Messages

31

Students and Novice Stage Managers / broadway/off broadway and summer theatre

« on: Dec 21, 2005, 07:13 pm »

Youngthespian, I have a little bit of advice about getting a summer job just out of a year or two of university, since I've attempted it several times, and succeded. It depends on your experience-- are you ready to be an intern? Stage management, or do you want something where you rotate between departments? Are you ready to be an ASM? I don't know what your experience is, but think about this when you consider where to apply and for what jobs. A prof at school who works with SMs or tech crews might be really helpful in pointing you in the right direction. Look at theaters in your hometown (if you want to be at home). I think you're in the Bay Area, right? There are a handful of small companies in the area that might be helpful, although if I remember correctly, most of them dont run during the summer.  But look in to it - see what's available nearby. If you can get your hands on the TCG (Theatre communications group) book that has a listing of theaters by state in it, do so. Look them up and see what you can find that's open and looking. http://www.summertheater.com/Region/Southwest/california.html is info on summer theaters in CA. Also, www.backstagejobs.com is an excellent info source (and has a separate section for internships) as is www.tcg.org 's Artsearch, but you can only look at thier stuff if you have an account and password-- check with your school because they might have a username for their students (especially if you have graduate design students, you might want to urge your school dept. to buy this membership if they dont have it as it's a valuable resource for lots of people).
That's my two pennies.

Hope it was helpful :-) good luck!

32

Students and Novice Stage Managers / SHADOWING: I've got $100...

« on: Nov 11, 2005, 06:33 pm »

to use towards my thesis, which is in Stage Managment.
I am located in Boston.
What I think I'd like to do with that money is go to NYC and shadow some SMs on Broadway shows and also have the chance to meet/talk with them about their careers- I'll gladly throw down for a beer or two and maybe I can even schedule it to coincide with the bar nights that were being discussed on another post about networking in NY.
(It's not that I want to necessarily do Broadway one day, it's more that I'm fascinated by all the technical stuff at their disposal, and the complicatedness of it all is simply awesome. Understand I mean no disrespect to anyone who's not on Bway, nor do I think it's less worthy by any means - I just think the scale of those productions is such a cool testament about how far technical theater can truly go.)
That said, does anyone know someone, or is anyone out there on a Broadway/off-Bway SM staff who might be willing to let me come and shadow a show? Or, a rehearsal would also be extraordinarily cool (oooh, maybe a tech rehearsal??)  and very possibly even more beneficial to my education. I did this in the West End in London, but I want to see it stateside as well, if possible. I'm not sure what weekend I'll actually get to NY but if anyone has any contacts I could seek out-  that would give me a great jumping off place.
Additionally, I'm from Northern CA. If anyone knows anyone in the SM staff at Berkeley Rep or ACT- it would be so cool to shadow them too... and I could do that while I was home.

Finally, if anyone has any other suggestions about how I could better use that money towards educating myself about stage management, I am all ears.
(hmm... sorry i I got OT in my own post. I have a lot of ideas about this and I wanted to try to explain fully).
Thanks for any and all replies!

33

The Green Room / SMs in media?

« on: Nov 09, 2005, 04:01 am »

Did any body else see the Sex in the City episode where Carrie was at the fashion show and the SM was prominently featured calling cues? Did anyone else feel special?
Does anyone know of other SM appearances in tv/film/books/media otherwise? I think someone on here once mentioned books with an SM as a character, but I can't remember anything else about that.

Just curious. We may have an underground cult following.

34

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / 'taters

« on: Nov 08, 2005, 01:42 am »

Don't know if you normally use mashed potatoes, but...
They did a production at my school of the Secret Lives of the Sexists, and there's a mud fight- they used mashed potatoes.
From what I was told, that stuff is very annoying to clean up, it's very slippery, and it smells bad when it's caked in carpeting offstage, and one of the actors' skin started to react after a few shows. (I guess a lot of those things are side effects of sloppy stuff though...)
I'm not sure about getting it in the eyes. If you would like more mashed potatoes feedback from that SM team, let me know and I can ask.

STILL,

I am sure it's eons beyond shaving cream.
Good luck with the producers.

35

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Your book Left or right?

« on: Nov 07, 2005, 02:06 am »

I just want to share that I have always wished I was left-handed. I think it looks so cool, even with all the ink smearing you're prone to.  

thanks for listening

36

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / It's Half-Hour: Do you know where your SM is?

« on: Nov 07, 2005, 02:04 am »

This leads to another interesting question.
When do you actually call PLACES?
At the time the show is supposed to begin? One minute before the show is supposed to start? 2 minutes? Does it depend on the venue?
What if you're holding the house? Do you tell your actors and call them to places anyhow? Or do you say, "we'll be holding for 10 minutes" and then wait to call places?
How does your house manager fit in to all this?

37

SMNetwork Archives / kit

« on: Nov 06, 2005, 02:15 pm »

Um, and also- they might have supplies that you can use so you don't need to be spending personal money on bandaids and ointment, even though YOU paid for those cool retractable sharpies in your kit yourself. :-)

38

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: Teachers, mentors, learning

« on: Nov 04, 2005, 12:28 am »

This is for everyone out there, from the new SMs to the old pros- we are all always learning.
Which people have been your best teachers in stage managment (or theater)? Where did you learn from them and in what context? What made them great? What was the most important thing they taught you? What would be the one most important thing you'd want to impart to any SM you taught, regardless of their skill level?

