Messages

406

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament II: Electric Boogaloo

« on: Nov 04, 2008, 04:40 pm »

Awww, Vernon! You do just fine! Did you ever get a scrolling mouse?  It's much faster than a trackpad.  And remember, don't ever read the entire question and try to make sense of it.  Look for keywords/names/concepts and click an answer that relates to them.  And, most importantly, the less you care about your score, the better you'll do!!

See you tomorrow at the TYA table!!

I love these little contests but I seem to suck at them!

Is there any way to play but not register your score?
Many times I am extremely embarrassed at how well, (right), I do...

Please, oh please...

407

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Prop Recipe Exchange

« on: Oct 16, 2008, 05:13 pm »

In the spirit of full disclosure, all "Ruth's suggestions" were collected from various wonderful prop departments around the country over a period of many years!  I can't claim them as my own recipes.

<snip>
 (But with Ruth's suggestion, now I will try club soda and chamomile!)
<snip>

408

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Prop Recipe Exchange

« on: Oct 16, 2008, 09:40 am »

<snip>
What recipes have you use for creating prop substances onstage?  Blood, wine, alcoholic beverages, fire, and for what reasons?
<snip>

My contribution from a previous thread, repeated here:

(Try Caramel Food Coloring for brandy, whiskey, etc.  It has no flavor and very few calories!)

Beverage Recipes

Red Wine:
112 oz (2 pots) hot water
10 Celestial Seasonings’ Wild Berry Zinger tea bags
1 ˝ teaspoons red food coloring
16 drops blue food coloring

White Wine:
56 oz (1 pot) hot water
4 Celestial Seasonings’ Chamomile tea bags

Brandy:
1 gallon water
3/8 teaspoon caramel coloring

Tea:
3 Lipton tea bags in pot


Coffee:
1/2 tsp. caramel coloring
1 pot water

Whiskey
1/4 tsp. caramel coloring
˝ gallon water

409

The Hardline / Re: LORT - Rehearsal Questions

« on: Oct 04, 2008, 10:10 am »

Digress some more, please.  Do tell us about the damn DD of R after a DO!  What did the Rep. say about that?

FYI . . .
I spoke to my LORT business rep about this today . . . well, I was calling about the damn daylight day of rest after a day off when Christmas falls on a Thursday and your theatre wants to do six shows in three days afterwards . . . but I digress.
<snip>

410

The Hardline / Re: LORT - Rehearsal Questions

« on: Oct 02, 2008, 12:02 am »

Really? Well, the world, and the LORT contract never cease to surprise me. Things just got a lot easier in the world of scheduling!

So, word back from LORT is the 3.5 hour break is kosher, as it does not break any rules. 

Apparently, they read the rule as 2 or 1.5 hours minimum break, but a longer break can be given.

Interesting, huh?  LORT never ceases to amaze me.

411

Uploaded Forms / Re: rehearsal reports

« on: Sep 02, 2008, 09:36 am »

I don't clock breaks unless management requires it, and it's been a very long time since I last encountered that. 

And span of day has already been reported on the rehearsal schedule (everyone who gets the Rehearsal Notes also gets the schedule.) I try never to document the same information twice, unless there's some compelling reason, so this also does not go into the Rehearsal Notes.  The only exception to this might be actor overtime (when I'm in the very, very, very rare situation of not having to get it approved ahead of time.)

<snip>

So here is a qq - how many people clock breaks vs just report the span of day?

412

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: NY Cell Number?

« on: Sep 02, 2008, 09:28 am »

There used to be a real status-y thing about having a 212 phone number, but over the past decade, with the surge of cell numbers, it is no longer necessary to have a 212 prefix and still be recognized as a New Yorker,  In fact, when it come to cell phones only those who have ported their home numbers to a cell have a mobile 212.  (I'm not sure this prefix was ever issued directly to mobiles.)

917, 646, and 347 are now all recognizable New York area prefixes.

Don't make this decision more difficult than it really is.  If you want to change your number, then do a mass mailing of your new resumes once you have done so.  People change phone numbers and e-mail addresses all the time, and somehow survive!

Good luck!

I actually think having a New York number is important if you are trying to establish yourself in New York City - there is a hierarchy of the New York numbers, but having a 212 number is sort of a status symbol in some circles.

If you are trying to establish yourself in New York, you might want to look into it - it does look like you have been in NYC for awhile and establishing yourself as a New Yorker.

Good luck on the move to New York.

413

The Hardline / Re: Trying to explain LORT scheduling rules to actors

« on: Aug 31, 2008, 12:08 am »

A straight six (in contracts where it is allowed) counts as whatever the full day is allowed to be under the particular contract,  In a contract that calls for a 8 out of 9 1/2 (or 9)  it is credited as 8.  In a contract where the usual day is a 7 out of 8 1/2 (or  8 )  it is credited as 7.

