Messages

301

The Hardline / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Is the Audience allowed to see the Dressing rooms?

« on: Oct 23, 2013, 03:56 pm »

Can the theatre simply install some temporary masking in front of the dressing room door?  This would allow the backstage masking to be removed without compromising privacy.

302

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Figuring out a concentration

« on: Oct 17, 2013, 09:39 am »

Kay's got it. I'd hire someone with 5 years of experience over someone with 5 years of coursework in a heartbeat.

Yes.  Hell, I'd take someone with two years of good, solid experience over five years of coursework. 

The dirty little secret of education is that, from the very second you've got your diploma in your hand, nobody cares about your grades.

In general I agree with this, but to play devil's advocate - if you're planning on a master's degree (I am assuming OP is discussing BA or BFA options) they will somewhat care about grades.  That said, I still would not base my courseload off of the easy A.  Even still a master's program worth the money will weigh your experience and career much more than grades.

303

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Internships in Pittsburgh and surrounding area

« on: Oct 11, 2013, 03:01 pm »

Kay and Ruth make some very good points, and I would add if you're looking for income to cover expenses an internship may not be the best place to start.  That said, if you're hell-bent on it, check out Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.  I did a Stage Management internship there 10-ish years ago and found it to be a very valuable experience.  I honestly don't remember what or even if it offered a stipend or housing as my motives were not financial (I am from Pittsburgh, so I had housing with family and public transportation) so I can't be of help on that side, but if you are looking for internships I'd suggest prioritizing educational/experience value over compensation.  If compensation is your goal I'd suggest another type of job. 

304

Tools of the Trade / Re: Best Place To Buy Gaff/Spike Tape?

« on: Oct 07, 2013, 07:07 pm »

We have covered this topic recently, it would be best to read that thread and pose any unanswered questions there. Please utilize the search function at the top right of the page if you have trouble finding it.

305

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsals: Be quiet!

« on: Oct 07, 2013, 03:56 pm »

Don't be afraid to say: let's quiet down! One of the hardest (and best) parts of our job is to take control. When the director needs quiet, it is your job to make it happen. Even if they give you attitude, remember: you're the stage manager. You practically run the whole freaking show.
Good Luck!

Use caution when going in guns blazing.  While it can be necessary sometimes; using ego, a hunger for control, and a sledgehammer as your primary tools will quickly wear thin with anyone and will not earn you much respect.   

306

The Green Room / Re: Nice work if you can get it!

« on: Oct 06, 2013, 09:45 pm »

Today I learned that the head stagehands at Carnegie Hall earn upwards of 400k a year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/

And, I mean, I get it. They've earned that revenue. That's how labour negotiations work.

But... wowzers, scoob.

Define "earned", and tell me how a stagehand can justify a $400k/year salary.

Contracts like these are why unions get a bad rap.

307

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: No Design Information/No response from Dept. Heads

« on: Oct 01, 2013, 12:21 pm »

Is the set design even complete?  From your description it sounds like some pretty high-level questions still exist that will affect the fundamental design and construction of the set.  You can ask for a groundplan until you're blue in the face, but you won't get something that doesn't exist.  I would voice the request (calmly, concisely, politely, sans panic) something along the lines of you understand folks are spread thin at the moment but it's critical to the rehearsal process that you receive a groundplan as soon as it's available.  If it's done this should remind them to send it to you, and if it's not done there's not a whole lot you can do about it.  If they are professional designers they [should] understand this already. 

If you cannot attend the production meeting and the other SM will attend it may be best to have her voice the concerns by proxy as it sounds like she's already got a working relationship with the production team.

The costume aspect isn't likely to affect you that much, just ensure the director is onboard with the costume folks taking some rehearsal time to measure - though as it's already scheduled I assume this has been cleared.

And with anything in life - respect is earned, not given. 

308

Tools of the Trade / Re: iRFR App

« on: Sep 16, 2013, 04:10 pm »

A community theatre I design at got an ETC Element light board, ETC dimmers and ETC lighting units a few years ago.  Included with the purchase was an ipod with the ETC app. 

Just had a look through ETC's dealer price sheet and I can confirm that the neither the iRFR app nor any added hardware (e.g. iPod) are included from the factory.  It's likely that the dealer the theater purchased the console from added this in.  A great idea by that dealer, but an added cost to the end user nonetheless. 

Reading their price sheet it does seem that the proceeds for the app are donated to either "Behind the Scenes" or "Light Relief" - so that's good at least.

309

Tools of the Trade / Re: iRFR App

« on: Sep 16, 2013, 12:36 pm »

Interesting - and first I have seen this app.  I haven't used it personally but would also be interested to hear from other users out there who have.  At that price tag I would expect them to continually update the app and offer new features, and would also expect them to eliminate any delays in communication between the console and mobile device.

I'm curious if this price tag will be prohibitive for ETC to roll out the app to end users and dealers, especially considering if you're in need of this app you've already made the investment of buying a console from ETC.  The only apps I'm able to find by ETC that are free seem to be those to further their sales efforts (product data sheets, brochures, etc...). 

Charging for this app seems to buck the current industry trend as MA Lighting, Martin Professional, Yamaha, Soundcraft, QSC, and others all offer free mobile apps for their lighting and audio control products. 

310

The Hardline / Re: Mandatory meetings with no contract

« on: Sep 10, 2013, 11:30 am »

No pre-production, no production manager...  Is it possible that the excessive production meetings are a symptom of a dysfunctional organization attempting to over-correct?

311

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dealing with Panic Situations

« on: Sep 06, 2013, 04:16 pm »

Put your mistakes in perspective. 

Did anyone die?  Did your organization lose substantial sums of money?

Unless the answer to either of these two is "yes" then you're overreacting.  Age and wisdom are your friends here.  You won't find a seasoned pro among us who can't look back on their past and say "Holy cow, did I screw that one up!".  And guess what, we all have lived to tell about it and chances are it's been a teachable moment that has bettered us as people and professionals.

I've made countless mistakes - but I've never made the same mistake twice.  Find your outlets to vent/commiserate in private, but publicly you need to buck up, learn from it, and move on.  You'll recover and you'll be a better Stage Manager because of it.

312

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Sep 03, 2013, 08:25 am »

Project Gutenberg has a plain text version with line numbers.  It may take some time to format to your liking but should be much easier than typing from scratch.

313

Employment / Re: "To Whom It May Concern"

« on: Sep 03, 2013, 08:21 am »

It's typically a good idea to take any opportunity you can to make a personal connection with someone who is making a hiring decision (or in any business transaction, for that matter).  If you know their name then use it.  If you don't know their name and can't easily find it with a bit of research I'd favor "Dear Sir or Madam" over "To whom it may concern". 

314

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Prompt books: What to do with them after closing?

« on: Aug 28, 2013, 08:32 am »

I don't particularly see the benefit in keeping paper copies of prompt books - why not just scan to pdf and keep a digital copy?  Most of your files are already digital, and modern copy machines scan to pdf with ease for things like your prompt book. 

315

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Useful equipment and software

« on: Aug 28, 2013, 08:20 am »

(please avoid the typical word and excel software)

While it may seem like a "canned response" the reality is that these two programs plus an email client make up, by my non-scientific estimation, something to the order of ~98% of SM software use. 

Also, the search bar is your friend here.  I'd start at the link below and work your way through some of the old threads over in Tools of the Trade.  If what you're looking for hasn't been covered yet then I'd recommend starting a topic with specific questions; vague questions beget vague responses.

The community is here to help, but we need something a bit more than "What is some useful software/equipment?"


FAQ - Computer Software