Messages

316

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / how much time & money do you have?

« on: Oct 02, 2005, 11:31 pm »

My question is how much time and money did you have.  One idea is to heavily dry-brush a medium brown over your black, letting little bits of the black show through, and then very lightly dry-brush a lighter brown over the top.  This is the opposite of how I would paint it if painting from scratch, but it depends if you have time to start with a total repaint of brown.

If time and money are not a concern, then I'd repaint it a medium/light brown, and use a wood-grainer to put darker brown grain lines on it.  A wood grainer is a rounded plastic hand-held item that has a series of concentric circles in it.  As you drag it across wet paint, it leaves a very good wood grain line.

Again, quick and dirty (and lower budget) is the brown dry-brush with maybe a fine spatter of a light and a dark.  Also depends how realistic at how close a range it needs to be.  Hope this helps,

-Centaura

317

SMNetwork Archives / comfort

« on: Sep 11, 2005, 12:13 am »

Althought I am a die-hard Mac user, I will say my two cents says go with what you are familar with.  For me, its Mac.  To do the things that I can do instantly on a Mac, I find that I have to hunt and peck forever to find where they are hiding those commands/whatever on a PC.  I'm sure that PC users feel the same - things aren't in the same place, and things don't run the same.  I hate it when my mother calls me to fix her computer - things that would take me seconds to do on my machine, I often can't do for her PC.  I really feel like PCs are computers that are made to be used without questions.  Its so hard to get into the control areas to fix/adjust anything.  I will say that I have no problems touring with my Mac, I use MacLinkPlus for tanslating PC documents.  It gives me a wide choice of programs that I can open documents from or save to their format.   I also have PowerPrint - which provides me with printer drivers for virtually any PC printer I come across.  So, I can walk into a venue, literally just plug into their printer, and print.

I just like having my own computer with.  Its great to be able to sit and work with what I'm familiar with, while the folks around me are cursing their ancient donated computers.  

-Centaura

318

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / differences

« on: Sep 05, 2005, 06:58 pm »

Greetings,

I'm a little rusty on my British SMing, but I might be able to anwer a few questions.  I am an american stage manager, but I spent a year living in London, half that time I was apprenticing at a local conservatory and the other half I was on tour with a local theatre company as an ASM.

I never had to deal much with BritishEq - I do remember having conversations with folks and had gotten the impression that it wasn't as strong an organization over there as it was here.

Are you going with you own crew, or are you going to be working with a local crew?  I ask as some of the job roles & names are a little different.  You may hear titles like Company Stage Manager and Deputy Stage Manager.

-Centaura

319

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / blanks sideways

« on: May 11, 2005, 11:10 pm »

Fire the weapon again from each side, both at four feet and then at point-blank range. This identifies the danger zone around that particular weapon, loaded with that size blank.

This is something that I think can't be stressed enough.  Blank firing guns do not have forward discharge - i.e. their barrels have been blocked - but they do have sideways discharge.  The power of the explosion of the gunpowder exits out the sides of the guns, and it can be VERY dangerous to be standing next to one that's being fired.  Setting up a test paper like it mentioned above in your scene shop or some other area and doing test firings is helpful.  Just like you don't want to be in front of a real gun, you don't want to be next to a blank firing gun.

-Centaura

320

The Green Room / drinking

« on: May 05, 2005, 10:16 am »

I find that I either tend to forget to drink, or end up drinking lots of pop - all carbonation and little hydration value.  So, as I don't like plain water, I find ways to 'trick' myself into drinking water.  I fill a water bottle with water and pour a little Crystal Light (a very low calorie koolaid/softdrink flavoring) into it.  Takes a little bit to figure out the right amount to put in (though they've started to make little water-bottle sized servings).  Then whenever I run out during the day, I can just refill the water bottle at any sink or water fountain and put some more in.  Saves money over pop, has almost no calories, and by using the same bottle for several days I'm also recycling.  It also covers up the flavor of local waters when they taste a little off.

As for fast food - its something that I can't avoid.  But I will tell you what I tell my new actors at the begining of a tour.  You can eat healthier at fast food places, you just have to stop a moment and really read the menu.  I find that folks tend to walk into McDonalds and order the same thing every time, without really thinking about what they're doing.  A lot of the fast food places have been adding healthy options to their menus.  Wendy's salads are great, and they also have baked potatoes.  If I must have a sandwich, I get the side salad and not the fries.  Sandwich shops, a deli, or places like that are also favorites for me.  Where you can get fresh ingredients that haven't been deep fried.  If you have a fridge, you can get a bottle of whatever your favorite dressing is and keep it in there - the main source of fat for fast food salads are the dressings the restaurant gives you.

