for example, all of the various very controversial elections California has recently held!) it's vital that you are a resident of that state.  If you don't change your residency, you can still vote absentee in your old state - but if you want to make a difference in where you are living NOW and what budgets will impact you now (cf., again, the recent ballot measures that did not pass), it's important to become a resident as well.

I had this huge list of things I must make sure I did within 10 days of arriving in California for my residency to be considered.  Get a driver's license, establish bills in my name, change my car registration over (which...CA has the strictest smog laws in the country, so you can't just bring any car and expect that you'll be able to register it there), get a bank account (not good enough just to switch your address - I had to actually open a NEW bank account in California).  This summer I'll have to show all my move documents, I'll have to prove memberships at various clubs, grocery stores, the library, etc.  Its intense.

Moving there for a job would be a little different, but it's still an extremely expensive (and sometimes difficult) place to live. You absolutely cannot survive without a car there.

I'm not sure where I'll go next when school is done.  Moving across the country is expensive and time-consuming!

38

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Barrell-Through Tech

« on: Apr 11, 2009, 11:32 am »

Tech is the time when everything gets put together - I disagree that tech is not for the actors - they are the ones that have to work in and with the technical elements AND still do all the acting/character work that they developed over the past 6 weeks in rehearsal.

If a lighting designer has to build a cue that will carry an entire scene, I think its important he sees the entire scene and get a feel for what that look will be like over the course of a 10 minute scene.  Does the director like it in the scene? Does it help the action of the play and can it sustain whatever is going on?  Are there dark spots that nobody realized were present until an actor walked through one over the course of their blocking?  This kind of information is important during tech as well.

Granted, tech is long and often repetitive.  I think it is unfair to ask actors to do things full out, every single time (especially if they have an emotional roller coaster of a show), but they should still be able to run through everything - all lines and blocking - as all of this is part of the tech-ing of the show as well.

Theatre is a collaborative art form, and trying to separate the actors from the "techies" (why does this word still exist?) is only going to create unnecessary divides and make for a fragmented show, rather than something that hangs together in every way possible.

39

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PROFESSIONALISM: Artistic Integrity?

« on: Jan 15, 2009, 10:56 am »

What do you do when you discover you're working on a show that you feel compromises your own artistic integrity?

Have you ever turned down a show because the subject matter didn't jive with you personally?  

Do you have a definite idea of where your own boundaries are when it comes to various material, or are you still figuring it out?

Discuss!

 

40

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: cookies

« on: Jan 06, 2009, 10:34 am »

And I would imagine that you have to be careful that you don't use a color that stains your entire mouth...

41

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: cookies

« on: Dec 24, 2008, 12:40 am »

How about macaroons? They are made with mostly egg whites so they are (usually) soft, fluffy (but still moist), and small, so can be eaten in a couple or even a single bite.  Plus, if you contact some local bakeries, you should be able to order them in quantities to be picked up whenever you need them, then they would be fresh and you don't  have to worry about making them.   

Coconut is most common, but some people can have some pretty bad allergies to coconut, so just make sure you check that out first. 

42

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Costuming the Crew

« on: Dec 21, 2008, 02:52 pm »

My BF (a carpenter) is on a tour where he is costumed.  He loves it.  He doesn't have to worry about having clean show blacks and if he's out and about before a show, he doesn't have to worry about going back to the hotel before heading to the theatre.  I think he's one of the few on the tour that feel this way, though.

Personally, I always prefer shows that don't have crew do set changes at all; I love it when everything is organic to the play and the actors are able to handle everything (if it has to be done a vista). 

43

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Compilation of grad schools

« on: Dec 06, 2008, 02:14 pm »

University of Alabama has put their stage management program on temporary hold.  The Shakespeare Festival has discontinued their relationship with the university (don't know the details there). Since the shakespeare festival basically WAS the stage management program, they have just stopped offering the MFA until they can figure out how to restructure it.  I think that's the basic jist of the situation.

44

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Is MA in stage management helpful?

« on: Dec 06, 2008, 12:59 pm »

I've just completed my first quarter of grad school (earning an MFA in stage management).  I was working professionally (as the PSM of a professional ballet company) for three years after undergrad. Like Matthew, I was making pretty good money and had a really good career going for me at the ballet.  Or so I and other people thought.

I've had such a great time so far, and have not yet regretted leaving "the real world" for school.

I think a lot of it depends on the kind of work you want to do.  For myself, I knew I didn't want to be in the ballet world for the rest of my life. I felt stuck.  I knew I wanted to do different kinds of work, but I wasn't exactly sure what, nor was I sure how to get to that kind of work from where I was.  So I figured, school is as safe a place as any to do it.  I'll apply, and see what happens.  When I visited the school I'm at now, I instantly fell in love with it - felt like it could be a place where I would grow and thrive and make connections and really discover my voice and style as a stage manager, and help me figure out where I wanted to get to.

For me, the financial risk has been absolutely worth it.  First of all, I am living in what I now think is one of the most beautiful places in the country.  Secondly, I've already made great friends and have fallen in love with my life here.  Thirdly, I love learning - I love going to classes and being forced to think on a more theoretical level about WHY I do what I do as a stage manager.  I've really enjoyed having to write papers about my work as an SM - maybe that seems silly, but its really helped me to start thinking about my craft on a much deeper level than I ever have before. 

Ultimately, you have to do what you feel is best for you at the time.  If school feels right - then at least go for it and see what happens.  Interview at USITT so you're not out too much money if you decide it's not something that's right for you at this time.  Or just visit the schools you're thinking about before even applying so you can get a feel for the program and the students and the area. 

I still don't know what I want to do when I'm done in a couple years.  I probably won't until something opens up for me in that last year of school.  Even if I finish school and immediately get married and have babies and forgo stage management forever (okay...probably not that...) I will be happy that I went.

45

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Daily rehearsal report notes

« on: Dec 06, 2008, 12:40 pm »

I think there is some general confusion over where the notes are going and then who is responsible to distribute them - it sounds to me that you are only supposed to (allowed to, perhaps?) send rehearsal notes to your direct superiors - and then one of them is responsible to let designers and shops know about any changes/issues/problems?

Perhaps you should consider trying to reform this system - maybe not on this show (might be best to wait until the show is over and talk about it in a post-mortem).  Doesn't seem like its necessarily the most efficient, and obviously you and others are confused on how to communicate and receive information.