I eagerly await what will surely be interesting responses.

39

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / thoughts on the ASM book

« on: Oct 30, 2005, 10:38 pm »

So, I was thinking about this a lot this summer, because I was ASMing and had punched my book like I normally do when I SM; that is, backwards. However, as an ASM, I would take line notes by writing in my script, so when I was writing in the script, (I'm right handed), I was writing on that left hand side that I had wanted to avoid anyhow! I appreciated the backwards book though, when I was tracking props and shifts and whatnot moving on and off, like ERK mentioned. That was helpful, but on the shows where there weren't a lot of props but the line notes were plentiful on little words and really important (not that they're usually unimportant, but it seems that line notes are more crucial and specific in say, a Shakespeare or other show with challenging lines/meter), I found myself annoyed at having to write on the other side of my book.
The point I'm trying to make about ASM books is this: after reading through the play and thinking a bit, decide what writing you'll be likely to do most- prop tracking or line notes, and punch your book accordingly so that that page is most accessible to you. (That is assuming that you take line notes in your book like I do and that you write prop tracking notes in your book. I won't say right handed because this idea can actually go either way if you think about it).
I don't care how an ASM organizes their book- if they have what they need to have when they need to have it, that is good enough for me.  I also haven't had a lot of ASMs though, nor am I yet in the real world, so that's my two cents for the time being. Ask me again in 5 years. :-)

40

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / British Stage Managers

« on: Oct 20, 2005, 03:50 pm »

So I spent last semester in Rome and took a side trip to London. I contacted the Stage Managers Association in London and they were great about putting the word out there and putting me in touch with SMs to meet. I got to go backstage on The Producers and Elmina's Kitchen, and also Mary Poppins (though I set that one up myself by going backstage after I saw it). Anyhow, the SMA in England is a great resource. I got even more offers than the ones I took- I was only in London for 2 days. I'm sure you'll have a ton of luck - everybody was very friendly and kind and great about answering questions. I think if you find the SMA website there will be a link to the London group- PM if you can't find it as it's in my emails somewhere. Good luck- let us know how it goes!

Oh- and you'll find that "5 minutes to places" on a page mic in a British accent sounds so much cooler than you will ever be able to do. *sigh* :-)

41

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 06:27 pm »

I was contracted for that full week before actors arrived and I did work alongside the SM, who physically arrived at the theater after I did, in fact. (Can Equity SMs only be contracted for a half week of preproduction?) But I do believe he was contracted for that first week of preproduction where we did preproduction stuff.

Just because you worked at an AEA theatre doesn't mean you automatically qualify, either. Several years ago, AEA changed it so PAs at a LORT theatre I was working at only got work-weeks on a show they were on if there was already a PSM AND an ASM. If it was just the PSM and the PA, there were no weeks. Don't ask me why but that's what happened. Definitely check with AEA and also check with your business mgr at the theatre to make sure any weeks you were accruing were reported to AEA.

Well, the theater offered the program to actors and I know some actors there this summer entered the EMC program, so what's the difference there in terms of applying as an ASM?
I will look in to this on Tuesday as tomorrow is a crazy day of midterm stuff. I'll let you know what happens.

42

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 11:26 am »

We're special like that, apparently.  :wink:
Thanks for the advice.

43

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 12:48 am »

So I am sitting here with this form from the summer that I need to mail in in order to start my EMC program, and I have a question about it. It's not a big deal, but I'd love to get this form filled out and taken care of (it's been a "to do" for too long!)
So I ASMed an Eq SM at a theater on a LOA contract. The SM was (I believe) contracted for a preproduction week and 11 weeks of rehearsal/perf, so 12 weeks altogether. On my form though, they ask for the date of the first rehearsal and the closing date. So, do I get to count that week of pre production in my weeks and get 12, or do I just get the 11, same as actors?
Should I just write the first reh date, closing date, 12 under anticipated weeks and then note the week of preproduction underneath that line?
In his job offer, the producing director told me I would get 12 weeks, but this was their first time doing 11 weeks of rehearsal and I think normally they do 12 so it's possible he hadn't thought of that when he said 12. Also I think this is probably going to the New York office so I dont know how much attention they pay to processing all these forms which is why I ask about the best way to communicate this to them.

44

The Hardline / HAVE I EVER READ THE RULE BOOK?

« on: Oct 09, 2005, 10:19 pm »

Now that you're an Equity SM, would having to wear a gorilla mask require some sort of special rider? Do you get paid extra - how much do you suppose that would be worth? And if your theater is operating instead under the Section 9.7764xyz "chicken calling clause" previously mentioned, does the theater have to provide you with the chicken costume or is it BYOCC? Matt, you should also be asking important questions like these when you call on Tuesday. :-)

45

The Hardline / WCLO Contract

« on: Oct 02, 2005, 03:19 pm »

Can somebody please share what WCLO stands for?