Messages

331

The Green Room / Re: Name change and resume/references

« on: Sep 02, 2011, 12:59 pm »

I'd say the best thing to do is email/contact  your references saying you are no longer going by your married name and are going by your maiden name again. Your resume will continue to speak for itself, so will your website. The only thing that needs to be really informed about the change are your references....probably your webmaster as well so you can re-register your website under your maiden name.

332

Employment / Re: to QR or not to QR?

« on: Aug 29, 2011, 12:59 pm »

QR code barely have a handhold in marketing in this country, I don't think generating them for use outside of that is really worth while. Maybe things are different in other countries (I know Japan has been using this technology successfully for many many years), but I think trying to use it on one's resume is just a little too ahead of the times.

Even on your lighting design resume I think it might be going too far. As Matthew said, people will research you on their own. If they are incapable of finding your website listed on your resume....they will never be able to figure out how to get a smart phone scanner to work.

I own multiple smart devices with cameras...with the exception of the ones I made for my theater company (just to make sure they worked) I don't think I've ever interacted with any other QR codes.

333

The Green Room / Re: Hurricane Irene and your Company's plans

« on: Aug 26, 2011, 06:59 pm »

AEA allowed us to do that leading into tech at the Guthrie but that's because of the New Years holiday. We took a day off and then worked 7....or maybe even 8 days....hmm...in a row all of which was tech and previews. It was pretty brutal, but do-able.

Though nothing beats that lovely Christmas 13 day stretch in a row followed by the two and a half days off....

334

The Green Room / Re: Hurricane Irene and your Company's plans

« on: Aug 26, 2011, 01:48 pm »

Governor Cuomo ordered the MTA closed either starting or completed by 12pm Tomorrow (Saturday)....I really don't know how smaller theaters can expect to go on as scheduled right now. Cast, crew and audience are going to have a really hard time getting in to the evening shows, but more importantly there's going to be no public transit once the curtain goes up. So there's no good way to get out of Manhattan.

335

The Green Room / Re: Hurricane Irene and your Company's plans

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 08:31 pm »

Mayor Bloomberg just told New Yorkers to be prepared for the MTA to be closed down starting Saturday afternoon. MTA only needs sustained winds of 35mph, before they start closing down.

We have playbill coming to review the Saturday evening show  so I think the producers are inclined to push forward in spite of the weather. I'm hoping they will at least purchase flashlights in the event the power fails.

336

The Green Room / Hurricane Irene and your Company's plans

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 03:40 pm »

So as it has become evident that Hurricane Irene is coming to mess the East Coast up somethin' awful, I was wondering what is happening to your show's performances. I know it's supposed to hit New York on Saturday night right around the time curtain goes up on my show and my producers are talking about postponing or outright canceling and refunding tickets (showcase code, hard to put in an additional performance to make up for it). It should be getting to North Carolina later today and early tomorrow.

Has there been any other talk about canceling shows this weekend?

EDIT: Latest update says that Irene will actually reach New York Sunday morning/afternoon, so instead of affecting Saturday night shows, it's gonna disrupt Sunday matinees instead.

337

The Hardline / Re: AEA MAternity Leave

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 01:43 am »

Theater is at the back of the pack in terms of maternity/paternity leave (yes, fathers can legally take time off of work as well but there are qualifications for it). While a majority of employers won't pay for maternity leave (except in 5 states) they are required to hold your job for you so you will have it once your maternity leave is up.

I don't see figuring out maternity leave a priority in the AEA universe. Especially since (as has been pointed out) AEA focuses most of its energies on Actors and not Stage managers. And I'd wager a guess that nearly every actor working under AEA contracts realizes that 90% of their employment is based on their looks/physical characteristics. I don't mean that in a misogynistic way, I simply mean you have to look the part to get the part.

Stage Managers should be treated like any other worker in an office setting, and when they reach the point near the end of their pregnancy and need to stop coming in to work they should be allowed to, and allowed to return to their job after a set amount of time. Strictly my opinion, but I think if anything is going to change it's going to have to change through litigation. Eventually, a female stage manager will have to sue for their maternity rights in order to get them installed universally across all contracts...well maybe not Code productions and readings. That might be overkill. 

