Messages

376

The Green Room / Re: What did you learn today?

« on: Jul 17, 2010, 02:13 am »

I learned tonight that even though I may sometimes dread "sewing projects" to help my friends get their restaurant together, once I get started, I get really into it. The problem is just getting over the "I don't wanna" hump. This is probably true for a lot of things.

377

The Green Room / Re: Being friends with other stage managers

« on: Jul 17, 2010, 01:39 am »

Wow - this is something I have thought a lot about, but never really talked (or typed) about out loud.

I was able to be friends (and even roommates) with other SM's in college, because our professors pigeon-holed us into different arenas, so we were never directly in competition for shows. I was always stuck with either the One-Acts series or straight plays, while my roommate Libby got the musicals and my friend Jenaiah got dance. (Funny how I ended up SM'ing ballet and Jenaiah is in Shakespeare.) We still keep in touch, mostly through facebook, and once again, there is no competition because we all live in different states.

When I started working in professional theater, I was eager to make friends with as many SM's as possible, due to making strong contacts and learning as much as I could about their personal SM styles. I've never felt in direct competition with another SM friend because 1) I'm generally happy where I am and have a season-long gig, and 2) These friends have helped toss me work in my off-time. I actually landed my resident SM gig 7 years ago because a friend SM recommended me to a PSM that needed an ASM. And here I am! The PSM has moved on and I've moved up.

I've made a point to always provide work or pass along work to other SM's in my area, whether they are union or non, depending on the job. I always appreciate it when my fellow SM's give my name for a job when they aren't available for it themselves. I think this constant "passing the job along" keeps the jealousy down and keeps friendships healthy. I suppose I would feel more competitive with other SM's if I were trying harder to get summer shows. But I haven't, so it makes me rather neutral on the subject.

As far as career envy goes - sometimes I wish I could get back into certain theaters and when I have friends working in those theaters, I do get a bit envious. Though, 98% of the time, I wouldn't be able to work in those theaters due to my own schedule conflicts - so I really have nothing to be envious about. I'm happy that my fellow SM's have work, and that I have work, and that we're always looking out for each other. Whether it's referring another for a job, giving someone a job, or banding together to work on a project (like a Workshop festival).

And I'm thankful for the SM's I've met (electronically) on here, that have helped me with my issues and concerns, and that have offered excellent advice. I've only been in the real world for 8 years, so I still have a lot to learn and experience. If it weren't for SM friends, I think I might feel a bit lost.

378

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Jul 16, 2010, 04:23 pm »

I've got a website. One of my professors insisted we make one, and I've been maintaining it ever since.

www.jessicalynnwhitington.weebly.com

Jessica,

I recommend splitting your resume in two. Post one for Stage Management/Crew and the other for Acting. (Since you don't want to list your birthdate, hair color, etc on your SM resume.) That way you can direct people to the exact resume you want them to look at.

Good luck!
-Les

379

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Jul 16, 2010, 12:20 am »

I recently made a website! Feedback would be great!

www.laurawhitney.com

Laura,

I recommend working on the alignment of your columns on your resume page. I tend to make my resumes in Excel, so that all columns (Show Title   Director  Venue  etc) are all lined up all the way down. I'm not sure how you made your website, if it's in HTML or if you used a program to do it, but see if you can get those columns straightened.

Otherwise it's looking good!

-Les

380

The Green Room / Re: Summer projects

« on: Jul 14, 2010, 09:08 pm »

I've spent most of my summer unemployed, though I do have a Workshop gig at the top of August. I've enjoyed traveling to Germany for 2 weeks in June, and volunteering at a ballet kid's camp, as well as being more social and active in my community. I've joined a group of Golden Retriever lovers and have been to 2 meet-ups so far; I'm part of the SF Bay Area AEA Aids Walk Team and will be doing that this weekend. I've also spent time helping build furniture and pillows for a friend's restaurant that is due to open in about 2 weeks.

I must say, for being unemployed, I've been extremely busy! But I look forward to my Workshop and getting back to work at the Ballet, whenever the Admins figure out when I am supposed to return! It's really hard to accept a gig or even look for one when your long-term SM job can't give you an exact start date.

381

The Green Room / Re: Best showing of appreciation from a cast?

« on: Jul 11, 2010, 08:31 am »

I agree with some others, sometimes it isn't a physical gift that tops my list either (though all gift items become part of my SM kit).

For the past 7 seasons, I've been a resident SM for a ballet company. Since my birthday is in November, for the past 6 seasons, my birthday has fallen on a tech or a performance. As a general rule, the dancers sing during Company Class for the birthday dancer du jour, but for my 30th - they went all out for me. During bows for our final afternoon tech, they got the Sound Engineer to play Happy Birthday over the house system, they all sang to me, and one of the principal men pulled me from my console and ran me out center stage, as Spot 1 picked me up. Everyone was applauding, so as he turned me across his body (typical ballet bow style for men & women) I took a deep curtsy and jete'd into the wing back to my console. I was flushed and thrilled at the same time (and I think I pulled something!).

