Messages

316

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / simplify

« on: Oct 27, 2005, 02:13 pm »

I've been on a mission to cut down on the time I spend working outside of rehearsal - that's a main reason I keep the text on the right and the blocking on the left.  I want to use the same script the rest of the company has, so that when we're running off twelve copies of the new scene 5A, I don't need to say either to myself or an ASM "oh, and three-hole punch one of them on the right side instead, and reverse the page order".  I'll even work with a double-sided script or score if I have to.

317

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

« on: Oct 24, 2005, 03:32 pm »

I like to fight the invisibility of the stage manager.  I want my actors to know - because they've seen my face as I've checked on them - that I (and therefore the show) am in control.  I also like to get the feel of the dressing rooms (especially if there are difficult personal relationships among the cast) because you can tell what scenes to pay special attention to at that night's run.

Now, it's true that I haven't SMed on large shows with an extensive backstage.  And I haven't worked on a technically difficult show that I needed more than a "Heath is on headset" to get ready to call.  On a larger scale, I probably will delegate the backstage feel of the show to a competent assistant.  

I also look forward to the day when I can train an assistant into call the show and I can watch from the house and really maintain a show.

318

SMNetwork Archives / the character of the stage manager

« on: Oct 24, 2005, 03:24 pm »

When I was temping to pay the bills as I was starting my career as a stage manager, I got hired to the company I was temping for and then given very healthy raises and more responsibility very quickly.  Not having much experience in the cubicle life, I wondered what was going on.  My cousin, who is a vice-president and part owner of a really business-like business (something so abstract I'll never understand it - I think they buy businesses, overhaul the operations, and sell the businesses at a profit) told me that I had skills that were extremely valuable to his world, because they were so rare.  Things like organization, prioritization, awareness of details, pride in quality - in short, the basic make-up of every stage manager ever.  The company I was working for was paying me very handsomely for these skills - probably more annually than I'll ever make in theatre from year-to-year.  And to me, my assets were so second-nature that I just couldn't believe I was worth that much.  "What do you mean, some people can't alphabetize?"

I see a lot of this kind of surprise in this thread.  I read the subtext of several posts as being "Anyone can do what I do if they had enough time or assistants.  I'd better not complain too much or they'll find someone else."  What we need, as a class, is a stronger sense of pride.  We've all worked with actors and directors who are a pain in the neck because they're so arrogant - but you like working on their shows because their arrogance comes with a great degree of talent.  Let's be arrogant.  Let's know our own worth, even when we agree - for whatever reason - to work for less than we are worth.  And let's have the pride to say producers paying us AEA scale, even though it's more than actors' minimum, are getting a GREAT deal on our services.  On any of the thirty-odd contracts there are, at all tiers of those contracts.

I also want to say that loyalty, like trust, WORKS BOTH WAYS.  If you give your loyalty to a theatre, you have the right to expect the theatre to be loyal to you.  The producer that says "why aren't the coffee cups cleaned?" when you're putting all your time, sleep, and eating hours into planning schedule, updating crew sheets, communicating notes, and getting the show up needs to be educated about what puts the show on the stage.  At the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters, right?  That the audience sees the best show that the theatre, with you as its stage manager, could put up?

319

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / learning differences

« on: Oct 19, 2005, 09:08 pm »

My point was that doodling is usually an invisible activity, and therefore people wouldn't know what you were doing.  I agree, it would be perceived as rude by your colleagues - but only if they notice it, and it's affecting how much work you can get done.  If no one notices, who cares?

I also want to say that doodling should never be INSTEAD of paying attention.  But some people just need their hands to be moving in some way, in order to pay attention.  It's a kinetic mode of learning; like some people are visual learners and need to read the material, some people are auditory learners and need to hear the material.  It's far better to recognize what your issue is and to develop a strategy to deal with it, than to ignore it and end up with an uncontrolled, more distracting, character quirk.

320

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / come on now...

« on: Oct 19, 2005, 10:44 am »

doodling isn't nearly as much of a cardinal sin as a twitchy foot or a tapping pencil.  It's a thousand times better than reading a book, for example.  It's probably even better (in most cases) than typing on your laptop.

