361
The Green Room / Re: Sanity is Evasive
« on: Mar 09, 2011, 07:17 pm »
Sadly I'm still looking for my outlet...does catching up on sleep count?
News:
14 Jan 2021: Happy 21st birthday, SMNetwork! I replaced the old broken mobile theme. -K
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362
Employment / Re: Free Lancing Tactics: How Far in Advance
« on: Mar 09, 2011, 07:14 pm »
The argument here is that there will be a time where you don't book far in advance and suddenly you have a gap in employment, or you book way in advance and 'miss out' on a great offer because you've already committed to something else.
In non-union freelance world, I vote for going as far in advance as possible. And if a phenomenal just-can't-turn-it-down position opens up, at least you have a better chance of getting out of your contract (my current contract says that either party can terminate employment without penalty)...though I would think long and hard before doing so. You don't want a reputation for saying yes only to pull the rug out from a theatre and leave them scrambling for a replacement. You know what they say about burning bridges...
In non-union freelance world, I vote for going as far in advance as possible. And if a phenomenal just-can't-turn-it-down position opens up, at least you have a better chance of getting out of your contract (my current contract says that either party can terminate employment without penalty)...though I would think long and hard before doing so. You don't want a reputation for saying yes only to pull the rug out from a theatre and leave them scrambling for a replacement. You know what they say about burning bridges...
363
The Green Room / USITT Stage Manager's Association Gathering
« on: Mar 03, 2011, 01:57 pm »
USITT Stage Managers' Association Gathering
Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Wild Wing Cafe - http://www.wildwingcafe.com/
The Charlotte EpiCentre, 210 East Trade Street, 2nd Floor, Suite D-262
(3 to 4 blocks northeast of the Convention Center)
All are welcome! Come by any time, we'll be there for quite a while.
Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Wild Wing Cafe - http://www.wildwingcafe.com/
The Charlotte EpiCentre, 210 East Trade Street, 2nd Floor, Suite D-262
(3 to 4 blocks northeast of the Convention Center)
All are welcome! Come by any time, we'll be there for quite a while.
364
Tools of the Trade / Re: Favorite Bag
« on: Mar 01, 2011, 07:18 pm »OK so I have a tackle box that I use for my kit, but sometimes I just need my laptop script etc, but had a difficult time finding the right one that could hold enough, wasn't freakin expensive, and rugged enough. I have found it from a company called Think Geek, it's called the Bag of holding. It holds EVERYTHING! http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/aaa5/
Anyone have one they love?
Thanks for sharing! I was just thinking today I need a bigger laptop bag that will hold my laptop and my zippered binder and NOT be bursting at the seams. Have you purchased this yet and taken it for a spin?
365
Employment / Re: Pictures
« on: Mar 01, 2011, 06:41 am »In the Theatre where I do most of my work, our headshots go in the program right along with the actors. So, I could totally understand getting the pictures with the resumes so that they are on file. That would make it easier to get a jump start on the program.
If you were already hired then yes of course give them your picture to go in the program. That reasoning doesn't make as much sense when you're receiving resumes and applications.
366
Employment / Re: Pictures
« on: Feb 28, 2011, 09:03 pm »
I skip right over those jobs. Why do they need to know what their SM would look like? Never sits right with me.
367
Tools of the Trade / Re: File Totes
« on: Feb 27, 2011, 11:03 pm »Did you guys see this?! This would be PERFECT for us two-binder people!
Moderator note: touched up bbcode. -kmc307
I really researched these and sadly they've changed the zippers and fabric to a cheaper alternative than the original, so they don't last very well up to wear and tear. I've been searching for an alternative ever since.
368
Employment / Re: Finding the Next Job
« on: Feb 07, 2011, 09:50 pm »
I say go for it. That's how I got my current job 
It isn't pushy, it's proactive.
Be sure to write a killer cover letter and that your resume looks fantastic. It helps to have someone who sees a lot of resumes pass their desk take a look and give you an honest critique.
It isn't pushy, it's proactive.Be sure to write a killer cover letter and that your resume looks fantastic. It helps to have someone who sees a lot of resumes pass their desk take a look and give you an honest critique.
369
The Green Room / Re: thoughts on sharing
« on: Feb 06, 2011, 09:48 am »
I'm not in a diplomatic mood today but I'll try to add my opinion without offending.
I agree with PSMKay. Maybe it's because I've dabbled in education, but I have a difficult time understanding why someone wouldn't want to share their knowledge. And to state that your reason is because you don't want to equip someone with the tools to become your competition is showing that 1. you think they're capable of doing so, 2. you're at least a little unsure that your combined abilities aren't substantial enough to get you jobs or 3. you think you're holding the Holy Grail of stage management, which, to speak frankly, sounds pompous.
Imagine if the greats in other industries felt the same way your friend did, Matt. Where would those industries be? How would the world of cooking be if Julia Child didn't publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking and just kept it to herself? Where would actors be without Stanislavski and Kazan sharing what they've learned to the next generation of performers? If the masters of music composition didn't take on students, if the masters of the art world didn't take on apprentices...the world would be quite different. They taught others so that when they were done their students could take it to the next level and improve their industry as a whole.
The other side to that coin is that be careful who you share with. Someone who is on your same level, who is constantly on the same short lists as you for the same jobs, who walks in the same tight circles and knows the same people...of course there's a real threat there. But someone who's still new to the whole thing, who may not be in the same field in five, ten years down the road, who may decide not to join the union, who may work in another part of the US, who may go work in Indonesia instead, or join the circus... The world of stage management is not limited to Broadway. There are jobs in other places around the world, and the weak ones will give way to the strong ones. At least, you certainly hope so!
