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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: The Ultimate Decision
« on: Oct 25, 2006, 01:04 am »
While I hold a BA in Acting, an MA (Dramaturgy?), and an MFA (Directing), I've always been a generalist of sorts, developing as many skills as I could. When not acting, I built shows professionally.
I've always had good role models as SM's, even when I wasn't interested in the profession. When I was on a cusp of a professional decision, the words of Billy/Shawn McDonald/Whatever came back into my head. As an actor in a show that he SM'ed, I asked him what he got out of doing that. He answered me "When the audience applauds, that's still my work out there." I didn't understand him at the time, but as I started my MFA, the head of our department asked me to SM his Assassins. It was a big and challenging show, and I came to realize that my own sense of timing in calling cues was as much a part of the artistic integrity of the show as any of my acting performances had been. The words of Billy/Shawn came back to me, and a light went off in my head! I understood what he meant!
As a SM, I'm not the most hyper-organized guy around. But I can tech a show more efficiently than most, and I LOVE to call shows. My favorite place on earth is in my captains chair on "the bridge". My last project of the Spring was Tommy. 500 light, sound, projections, and deck cues in a 2 hour rock opera. Wow! Who else gets paid to rock out to WHO jams!
My biggest draw to SM was that it holds more stability than acting. There are more opportunities to work for full seasons at a time, rather than living show-to-show. I know that many SM's on this board do mostly individual contracts with separate theaters. That's just not my bag. I acted in Coriolanus @ the Next in Chicago, and before we were even in tech, actors were running around talking about reading for other people because they had already heard good things about the show. That opened my eyes to what that career path lead to!
Anyway, I ramble, but here I am, basically running a theater in my hometown that I helped to build. Each new months brings a new project with different challenges. What could be better!
I've always had good role models as SM's, even when I wasn't interested in the profession. When I was on a cusp of a professional decision, the words of Billy/Shawn McDonald/Whatever came back into my head. As an actor in a show that he SM'ed, I asked him what he got out of doing that. He answered me "When the audience applauds, that's still my work out there." I didn't understand him at the time, but as I started my MFA, the head of our department asked me to SM his Assassins. It was a big and challenging show, and I came to realize that my own sense of timing in calling cues was as much a part of the artistic integrity of the show as any of my acting performances had been. The words of Billy/Shawn came back to me, and a light went off in my head! I understood what he meant!
As a SM, I'm not the most hyper-organized guy around. But I can tech a show more efficiently than most, and I LOVE to call shows. My favorite place on earth is in my captains chair on "the bridge". My last project of the Spring was Tommy. 500 light, sound, projections, and deck cues in a 2 hour rock opera. Wow! Who else gets paid to rock out to WHO jams!
My biggest draw to SM was that it holds more stability than acting. There are more opportunities to work for full seasons at a time, rather than living show-to-show. I know that many SM's on this board do mostly individual contracts with separate theaters. That's just not my bag. I acted in Coriolanus @ the Next in Chicago, and before we were even in tech, actors were running around talking about reading for other people because they had already heard good things about the show. That opened my eyes to what that career path lead to!
Anyway, I ramble, but here I am, basically running a theater in my hometown that I helped to build. Each new months brings a new project with different challenges. What could be better!