The other people in the rehearsal room don't care what you do - 90% of them don't know what it is that you do - so the test is, "Does this activity distract from the work going on in this room?"

If I were doing a two-character Pinter show, I'd be leery of the pencil scratches.  I have poked a pencil into my ankle to silently keep myself awake in a situation like that.  If I were doing West Side Story, most of the time I could be tapdancing in the corner and no one would notice.

I agree with giabow, with the caveat that if doodling is distracting, you stop it.   I don't think it's rude in and of itself, as long as you are fully aware of what's going on around you.

321

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 11:31 pm »

I speak with all due respect - if anyone feels the rulebook language is difficult to understand or interpret or simply confusing as hell, they can make a difference!

No offense taken.  I actually really appreciate all the "For Stage Managers, see Stage Management, Page xx" cross references in all the rule books, for when a rule is different for SMs.  Those have really gotten a lot better in the last ten years, I think.  

My point was that I don't expect that same attention to be paid to each and every form AEA puts out - I actually think it could create more confusion, and what SM wants that?

322

The Hardline / EMC weeks?

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 11:23 am »

In your situation I would e-mail the AEA person in charge of the EMC program - contact info on the AEA website.  I remember I got a quick, succinct, and definitive answer when I asked.

In my situation, on my EMC show, "first rehearsal" = first day of my contract.  I got one more EMC week than my fellow actors because I started with the prep week and they started with the rehearsal.

Here's another situation where the AEA language is obvious for actors (how many questions would there be if the form said "contract start date"?  The first rehearsal break would be twenty minutes long...) and they expect stage managers to understand their own situation.

323

The Hardline / 401K plan

« on: Oct 16, 2005, 11:15 am »

Production Contract automatically contributes 3% ASIDE FROM YOUR SALARY even if you don't choose to defer anything on your own.

In LORT and a few others you can do salary deferrals on your own that are NOT matched by anything from the producers.

...

You could start with 2.5 percent to match the union funds and you'll be surprised how easy it is.  

Question - what exactly is the matching situation here?  Production Contract producers contribute 3% on top of your salary; other producers do not contribute anything; and the union contributes 2.5% on top of your salary for all these contracts?

If I apply for a 401K on a WCLO or LORT contract, and don't put any of my money in at all (maybe $500 seed money), is the 401K growing because union funds are going into it?  

You'll have to excuse my ignorance, I have a real trouble understanding anything beyond simple savings and checking accounts...

Thanks,

324

The Hardline / 401K plan

« on: Oct 14, 2005, 06:33 pm »

I had a 401K plan back when I had a day job.  I don't know much about it, but it did give me a couple of hundred dollars when I quit and cashed it in.

What's the deal with AEA's 401K plan?  Which employers contribute matching funds?  What are the pros of setting one up?  Are there any cons - like for instance, if I need cash now to pay down a credit card or a car loan or something.  What about if I don't have a theatre job for a few months?  What happens to it then?

Vernon, I saw you were part of the WCLO contract negotiation that secured this for us.  Can you give us the highlights?

Thanks,

325

The Hardline / 401K plan

« on: Oct 14, 2005, 06:30 pm »

I had a 401K plan back when I had a day job.  I don't know much about it, but it did give me a couple of hundred dollars when I quit and cashed it in.

What's the deal with AEA's 401K plan?  Which employers contribute matching funds?  What are the pros of setting one up?  Are there any cons - like for instance, if I need cash now to pay down a credit card or a car loan or something.  What about if I don't have a theatre job for a few months?  What happens to it then?

Vernon, I saw you were part of the WCLO contract negotiation that secured this for us.  Can you give us the highlights?

Thanks,

326

The Hardline / the intent as well as the letter of the law

« on: Oct 09, 2005, 03:13 pm »

I have the same belief as Matt regarding the staggering of breaks - I mostly make use of it around the ten-minute-break rule.  But I disagree with the idea of taking an hour break at some point during a 7-hour rehearsal.  I think that, when you schedule a straight 6, you're setting the span-of-day (Rule 49.C.1). Staggering the SM calls in this situation would, I think, be more like PSM in rehearsal from 12-6pm and ASM in rehearsal from 1-7pm.  (You could still take the 20-minute-break at the same time.)  I think if you set the span-of-day from 12pm-7pm for each of you, you're infringing on that rule.