Authors in the art of selling your brand will tell you the same thing: show yourself as an expert in your field and the jobs will come to you. They also say that to show yourself as an expert, give a part of yourself for free: teach classes, give lectures, write articles, make speeches, mentor students. No one will know you're an expert if you're huddled in a corner with your toy yelling, "Mine! Mine!". So to speak.
The beauty of what we do is that no two people do everything the same way: paperwork, blocking, handling problems, talking with actors, etc. We all do it differently. Someone may be getting advice from 20 people but may only follow the advice of 3. Why? Because the way they interpret the advice, if it suits their style, if it suits their personality, all depend on what advice they gravitate towards
Yes, I've also noticed the influx of high school and college students into the forum. The ratio of students brand new to the field to those that have been plugging at it for a large part of their lives is growing. But by the time those students are at the level you are at right now, you're likely to be gone, either out of the industry or in a more permanent sense. Knowledge gained from experience, not book knowledge, is what makes a stage manager an expert in the field. To think that a senior fresh out of college is ready to compete with you who has been around the block (hell, built the block) is going to be a real threat of competition is being narrow-minded.
That's not to say you should give up everything you know. I mean, c'mon, it's one thing to give you the recipe. Quite another to withhold that secret award-winning ingredient. If they're a good enough cook they'll stumble on it on their own anyway.
I hope that all came across somewhat coherently.
I agree with PSMKay. Maybe it's because I've dabbled in education, but I have a difficult time understanding why someone wouldn't want to share their knowledge. And to state that your reason is because you don't want to equip someone with the tools to become your competition is showing that 1. you think they're capable of doing so, 2. you're at least a little unsure that your combined abilities aren't substantial enough to get you jobs or 3. you think you're holding the Holy Grail of stage management, which, to speak frankly, sounds pompous.
Imagine if the greats in other industries felt the same way your friend did, Matt. Where would those industries be? How would the world of cooking be if Julia Child didn't publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking and just kept it to herself? Where would actors be without Stanislavski and Kazan sharing what they've learned to the next generation of performers? If the masters of music composition didn't take on students, if the masters of the art world didn't take on apprentices...the world would be quite different. They taught others so that when they were done their students could take it to the next level and improve their industry as a whole.
The other side to that coin is that be careful who you share with. Someone who is on your same level, who is constantly on the same short lists as you for the same jobs, who walks in the same tight circles and knows the same people...of course there's a real threat there. But someone who's still new to the whole thing, who may not be in the same field in five, ten years down the road, who may decide not to join the union, who may work in another part of the US, who may go work in Indonesia instead, or join the circus... The world of stage management is not limited to Broadway. There are jobs in other places around the world, and the weak ones will give way to the strong ones. At least, you certainly hope so!
Authors in the art of selling your brand will tell you the same thing: show yourself as an expert in your field and the jobs will come to you. They also say that to show yourself as an expert, give a part of yourself for free: teach classes, give lectures, write articles, make speeches, mentor students. No one will know you're an expert if you're huddled in a corner with your toy yelling, "Mine! Mine!". So to speak.
The beauty of what we do is that no two people do everything the same way: paperwork, blocking, handling problems, talking with actors, etc. We all do it differently. Someone may be getting advice from 20 people but may only follow the advice of 3. Why? Because the way they interpret the advice, if it suits their style, if it suits their personality, all depend on what advice they gravitate towards
Yes, I've also noticed the influx of high school and college students into the forum. The ratio of students brand new to the field to those that have been plugging at it for a large part of their lives is growing. But by the time those students are at the level you are at right now, you're likely to be gone, either out of the industry or in a more permanent sense. Knowledge gained from experience, not book knowledge, is what makes a stage manager an expert in the field. To think that a senior fresh out of college is ready to compete with you who has been around the block (hell, built the block) is going to be a real threat of competition is being narrow-minded.
That's not to say you should give up everything you know. I mean, c'mon, it's one thing to give you the recipe. Quite another to withhold that secret award-winning ingredient. If they're a good enough cook they'll stumble on it on their own anyway.
I hope that all came across somewhat coherently.
370
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Humor: Stage Managing the World
« on: Feb 05, 2011, 07:27 pm »
I was watching The September Issue and in one scene a model wearing extremely expensive couture went to the food table and picked up a small cake piled with cherries on top. As she brought it to her mouth, without even thinking I started repeating out loud, "No eating in costume, no eating in costume..."
371
The Green Room / Re: Your ideal kit bag/box/portable hole
« on: Jan 31, 2011, 09:54 pm »
More pics please! You know that I love that you have a space for your coffee - a MUST in my book.
372
The Green Room / Re: This one goes to Eleven!
« on: Jan 26, 2011, 01:45 pm »
We were? I don't remember too much from Rodelinda except the rake and velour covered set...they had me working everywhere for that one, including security! I definitely remember Lillian, she was quite passionate about the piece.
373
Homework Help / Re: Deadline February 1, 2011: Stage Mangement
« on: Jan 23, 2011, 08:07 pm »
Probably one suggestion you're not expecting: Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Selling. I found it invaluable for teaching how to market yourself to prospective 'clients' and though much of it pertains to corporate sales, there is a wealth of information that can easily transfer to stage management.
374
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSAL: Sign-in Sheet for Rehearsals
« on: Jan 21, 2011, 04:52 pm »Igive me their phones and other electronic distractions
that seems to be a little totalitarian to me . . .
With high school students, I'd do the same thing.
375
The Green Room / Re: Little luxuries...
« on: Jan 21, 2011, 03:57 pm »
My little luxury is simply not worrying. I'm not going to go out of my way to double-check what I'm eating. It's enough that I need to go out of my way to get a decent night's sleep!