Messages

346

The Hardline / Re: Understudies, and actors "calling out"

« on: Aug 08, 2011, 11:31 am »

If this was done with the consent of the producers, it's just a bitter pill to swallow. It's their show, and if they want to create inter-cast chaos by allowing B to call out of a show for "no reason" that's on their shoulders.

And if I'm reading your situation correctly, A's understudy would not have been prepared to go on without the put in rehearsal, correct? So A being pressured into performing that show while sick was a more solid plan than allowing A's understudy to go on who hadn't been put in yet.

Did B tell the producers it was simply because she wanted her understudy to get a chance to perform, or did she give them a reason that would make them not want to allow her onstage (like vocal exhaustion)? The cast may know something the producers don't, but if B lied to the producers you certainly can't fault them for protecting one of their principle actors.

347

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: communicating who is called for a rehearsal

« on: Aug 02, 2011, 11:25 pm »

I send nightly emails to my cast letting them know what the schedule is for the next day with specific call and release times. You may not be able to modify the schedule you currently passed out, but you can always supplement them with more details.

Talk with your director after each rehearsal to clarify the calls, and see if anything needs to change. Things always come up and things change. Once you have that conversation, email the next day's detailed schedule out to the cast.

348

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Blocking

« on: Jul 28, 2011, 04:47 pm »

I use a hybrid version. I generally box and use the right hand margin, but when the right hand margin does not provide enough room for me to do what I need to do, I star it. Then on the left hand page I write out the blocking or cue sequence or whatever I need to write out and put an arrow with "return to page" to indicate I'm done with my break out.

349

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Efficient Fight Call

« on: Jul 23, 2011, 10:17 pm »

If you are able, run multiple fights at the same time (providing that people, props and space allow it).

Before you move into the space, rehearse fight call with your cast so they know exactly what is coming next and will be prepared for it. Even long complicated fight calls can be cut down time wise over time just through repetition, but it will require you dedicate the time outside of the venue.

If you don't get through it in the 15 minutes the fringe allows....I'd hold the house. It's more important that your actors feel safe with long, pointy, and dangerous pieces of metal in their hands than the Fringe is with opening the house exactly when they want to. Strictly my opinion of course.

350

The Hardline / Re: Dear Abbey...

« on: Jul 23, 2011, 08:53 pm »

I've done a reading where the SM backed out, but they had been paid a portion of the stipend already and I was given the remainder of the stipend paid. Not sure if that's how it's supposed to go down, however the logic makes sense to me. I wasn't there for the entire process, I'm not entitled to the entire stipend.

Not sure if that's what is being asked here or not either, but that was my take on it. I also don't know if I got taken for a fool the couple times I walked into a reading.

351

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Tech week signage

« on: Jul 23, 2011, 08:45 pm »

Daily Schedule (with the daily breakdown of what's happening which is a little different than the Run Calendar loebtmc is talking about)

Run Orders Everywhere!!! (Dressing room, green room, hallways, Upstage L/R, Downstage L/R...)

Directional To Stage Left, and To Stage Right

On-Stage Cross Over (if you have one)

Directional To Green Room Signs (If you have one)

Directional To Bathroom Signs

Stage Manager Office (If you have one)

Directional To Pit (If you have an actual pit room. If you're in a high school auditorium probably not as necessary)

Directional To Musician Room (they and their stuff has to go somewhere)

352

Employment / Re: To tattoo or not to tattoo

« on: Jul 19, 2011, 12:58 am »

I've worked for a lot of companies who view too many tattoos as "people who don't take the art seriously and would rather stand out and be unique vs. doing their job". Fair or not, that's the deal for some places. I've moderated auditions for summer stocks who have simply said "That girl/guy with all the tattoos and the facial piercings....hmm no." Could be the best actor/singer/dancer in the world, but they couldn't get past the visual of the body art.

Some of those folks hiring out there can't get past your outer appearance to decide if you're qualified for the job.

353

The Green Room / Re: STUPID RAIN / VIPS LOST

« on: Jul 19, 2011, 12:46 am »

That, sir, is the suck. Sorry your show had so many meteorological set backs with VIPs tonight. 

354

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: Giving notes to difficult actors

« on: Jul 19, 2011, 12:45 am »

It might just be me, but I think setting the precedent of actors giving performance notes to other actors regardless of the reason, be it their status as a "locker room leader" or the AEA deputy is a bad thing. To me, that's almost as big of a no no as what this actor is doing onstage right now. Feelings get hurt, and if you open that pandora's box, there is now nothing that prevents the offending actor in this case from doing the same thing to one of the more professional actors and you've been caught setting up a double standard in your production.

I've never gone to the point of involving the deputy on performance issues. Perhaps that's naive on my part, but I've only involved deputies in larger issues like contract disputes, union rule violations, sexual harassment and things of that nature. But then again, I've never quite experienced the same situation Bex is in right now. I've had actors not take notes before, but never to this scale and never in the AEA context where there was no deputy to be had.

355

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: Giving notes to difficult actors

« on: Jul 17, 2011, 10:12 pm »

I had issues similar to this with an older actor at a professional but non union summer stock I worked at a few years ago. Especially the hamming/adlib factors.