While home cooked is best, if you don't have that option, take a minute and explore all the different fast food around.  With some effort, it is possible to avoid a lot of the deep-fried, and trying new things can be fun!

-Centaura

321

SMNetwork Archives / Emergency Forms

« on: May 04, 2005, 10:40 pm »

Re the first aid thing:

I have all cast and crew submit a CONFIDENTIAL Emergency Medical form

I will give this statement a resounding "I AGREE"  I will not go past day one of working with a group of actors without a Emergency Med info form!  I've already had three cases of having to take a comatose or non-sensical person to an emergency room, and in each case I was able to hand their form straight to the emergency staff personel.  

Even if the person is totally coherent, I find its still helpful, especially if I have lines for their health insurance information, which most folks don't know off the top of their heads.

-Centaura


thread edited by nmno. was originally part of "Leaving the booth..."[/i]

322

Employment / DIVERSIFYING: SMs in other roles

« on: May 04, 2005, 10:21 pm »

Its been brought up in another thread about SMs doing other roles for a show other than just SMing.  To me this can tie into a lot of the union discussions that've been posted lately.

Is is just me, or is one big difference between working union or non-union the chance to work hands-on in other departments other than your own?  Or is this just a scale thing, larger shows having more crew and therefore more clearly defined roles, and smaller shows having less staff and more crossover?

One of the things that I've enjoyed about working on no-union shows has been the chance to help outside my area.  How do others feel about working in other areas of tech?

-Centaura

323

Employment / union opinions

« on: Apr 30, 2005, 10:56 pm »

I am still on the fence post, personally, about unions.  I get confused by IATSE, as I find their rules very inconsistent from venue to venue.

To me, it all stems down to the individual in each situation.  I find sometimes its less what the union rules are, but how the locals are utilizing & interpretting them.  Locals who are friendly, and interested in helping your show be successful, will use their rules to your advantage, and I don't have problems working within their guidelines.

I do see IA providing for breaks, working hours, and money.  There are lots of venues out there that are expected to do work all day and night, but not all of them compensate for the hours & stress.  I'll hear the same scenario of being over-booked from venue to venue, but there'll be non-union places where this is all expected to be done on their basic salary.  While the same scenario at a union house is going to provide a nice bit of overtime to the locals.

As for Equity - I worked a half-Equity house once.  Both me and the Equity SM got screwed by the producer, over the same issue.  I lost out because I did not have the protections of the union, but on the other hand, I saw the union rules being used to hurt the SM.  I was a lowly apprentice ASM, so I never knew if it was an acceptable interpretation of union rules that was used against the SM.  It was a very interesting experience early in my career, which has contributed to my not being able to decide for myself to go union or not.  I could see where I -in theory- could have been protected by the union, but the union chose not to help either of us.

I do think that they serve a purpose.  Past that, I don't know enough to add more of a detailed opinion.

-Centaura

324

SMNetwork Archives / vitamins

« on: Apr 30, 2005, 10:26 pm »

A B-complex vitamin supplement, on top of a daily multi-vitamin, is very good to take if you know you're going into a stessful situation; take it daily during the stressful time.  Also, if you do start to get sick, at the very first sign of a sore throat (or whatever your first symptom is) I start to take an Echinacea & Goldenseal combo.  Won't stop you from getting sick, but I find that it will help me not be as sick as long.

But I also agree with the person who said that if you get sick every tech, then you need to look at your working habits.  Or how much you're letting the stress of work get into your off-time hours.  Stressing your mind can do as much damage as stressing your body.  I'll also add a redundant "get sleep" 'cause I also believe that it can't be stressed enough.

-Centaura

325

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / artistic input

« on: Apr 15, 2005, 10:29 pm »

I think a lot of it depends on the relationship between the SM and the Director.  I've had directors who I've been very close to ask me my opinion on questons.  Or, invite and value any suggestions that I might have.  I will only offer my opinion on 'artistic' aspects of a show when I'm asked, I generally only offer suggestions if they fall into the problem-solving category.

On the other hand, I have also been in the situation of rehearsing replacement actors without the director present.  You try to recreate the show the director made as best as possible, but there are times when you have to use your own input.  I've had one case where the replacement they sent me was so much more talented than the one he replaced, it made that character more important.  I had seen the Director struggling in rehearsal to get more out of the original actor, but there wasn't much there to give.  When the replacement came in and was fabulous, I tried to take him in the directions that the director had originally wanted the character to go.

One the one topic - I'd say that you should have a strong working relationship with a directore before offering artistic opinions.