To top it off, the show was Pirates of Penzance - The Ballet, and we had 4 live opera singers who sang along as audience members in box seats with the orchestra in "3rd person style" - quite a tasking job to say the least, especially if you've already performed the show and have sung it in your own 1st person voice. After bows on Opening Night (that same day), the quartet came to me backstage and sung "Hail, Les Reinhardt!"  A cappella to me at my console (the Soprano had re-written the words to "Hail, Poetry!" for me). This just made me cry. I'd done a few shows with the Soprano before, and we had taken her to China on tour with us, so it seriously tugged at my heartstrings. She gave me a copy of her lyrics and it's something I treasure to this day.

And, on a non-birthday related note, last summer season I worked on my very first workshop. On closing, the Director of the New Works Festival came up to me to tell me that the director of my show had said great things about me. It's always great hearing that, but what was the best was when I went to say goodbye to the director. He said, "I am going to ask for you the next time I work here." That just floored me and filled me with so much joy that my chest nearly burst.

Sometimes, as we go along in our trade, we doubt ourselves. Perhaps we feel that our methods are out of date, or we're losing our touch, but to hear that, honestly and without provocation, really helps me to know that I'm on the right track. That is one of the best gifts ever.

382

The Green Room / Re: Are there any AEA SM moms?

« on: Jul 10, 2010, 05:10 am »

Of course AEA SM's can't bring children to rehearsal; the rules, the rules!

Exactly! That was my big concern as well. Though at one particular Lort Theater I worked for, the actors and actresses were bringing their kids to rehearsal all the time because they could not find/afford sitters. We didn't feel it was a good idea to leave them in the green room unattended, so the kids were in the rehearsal hall, though generally just 1 kid per day. I distinctly recall having a 4 year old on my lap while I tried to give line notes. I guess this theater had kind of grandfathered this activity into it's system, since it had only gone Lort about 1 or 2 seasons prior to my working there.

I may have to hold off for a few years regardless, as my husband is looking to pursue his PhD and I really don't think we can go down to a single earner family, with a reduced income since he'd be studying rather than working. Though I would still love to hear from an AEA SM who did have kids while working. I appreciate Heath's answer, but I really am looking for what the woman went through.

Thank you all!

383

The Green Room / Re: Are there any AEA SM moms?

« on: Jul 08, 2010, 03:11 pm »

Thanks to all of you who have written. I really appreciate your comments and personal stories. As far as my "cut-off age" - my doctor says that more complications can arise and birth defects are more common after passing 35. I just had a close friend have her first child at age 40 - the baby is healthy now, though she was born 1 month premature, and my friend was hospitalized for 1 month before birth and 2 months afterward. Perhaps she is a special case, and everything will be fine for me if I hold off a few more years.

You've all given me something to think about, and I thank you.

384

The Green Room / Are there any AEA SM moms?

« on: Jul 06, 2010, 09:38 pm »

Hi all -

In my 6 years as an AEA Stage Manager, I've yet to come across a female SM who has had kids. I've met guys, and several actresses, but no female stage managers. I'm turning 31 this November, and my OB/GYN has told me that 35 is my cut-off for child bearing. I was kind of all for it, until my husband brought up a good point: the hours. Would I really want to be working 12 hour days while my child is growing up? I didn't really think of it that way because with my current gig I am a resident SM and only work long hours during tech and performances. Otherwise, it's just Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, which isn't all that bad.

So, has anyone out there done it? Was it hard? Do you recommend it? I really want advice from people in my field, because those that don't do this for a living really don't understand it, the hours or the requirements.

Many thanks,
Les

385

Stage Management: Other / Re: How To call a Dance Show when your Unsure

« on: Apr 05, 2010, 08:22 pm »

And Scooter is definitely right. I completely spaced time stamping. Though, when you're in tech, your time stamps will  be way off due to starting and stopping all the time. When you have a CD, your times will be more consistent, though keep in mind you may be delaying your next track to hold for applause, etc, so times will change. I tend to time stamp as much as possible, to let me know appropriate warnings for upcoming shifts, or how long I have until my next light cue, etc. Also, I find people will ask me how long until their next cue, in case they have to run to the bathroom or rush to fix a problem.

Also, to mirror his first comment, many of the older cue sheets I've come across, circa 1981-1985, have been drawings. Just like geoffsm commented - 6 copies of the floor on one sheet, and the use of X's and O's to represent men and women in formation on the stage. Just like how you notate your blocking and cues in your script for a musical or a play, everyone has their own style. Just find what is most comfortable and easy for you. There is no right or wrong about it - as long as you can call the show properly from your script!

386

Stage Management: Other / Re: How To call a Dance Show when your Unsure

« on: Apr 04, 2010, 10:53 pm »

When I started out working for the ballet, I was scared as well. But as I went through the archives, I found that almost all of the stage managers before me wrote down the choreography as best they could, and called the show that way. There were extremely few shows that had a score in the files, so it became all about the choreography. Since the notes  that had been written in the past were only for that particular SM, I had to study old videos and observe in rehearsals to find out what they meant by "kicky foot" and "drag and drop" among other strange phrases. My updates of these cue sheets, as well as writing my own new ones, has developed over time as I learn and understand more ballet terms.