If he doesn't get it by now he's probably not going to get it. Honestly, even most of the non-professional actors I've dealt with are amenable to notes, and understand it's the stage manager's job. If the director was fighting the fight all through rehearsal and now you're doing it during the performances....I can't see what's could be said to make it sink in. And if taking repercussive actions is going to make him quit and leave the show out to dry, it might just be better to grin and bear it.  He's not making the connection that he's there for his fellow performers, not for the audience reaction. If he's not wired that way, he might never understand.

Hopefully the talk with the director helped. But to me, it sounds like you've both collectively done everything you could do short of taking out a tire iron and tapping it menacingly in your hand.

356

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: TOURS: Tips for Packing?

« on: Jul 15, 2011, 11:59 am »

In reference to Lamination: My PSM and I actually found a lower rent version of this. So if you don't have the money for a lamination machine buy a bunch of sheet protectors, and some dry erase markers. Same idea, but this way is cheaper and you can create new signs as need be per venue and not have to worry about laminating them.

Bemalk has the right idea with the two bags. We called ours the "Bus Bag" which we would create for long hauls across the country. It's the bag we would bring on the bus with the essentials, and would also double as an overnight bag in hotels when we stayed in them. It's far easier to carry a duffle bag through a lobby after 4 hours of sleep than all your luggage.

357

Employment / Re: Necessary in a resume?

« on: Jul 05, 2011, 09:41 am »

Nick, I would have assumed the same but only one of those folks was young - and he may be ASM on a Bway tour this fall (he did a phone interview and is quite personable, but he was a TERRIBLE ASM on a tricky show and I cannot in good conscience recommend him because his only focus on my show was on how he was killing time by playing video games and watching DVDs rather than being aware during rehearsal or show (I saw him recently - truly a sweet guy - and he told me how much he had learned and how bad he realized he had been but still, I need evidence to trust him...). The other is in her mid-40s and talks a good line also, but, well, is adequate at best - and I am one of many I know who feel this way. So that's why I am curious abt all those extra things on their resumes that somehow got them interviews. Hmmmm.

I've suddenly lost my faith in humanity........

I can understand why its done since stage managers need to be so diverse in their skill sets to deal with different situations, but I agree with your final hmmmmm.

358

Employment / Re: Necessary in a resume?

« on: Jul 04, 2011, 10:19 pm »

Not to seem like forever the snark, but it could also be that those people that have the other outside theater things interspersed in their resumes scream to the producer "young hire, can pay them less or the very minimum of a union contract." I might be wrong, but when you consider the business side of it young people religiously will work for less money because they want to build their resume.

I used to have sound design on my resume, but I've since taken it off. I keep the most "pertinent" information in my special skills section (driver's license, the computer programs I am fluent in, foreign language skills, stage combat training, acting improvisation and direction etc). I do also currently have Production Management as a section of my resume because that's what I've spent most of the last year doing, and I didn't want that large of a gap in my experience.

The question I would have in regards to this thread: When do you take off your first Production Stage Management experience? I've been working professionally for 6 years now, and I was told it's always good to show how long you've been doing what you've been doing so I actually go back 8-9 years in experience, but it's all college. When's a good time to cut those credits off the resume?

As a total aside, I'm now trying to find work in both theater and retail because I had a few good retail jobs slip through my fingers. So I'm back in the saddle again and lookin'! 

359

Tools of the Trade / Re: iPads

« on: Jun 19, 2011, 04:56 pm »

This is only tangentially related but I thought it was such a smart and quick fix for a short term situation.

A friend of mine was doing an event in a small non-theater space and needed to call the show from the "wings" but there was no monitor system, so they set up a wireless wifi enabled webcam and streamed it to their ipad next to the SM at the calling station. From when I watched part of it there seemed to be no discernible lag between action and the monitor feed. I was pretty impressed.

Has anyone tried a tablet that is not the iPad? I'm not exceptionally keen on the Apple products but love love love my droid. (To each their own) I'd love to hear if anyone else has recommendations for a different brand, especially an Android OS

I've played with both the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab. They are both pretty decent pieces of hardware and both run Android. If they OS is what is driving your potential purchase those are the top rated alternatives to an iPad. If it honestly weren't for the fact that I'm getting sick of my droid x (and its operating system) I would have considered a droid based tablet before I purchased my iPad.

360

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Onstage as an SM

« on: Jun 18, 2011, 03:48 pm »

I've also made my off-Broadway acting debut! I also did a show where I was onstage the entire time, on headset. The show was set a lot like a rock concert, so the director had no problem and actually encouraged my going on to check mics, coil cable, hand off props, etc. HOWEVER, I don't know if you are Equity or not, but when the Equity rep came to see our show, they determined I had actual "acting moments" and the producers owed me a fee for each acting moment (I believe they determined I had 3?) per show...I ended up getting a check for nearly $400.

I am Equity and was for that show. Though the producers (more specifically the general manager) said they worked out a deal with Equity where I didn't get paid for performances and that it was covered by my ASM contract.

After that particular gm was released from his duties a new gm came in, saw how wrong that situation was and I ended up with a check for nearly 2k for performances about three months after the tour had ended. I wish that show had been more popular and been sold to more venues. They also figured out after the tour I was supposed to be paid for being fight captain too. That was an additional 15 bucks per performance as well. ;-)