Messages

316

Introductions / Re: Advice for a newbie?

« on: Jan 09, 2014, 08:30 pm »

Hello and welcome, Carole!

This site is full of advice - about 14 years worth, in fact. As you poke around I'm sure you'll find more tips than you bargained for. However, the Intro board is where all us old school SMs pipe down for a bit so we can learn about who you are!

To get you started, please tell us a tip, tale or bit of trivia (for more info please see the "How to Post an Intro" thread that's stickied at the top of this board.

I'd also like to help you find the right board with the best advice for your production level. What sort of theatre are you working in? And what do you think a stage manager does?

317

Introductions / Re: Traveling SM

« on: Jan 03, 2014, 05:14 pm »

Hi Kawrem!

Thanks for joining us! That's quite a bit of bouncing around you've done for 3 years, although I suppose it's better to bounce and get paid than to stay in oversaturated markets forced to take on internship after internship.

If you're looking to network I'd recommend that you use the "Show unread posts since your last visit" link on a regular basis (it's up at the top of the screen) and reply to anything to which you can make a substantive contribution. Participation leads to visibility which leads to familiarity etc.

Also! I've just stepped up as moderator of the intros board! I'm trying to start some new traditions here. So, help a sister out? Here's the instructions from the "how to post an intro" topic:

I would like to see you post a new topic, including either:

• A tip - Any shortcut, technique or skill that you've found makes your backstage life easier.
• A tale - Be it funny, poignant or just plain bizarre, tell us a quick story about something that happened to you on the job. (Please do not use real names or companies for your own safety.)
• A bit of trivia - Teach us something cool about the world! It can be history, science, a link between you and some famous person - doesn't matter. Many of us love trivia.

318

Uploaded Forms / Re: !! - Request Forms Here - !!

« on: Jan 03, 2014, 05:00 pm »

Bethany, this section of the site is for blank form templates that you fill in with your own production's data. We're not interesting in doing students' homework here, so I do not recommend anyone posting or requesting forms completed with anything more than "lorem ipsum" type information. It shouldn't take long to do an ASB using any of the forms you have here plus a read through of the script.

Besides, your director should have input on whether or not the French scenes as scripted will be accurate to their concept and vision. They may intend to add or remove silent players from a scene.

319

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stage managing negative shows . . .

« on: Jan 03, 2014, 12:36 am »

It's also critical to pay attention to your own mood. We like to think that we're neutral when it comes to our attitude but it does shift from day to day. I remember talking with an SM friend of mine who had a tendency to get punchy the week before tech. This person didn't notice it but after talking with them over the course of several different productions it became apparent to me that this was a cyclical thing. Once they were made aware, they started scheduling regular massages during that week to get over their personal negativity.

320

Introductions / Re: Hello Fellow Stage Managers

« on: Dec 31, 2013, 07:46 pm »

Thanks for joining us! As Maribeth alluded, we like it when people search for stuff and contribute to existing topics. If you're having trouble finding the search function I suggest you check out the "Welcome/How to Introduce yourself" post that's stickied at the top of this board. There have been a ton of discussions about cruise and corporate non-union work - most of the experts from that branch of the industry hang out on the SM: Other board.

Also, we've changed things a bit around here with Introductions. We'd like all of our new members to eventually become SMNet regulars, and that starts with learning a little bit about you!

I would like to see you post a new topic, including either:

• A tip - Any shortcut, technique or skill that you've found makes your backstage life easier.
• A tale - Be it funny, poignant or just plain bizarre, tell us a quick story about something that happened to you on the job. (Please do not use real names or companies for your own safety.)
• A bit of trivia - Teach us something cool about the world! It can be history, science, a link between you and some famous person - doesn't matter. Many of us love trivia.

Thanks!

321

Employment / Re: Dear Abby: advice on how to choose between offers

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 09:53 pm »

For those who are not fluent in UK English, CV ("curriculum vitae") is a resume. And whereas in the US the chain of command goes PSM -> SM -> ASM, in the UK it goes SM -> DSM (Deputy Stage Manager) -> ASM.

322

Employment / Re: Resumes and Cover Letters......The Nitty Gritty Part of Stage Managing

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 09:50 pm »

Have you checked the resume browser? Cover letters are very personal and probably too trade secrety to share here, especially given how text published here tends to be copied and pasted wholesale into the homework of students worldwide.

323

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: ASMs running off a script

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 09:48 pm »

In my experience the ASM was responsible for creating the running sheets throughout the rehearsal process rather than receiving them pre-completed from the SM. This generally resulted in the ASM knowing the backstage tracks far better by the time tech rolled around, and eliminated the need for them to use the script. Having the ASM on book during rehearsal also helped to ram the words into the ASM's head, frequently making the script double unnecessary. The enormous amount of notes required for a deck track generally won't fit in the margins of a script anyhow, especially not one that's small enough to tote around in a back pocket on an active track.