On the other topic - replacing an actor has the potential to change so many dynamics in a show, it can be a real challenge recreating the original vision.

326

The Hardline / would they have more clout?

« on: Apr 09, 2005, 10:09 am »

especially if the big acting unions ever get their acts together and merge into one (as British Equity covers stage, tv and film) for then we'd have much more clout as a union.

Would there be more clout?  When I lived in England, I was told by the locals that British Eq was a very weak organization.  I wonder now if that was simply the opinions of those I talked to, a cultural thing (americans are much more interested in changing things on a regular basis than the british seemed) or maybe from thier combination?  I never worked with anything that was related to British Eq, so I don't have any first hand comparrison.

In my opinion, I think I agree with sms staying in equity.  I sudder to think what might change if we went into IA.  One person mentioned not being brought into the production until the last minute, which I could see a producer doing to save money.  The current theatre I work for doesn't understand what stage managers do, and they do that.  On the mainstage they bring them in right before tech, like they were just a crew person, and then wonder why their shows are never very organized.

-Centaura

327

The Hardline / curious

« on: Apr 07, 2005, 03:35 pm »

I'm not union, but I've always been told that SMs are in Equity 'cause they're representing the actors, and dealing as a liason with Eq for the actors.  How would that change if SMs were IA?

I'd be curious as to what it would do for finding jobs.  Are there a lot of cases where a house has one union, but not the other?  Would it be okay for a house to have Eq actors, but a non-union stage manager? (hypothetically, if SMs were IA and the house in question was non-IA)

Has there ever been serious interest in moving them from one to the other, or is it a hypothetical question that just pops up every once in a while?

-Centaura

328

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / new works

« on: Apr 07, 2005, 03:23 pm »

I was an ASM once on a new work.  We'd get new lines/line changes everyday, and as ASM it was given to me to type them all up everyday.  It was very interesting, as they wanted me to keep as close to possible to the original page numbers.  So, everyday I'd have to retype the pages that had changes (of more than one line) and hand out copies.  It got to be that some pages had letters after them, i.e. pg. 35a, pg. 35b, etc.  I had the only complete computerized copy of the script.  Everyone, including the designers, kept their scripts in 3 ring binders, and we had a 3 hole punch in rehearsal with us.  Everyday, the first 5 mintues of rehearsal was spent with everyone replacing the new pages and copying their notes over.

-Centaura

329

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / dance

« on: Apr 06, 2005, 06:39 pm »

I stage managed a dance concert one time where there wasn't a script.  I ran things differently than I had SMed other shows at that same space.  For one, I forgo being in the booth to be backstage with the dancers (I also didn't have an ASM for that show).  For a prompt book, I created my own 'script', a multiple page document with the things that I called listed out item by item.

I just listed, song by song, what had to be called when, and followed it for the show.  Rehearsal was watching the dances w/ a stopwatch to learn the different timings of things.  I do sometimes find it harder to 'stage manage' when not working on a traditional 'show'.  Mainly from the perspective of the group I'm working with not really understanding what a SM was, and not utilizing what I could do for them.

-Centaura

330

Students and Novice Stage Managers / re:Broadway

« on: Mar 31, 2005, 12:34 pm »

I mean what is the difference between a humdrum stage manager and someone on broadway?

Careful of that one!  :wink:  There are lots of good SMs out there that have never had an interest in SMing on Broadway.

what's THE place to stage manage? That If you get there you know you're REALLY good.

For me, THE place to stage manage is the place that pays you want you want to get, while working with people you want to work with in the city that you want to live.  

I think of it more in personal terms.  Having a goal of what you want to do, and getting there.  When I left college, I my goal was to tour.  I am touring, and that is making me happy because I had made my goal.  The next step for me?  Maybe finding a good theatre to work for at home.

What do stage managers aspire to? The perfect show? The perfectly called cue? The perfect theatre?

Scoot said it for me.  I aspire to the fact that I am making my living doing something that I love, and not sitting behind a desk in some mindless corporate job.

At what point do you get somewhere and say you are there? Is there even any huge goals like that for stage managers?
-isha

I'd say when you are happy.  For me, I have never in my life wanted to live in NYC, or anywhere on the east coast.  There is a glamor to saying that 'you've worked on broadway' - but for me that doesn't make up for the fact that its a very, very large, expensive, and crowded city to live in.  Doesn't appeal to me.

Personally, I admire the folks who've got such good reputations in a particular city that they hardly need to send resumes anymore, they're just called with job offers.  To me, when you're never lacking for work becuase you're wanted by so many folks, that's being good.

-Centaura