Know that writing your own cue sheets for ballet is just that - writing for You. Use phrases that you understand, don't worry about writing "pas de chat" or "pique turns" just because the choreographer tells you what's going on. If you don't know exactly what it means, it won't help you later when you're alone calling the show. There really is no right or wrong way to do it.

I've noticed that it is easiest for those of us used to calling plays that we concentrate on the staging, as it is easier to follow along with visual cues, instead of trying to memorize the music on the spot. I suppose I have the advantage, since calling ballet is my full time job, but trust me, it does get easier over time. The best thing you can do is write down as much as you can, so that you basically can follow the entire ballet by reading along. When you're first starting out, you may end up with a script for a ballet that may be 20 pages long, just because you've written down every little thing so that you won't get lost.

When in tech, learn what each cue does/what it's for, instead of just taking down the cue number, even if it is just a color change on the cyc. With that knowledge, you should be able to cut down your cue sheet a bit, to the important parts. Bits of choreography that jump out at you, whether it's an angel lift, or dancers dropping to the floor to roll, then get back up, can be your main points for following along long stretches without any cues, then write down your lead in choreography to your cue "as green girl UR starts to run to DL" so that you'll be prepared to call the cue when "girl is lifted onto man's shoulder DL."

If you excel at memorizing music, you can write down those notes as well. I tend to do a combination of both choreography and music. I've only received a score for 1 ballet in all of my years of calling, so when I do have a cue that is strictly based on music (either because no one is onstage, or the dancers tend to be too fast/too slow according to the designer/choreographer for a particular moment) I write music notes in my script - and once again, it's YOUR script. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone else right now. Granted, if we were in a perfect world, we'd all understand each others notes, as we should always write our cues in such a way that we are prepared for the "runaway bus" moment. But, that's what videos of ballets are for.

I see that I'm writing my comments practically a month after your original post, but I hope I helped shine a little light on your situation. Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

387

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSALS: prompting requests around the world

« on: Jan 08, 2010, 02:16 am »

Not to beat a dead horse, but I've come across everything above, except for "yes." The best thing you can do when prompting is to spot memorize and follow along with your finger because it is best to watch the actor's body language. I've worked with one union actor on a number of occasions, and even though he may have been 3' away from me, and called "Line?!" he will yell it at me several times, no matter how loudly or clearly I give him the line, repeating the same "Line?! What? Line!!!" as if I had been whispering or not speaking at all. I've come to learn that it's nothing personal and you just have to learn to roll and adapt to each actor's style.

The other thing is the silent call for line. Those can be the most difficult. There are a great many out there that won't call at all, and may not even look at you, but will gesture towards you - if you're lucky. This is why spot memorizing and watching the actors are so important. I have one that does a small gesture of his hand, and it has to be coupled with a certain look on his face - never to be mistaken for him emoting - then I give him the line. It's important to remember that it has nothing to do with you, and only with their personal frustration for not being completely off book that causes these strange reactions and outbursts. I've always worked with my interns about how to properly project, not to speak into their scripts, and how to study the actors to learn their habits. Being on book and giving lines correctly and clearly can be one of the most important aspects to the SM/Actor relationship.

388

The Hardline / Re: Half Hour Call

« on: Jan 07, 2010, 02:19 am »

 

Yep, that's the answer I think . . . but I am amazed by how people think the first break is not due until 1:50p. 

Matthew,

This was always a kicker with me at the summer company I worked for. With half hour at 7:00pm and tech starting at 7:30pm, we had to take our first break at 8:20pm. This differs greatly from AGMA, which states in it's contract that Half Hour is the "Dancer's Half Hour Break" - so when we hit our tech half hour at 7pm, we tech from 7:30pm to 8:50pm. Kinda stinky for them, but their contract clearly states it (well, at least our particular contract with AGMA). Always kind of screwed me up going back and forth between the companies and keeping the half hour rules straight.

389

Tools of the Trade / Re: Box Office Software

« on: Nov 11, 2009, 11:33 pm »

I'm speaking with ZERO experience on this topic, but a Shakespeare company I worked for, for a number of years, uses "Theater Manager" - the website is http://www.artsman.com/

They seemed to really like it, though I would remember seeing staff-wide emails saying "everyone log out of theater manager, we're going to restart" or something. But if you're small, it may not be that bad. It was a smaller-staffed company and it worked for them.

But it looks like you have TONS of options from all these suggestions.

Good luck!

390

Employment / Re: Post College Employment

« on: Nov 05, 2009, 02:37 pm »

You should also look into American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I interned there, and it's a season-long commitment. You will be put on every-other show, so you constantly have work and get paid. Their website is Act-sf.org

Good luck!