The closest analogy (and I'm sorry for those of you who are about to be subjected to my insane level of dorkiness) I can think of right off the top of my head is Dawn Marie Psaltis who worked as an independent contractor as a WWE Diva in 2005. She got pregnant, was released by WWE, sued them, and settled out of court. Fast forward to this year Kia Stevens joins the WWE. She realizes she's pregnant approximately 4 weeks after her TV debut and can't be physically active as she has a high risk pregnancy, and instead of firing her she's put on Inactive duty. She remains under contract and off TV. When she is able to rejoin the roster she will. 

Now I realize this anecdote is told through the lens of a performer and not a backstage hand. But the independent contractor aspect is the important comparison. WWE caught huge flack for it's role in Dawn Marie's release and the only reason they've changed their tune about pregnancy is because they were sued. Do they still expect their talent to not get pregnant while under contract? Yes. But they know better than to fire those who do because no publicly traded company likes a high profile lawsuit. This from a company that squashes all attempts at unionizing it's workers. So even without a union looking out for their interests, pro wrestlers have found themselves with better maternity protection than actors and stage managers.

338

The Hardline / Re: AEA Application?

« on: Aug 24, 2011, 01:05 am »

Bwoodbury: When you get your packet of info from AEA, could you share the contents and what you had to do to register yourself with Equity? It would be pretty good to know what it entails these days.

After all, we all only enter the union once (generally speaking of course), and things might have changed since some of the more experienced members joined. I think it would be good information to store in the back of one's head if you work with someone who is joining during your production and they have questions.

339

Tools of the Trade / Re: 1/4" Glow dots

« on: Aug 24, 2011, 01:00 am »

Altoid tin for the win! If I ever need glow tape in bulk, I go the 'toid tin route.

As for making 1/4" dots, hole punching is the only way I know of. I don't think anyone sells them smaller than the 1" monster you've already mentioned.

I don't know how well this would work, but maybe you could try peeling the back off first, and stick that strip of glow tape lightly to a piece of paper. Then you can lift it off the paper when you need it and try to hole punch it that way. I doubt it would work, but it might be worth a try of you're adamant about using dots vs. strips.

340

The Green Room / Re: You know you're in tech when....

« on: Aug 21, 2011, 11:27 pm »

You realize your diet has consisted of the 3 C's: coffee, cigarettes, and cliff bars.

341

The Hardline / Re: AEA Application?

« on: Aug 21, 2011, 11:23 pm »

I remember said packet too (3 years ago for me), but I did forget that we had an Equity representative present for our Deputy election and meeting prior to rehearsals due to the very odd (and high profile) nature of the production. They wanted to reiterate how important it was we adhere to the rules and come to them if anything was out of sorts etc etc blah blah blah. So I got my packet handed to me by an Equity Rep at that meeting. Getting it via mail seems more Equity's speed though....so maybe joining through Sister Unions allows you to by pass that part of it perhaps? hmm....

Either way, you will get a packet of information, but if you want to get an idea of exactly how it will go down call your Equity office.

342

The Hardline / Re: AEA Application?

« on: Aug 21, 2011, 10:20 pm »

Congratulations!

I'm 99.99% positive you have to be given the application by AEA. Otherwise it would be a flood of paperwork for Equity to sift through finding the legit applications vs. every Joe Schmo actor who wanted to get in could download the application.

My lead actor in my current show just "turned" and I'm pretty sure it's something that has to be dealt with by you, your producer and the AEA rep for the show. Though his situation may be a little different since he's joining via Sister Union status (member of AFTRA and SAG), so I might be missing something for contract applicants.

343

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 15, 2011, 12:16 pm »

So you're just a fuddy duddy, is that it?

I misunderstood your initial post that sent us down this path, Matthew. It sounded like it was anti-technology on whole, not a rallying against the trend of absent mindedly flipping to facebook during rehearsal and thus not paying attention that way. I think we all could agree that trend sucks.

344

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 05:03 pm »

Nick, hats off to you . . . i too can type without taking my eyes off the deck.