You are both right.

excuse my ignorance but I thought a straight six counted as 7 hrs - in other words, the actor is paid for a 7 hr day as tho they had a lunch hour in an 8 hr day - rather than counting as 8 hrs

yes?

otherwise, good work! (I agree w RuthNY - I think I know what you mean but I may not, so I would rather you spell it out and be specific just to make sure there are no misunderstanding)

414

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Gratuitious Paperwork

« on: Aug 30, 2008, 11:54 pm »

This is one of the things I was thinking about when I started this thread.  I have to admit that I am way over spending my time on cosmetic embellishments to my paperwork.  It's just not important to me any more.

<snip>

However I am guilty of spending entirely too much time trying to pick the perfect font or fix a logo alignment issue in my document headers. 

415

The Hardline / Re: Trying to explain LORT scheduling rules to actors

« on: Aug 30, 2008, 10:29 pm »

I'm not quite sure I understand the example below.

The "performance length" (7:30-11:30pm) is four hours and thereby only eligible for 4.5 hours plus a half hour (under the given scenario) for a total of five (rather than five-and-a-half) hours rehearsal in the afternoon.

OR is the "performance length" actually shorter, and have you included that pesky one hour note session (after no more than 4 previews, and is subtracted from the next day's rehearsal) at the end of your sample day?

No wonder actors don't grok this.  It's full of pitfalls and seeming contradictions, even for me, and I claim to know the LORT book in my sleep...

<snip>
•   On one performance days, you can rehearse 5 hours per days, as long as you show call (half-hour until the end of curtain) is 3.5 hours or less.  (If your show call is 3.5 to 4 hours, you can only rehearse 4.5 hours, and so on . . . )
•   If you elect NOT to rehearse on a two-show day, then on one-show days, you can rehearse an extra 30-minutes.  (so 5.5 hours as long as your show is only 3.5 hours.)

So . . . a typical one-show day for rollover/preview period would be, for a cast that has elected NOT to rehearse on a two-show day, and wants 2-hour break.

11:30a   Costume Fitting
12:00n    Rehearsal
5:30p      End of Rehearsal

7:30p      Half-hour
8:00p      Performance
11:30p   End of the Day

416

The Hardline / Re: Trying to explain LORT scheduling rules to actors

« on: Aug 30, 2008, 06:10 pm »

Matt, I think you may need either to define or remove the term "rollover."  A far as I know it is not a term referred to in the LORT book, and, quite frankly, I have no idea what you mean by it myself.

<snip>

If you are in performance / rehearsal situation – such as preview week or in a rollover situation, the following rules are in place.

<snip

417

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Gratuitious Paperwork

« on: Aug 15, 2008, 12:53 am »

B-I-N-G-O!

I actually find myself doing less and less the more I travel down this career path.

418

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PROMPT BOOK: Gratuitious Paperwork

« on: Aug 14, 2008, 01:02 pm »

With the help of a quote from another thread, I'd like to begin a new discussion:

You do not have to make every single piece of paperwork ever created for every show.  
<snip>
Sometimes a list is all that's needed.  Paperwork is a tool to aid in the job, not the sole purpose of the job.

As someone who started in this business back in the days of manual typewriters and yellow pads, I am constantly amazed by some of the documents I've seen other stage managers create.  Sometimes I wonder if it's only because with computers we now can come up with every permutation of every possible plot.

So, how many of you do paperwork that is not really needed for the running of the production, just because you CAN?  How many of you find yourself working on something, thinking do I REALLY need to create this? How many of you learn to use a new application by doing just this? Or do you have other reasons to create paperwork that, ultimately do not aid in the job?

Discuss!!

419

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Student Stage Manager's Challenge #3: SMs Everywhere

« on: Jul 09, 2008, 09:01 am »

Oh, I'd work the Olympics in a minute if I had a connection there. Although from what I understand they HIRE very few people and count on volunteers for most of the positions.

OK, opening this up to the more experienced SMs now. 

For the record, there's a big one that I haven't seen.  There's a major, unconventional event requiring lots of stage management coming up this summer.  In Asia.  Any takers?

420

Tools of the Trade / Re: Things that went wrong with your technical equipment?

« on: Jul 08, 2008, 08:03 am »

Ahh, but there was no one "higher up" to go to...

Ruth, I hope he didn't include fires in that!

 I'd also go talk to someone higher up, explain the situation, and ask how far you should follow the director's wish (of keeping the show going) and when they think it becomes unreasonable. If you could get them to have a little chat with the director that wouldn't be amiss either.

So what did you end up doing?

Edit: adjusted quote to correct code - kmc307