Now, bear in mind that I was not working IA houses so my ASM tracks were very hands on. A more stationary position might be better able to deal with a script in the wings.

324

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CC/BCC and Email Etiquette

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 09:42 pm »

Here is a prior discussion that addresses the topic of CC/BCC and email:

http://smnetwork.org/forum/tools-of-the-trade/email-best-practices-for-teams/

Regarding what your team has been doing, have you sat down and clearly reviewed with them what your expected protocols are supposed to be?  Do they know what CC and BCC do, both on the sender & recipient/respondent sides? In my current job, a "timely manner" for an email response is 30 minutes, tweets 5 minutes, text messages 2 minutes. How about you?

It's taken for granted that people know how to email and correspond promptly. However it is critical to realize that especially with younger SMs, we're in the post-email generation. Many of them have very little practice in email, and next to none of it in a business situation. I never had training in email, correspondence, timeframe of reply, etc when I was in college 15 years ago because the students were leaps and bounds ahead of the faculty when it came to technology. Average typing speed nationwide is still around 40WPM. For the younger generations it's actually dropping, as they do more typing on touchscreens than on keyboards. Business-appropriate writing in general is not taught much in arts curricula. Some uni students will learn academic writing but it isn't quite the same. SMNetwork mandates business-style writing and proper grammar, and we can see how well that works out.

If the only thing an intern learns to do over the course of an internship is the method of sending a proper email, then I'd say the internship is 100% worthwhile.

325

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: PM for a devised site-specific piece.

« on: Dec 30, 2013, 09:24 pm »

Hi!

We've discussed this a few times. You're welcome to get into specifics but here's the beginning of the rabbit hole on our last go around about devised and unscripted theatre.

http://smnetwork.org/forum/stage-management-plays-musicals/devised-theatre-the-how-to/

326

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Emergency Contact/Medical Info forms for Students

« on: Dec 27, 2013, 10:36 pm »

There's a difference between contact sheets (for the cast/crew etc) and emergency contact information - next of kin to call in case of medical emergency. This thread is about the latter. (It also hasn't been touched in 6 years but thanks for searching first! Much appreciated.)

Either way, public contact information that goes to the full cast & company vs a smaller circulation document that goes just to director, stage management and PM can be two different documents. A situation with a "famous" cast member comes to mind as a primary reason why, and IMHO you should not be treating your casts differently if they're famous or not so extrapolate that to everyone. Some celebs will request that their agent's number goes on all distributed contact forms, but you'll still want to be able to reach them directly to find out exactly which overpass their bus is stuck underneath.

Emergency contact information should be easily accessible but secured from all but those likely to be present & in charge in a major emergency. After all, it just takes one star-struck snooping intern in the box office and you've got phone numbers published on Twitter.

327

Employment / Re: Gradschool auditions at SETC

« on: Dec 27, 2013, 05:15 pm »

It looks like the list of Graduate schools that will be holding auditions at the spring convention has not yet been posted. However, for those who are curious, the participants from this past fall are here (PDF) and the spring conference enrollment page for grad school auditions is here. It says the list of participating schools will be posted in December, but then it also says that the deadline for schools to sign up is Jan 28. My guess is that the list will be posted towards the latter of those two dates.

328

Stage Management: Other / Re: Working with enormous casts

« on: Dec 27, 2013, 05:00 pm »

What sort of delegating? What groups did you have? What would a typical meeting agenda look like?

329

Stage Management: Other / Working with enormous casts

« on: Dec 27, 2013, 03:19 pm »

Brangell's recent post about his 1000 person cast of dancers and some other recent very-large-scale projects of other members have gotten me thinking about how to scale up stage management for extremely large casts. We've discussed medium to large casts before - 30-50 people for a musical, etc. But what happens when the numbers get so incredibly large that knowing each individual face becomes impossible?

These types of extravagant projects have to require a different approach. How do you handle things like blocking, sign-ins, dressing areas, crowd control?

330

Introductions / Re: From Pittsburgh to a Magical Place...

« on: Dec 27, 2013, 03:04 pm »

Thanks for joining us, Brangell, and thanks for posting your trivia tidbit! CMU had an excellent and highly competitive program when I was in HS 20 years ago, glad to see they're still turning out good folks.

One of my former partners used to be a cast member too - he portrayed a certain out-of-this-world toy action hero at the now defunct Chicago outpost, if you get my drift. The thing that makes me wonder is what costume storage for a place like that must look like. I mean, is it hundreds of character costumes all in a row? What kind of cleaning is required? Are there size ranges that are acceptable to play particular characters?

I know we've got some other big WDW fans around here and amusement park techs. Always happy to have another.