*squint* I see what you did there......not exactly sure it was necessary, but I see what you did there.

But this has little to do with SM taking in information (although I think open computers lead to wandering through the internet . . .), but it's the perception of other people.

Except for the times I'm serving my database over a wifi network, my internet is turned off. I understand that the perception of those who have been in the business longer than I have may resist the new wave of technology, but I find that the older methods are....I hesitate to say frowned upon, but I find that newer companies have been hesitant when I show up to their rehearsals without a laptop and just a legal pad and pen.

Some directors hate that when they say something, it is immediately typed in to the report.

I personally hate a group of stage manager sitting six feet away with lap top opens - I would rather have one person running the room, and the rest of the team working outside of the room.  It's a bit about keeping the energy going, but keeping the focus on the work in the room.   It's not about noise, but for example, try to have a Hamlet act "to be or not to be", but have another actor sitting against the wall texting . . . it's just doesn't feel right.

I think jotting down a note is fine during rehearsal, adding something to report, what I have a problem is the SMs that get deep into updating paperwork in the middle of rehearsal to the point they have no idea what is going on right before them.

I agree with all these statements for the most part.

I have worked with directors that dislike it when I copy down what they say as they say it, but I also check with them before I send out any report/email asking about it. It's still their process and if they like to spitball ideas out as "what ifs" during rehearsal, that's great. I just always check with them and delete anything they don't want in the notes, which is basically (I think) the same idea as what you're saying, except you do it in reverse. You add information to the final report, whereas I delete information not wanted. I may be wrong, and I apologize if I am not understanding your process.

I can't say which was is best to run a room where there is more than a stage manager and an ASM. But when I'm in a room by myself for a musical with 20-30 people, I'd rather have the technology open and available to me to make my life as easy as possible.

I wholeheartedly agree that getting lost in paperwork during rehearsal is unacceptable. That's what you do after rehearsal. Update the changes made that day. Bring the paperwork back to current after rehearsal. I'm not advocating the stage management team be on an island of technology and no one can reach them except via email or text. All I'm saying is that technology makes me personally a more efficient and organized stage manager.

I also agree that people who don't know when to turn off their technology during rehearsal is an issue, especially if being used for non-production related things. But if I'm using my laptop to take a note during rehearsal that's different because it's show related, and I think it should be permitted. Someone watching a youtube video on their phone on the sides of the room is rude and unacceptable.

But now at this point...we're arguing personal styles and we may never necessarily agree (though it does seem that at the core of it all, we have the same ideals of respect for one another in the rehearsal room but different interpretations of use of technology by a stage manager)

I guess as someone who learned the traditional ways of stage managing in college, but also being on the cusp of the wave of technology that has washed over theater, I prefer the technological methods over "old school" record keeping. I think they are cleaner and easier than older methods. There are obvious benefits to both, and obvious faults in both as well.

As to the topic of this thread: I do not think I would ever be truly comfortable with an entirely digital anything in this business. The odds of damage to the drive it's being stored on is too great. But that's why there are printers to take the digital media and make it a physical thing.

345

Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Show Binder

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 01:17 pm »

I think that as long as there is an Actor's Equity, there can't be a totally digital binder. You're always going to have to hand the cast a printed contact sheet at the beginning of the show.

While I have fully integrated technology into my process, there's no beating an index card with your cue sheet on it, tethered to your belt loop by tie line. Even as small as the iPad2 is, I can't imagine carrying it around backstage for all my needs of running a show. Sure you can tuck it into the back of your pants, but that's just awkward.

And while I understand what Matthew is saying about the lowest technological denominator, I disagree totally with the assessment that being on a laptop/iPad means you're not paying attention. I'm a proficient enough to type while not looking at the keyboard. I can keep my eyes on the deck and write my notes without ever looking at the screen or the keyboard. It takes me less time to type a note in my computer than it does to scribble it on a legal pad and then try to decipher what I wrote later. Since I started using my laptop/iPad in rehearsal I've found that the amount of times I couldn't decipher what my notes said/meant have gone down to 0%.