Also, as a rule, I'm disturbed by SMs working through breaks on a regular basis.  Yes, I think we all need to be able to Keifer Sutherland our way through a hellish last day of tech, but if I routinely work eight to ten hours without stopping, I won't have the resources to do that at crunch time.

I also want to avoid this unspoken competition amongst SM teams - "I won't be the first one to leave/break/stand and stretch".  How could that possibly be healthy?  But I've found myself doing it more than once.

327

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / outdoors

« on: Oct 08, 2005, 12:20 pm »

I've found cardstock to be essential for outdoor theatre.  About 90 minutes after sundown, when the script paper starts absorbing the water from the atmosphere, it becomes impossible to write notes in pencil on regular 20# paper.  But on cardstock, no problem.  Also, the extra weight means it doesn't blow around as much in the wind.

Indoors, I find it isn't worth the extra work involved in maintaining a cardstock script - when the holes break on the three-hole-punched paper, I just tape over the holes and re-punch it.  Works like a charm, and demands much less skill than reinforcement labels.

328

The Green Room / maybe a different thread

« on: Oct 07, 2005, 10:25 am »

Do actors expect the SM to provide tech snacks, the way none of them come to the first read through with pencils or highlighters?  My first few techs, I brought my favorite snack foods - enough for three long days of tech - and without asking, everyone snarfed them down and I was empty by the first break.

So I stopped buying snack foods for tech - I bought sandwiches, figuring no one would ask for a bite of my sandwich.  I didn't have much money for food at the time, and I certainly didn't have enough to feed all cast and crew!

Lately I've been getting paid more (thank goodness) so I picked up some stuff at Trader Joe's expecting that I would share it with others.  Rosencrunch and Guildernpop was a big hit. ("To crunch, or not to crunch")  But I unexpectedly found that I actually had to offer it to people, and even later in the day, people asked before taking a bite.  Did I just have an uncommonly polite cast on that show?

329

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / musicals

« on: Aug 29, 2005, 11:53 am »

Thanks for the clarifications, mc.  The point of static orchestra vs. sub orchestra is well taken.  I don't think I've done a single performance where the first choice for each instrument was playing together at the same time.  On these small-budget things, where the MD has cobbled together an orchestra three deep at each position, and we never have the same line-up twice, it would have been damn-near impossible for me to track.  Especially since the MD would make day-of changes, or the musicians would swap dates and "forget" to tell the MD!

And I agree, mc, farting around in the pit with totally inappropriate melodies while the house is open (i.e., dixieland jazz before a performance of "Les Miz") is something I would bring up with the MD as needing to change.  I usually don't pay attention to anything in the house before the five-minute call, however.

I'd like one clarification, though, from our USA members - sign-in sheet for the orchestra?  Yes or no?  Or Depends?

Thanks everyone.

330

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / musicians

« on: Aug 27, 2005, 12:07 pm »

mc has a lot of experience that I don't, (I've only done three musicals, none of which with more than 6 pieces in the orchestra; also done several small operas with a nine-piece orchestra) so I just wanted to raise some questions because it sounds like I've had some mis-understandings about the SM role with the orch.

Maybe it was just the MD's that I've worked with, but they all expected to be treated as equal with Dir and SM - and the orchestra always was their complete power domain.  I was told that I didn't set calls; that my presence was not desired at orchestra rehearsals; that they (the orch) didn't need contact sheets, nor did they need their names/numbers on the contact sheet.  I was told that it was the orchestra member's responsibility to be ready for the downbeat of the overture, and that the union rules kept me from calling them before that.  What I had to do was find out what the MD needed in terms of rehearsal time and space for the orchestra, and work that into the overall schedule; and as you said, coordinate cue sequence and vamp outs.

Also, is tuning in the pit while the house is open considered unprofessional?  I seem to recall hearing the orchestra tune as standard in most musicals I've seen (but I've not been to much Broadway - definitely fewer than 6 shows).