Messages

436

Tools of the Trade / Re: Laminators

« on: Aug 20, 2014, 10:29 am »

I like to laminate wallet cards, if possible. There are self-laminating sheets that let you "laminate" without a laminator, so if I'm working at a theatre that doesn't have one, I'll use that. (Haven't made the investment, myself).

Often I'll laminate the "Rehearsal in Progress" sign on the rehearsal room door, and write the span of day and expected time of the next break in whiteboard marker. I've found that there are fewer rehearsal interruptions when people know when we are going to break, and they can come talk to me or the director.

437

Introductions / Re: Old School returning

« on: Aug 18, 2014, 04:48 pm »

Hi and welcome aboard! What kind of show are you working on? Straight play, musical, etc?

438

The Hardline / Re: Meetings as rehearsal hours?

« on: Aug 09, 2014, 06:54 pm »

Pure conjecture here- I'm guessing it's something like a Special Appearance Contract, that allows for an AEA actor to work at a non-AEA theatre under certain conditions. (The Special Appearance Contract Tier 2 allows for 30 rehearsal hours per week, and you can have up to 3 actors on that contract at a time).

There is at least one contract that allows you to ask actors to memorize ahead of time, but it requires additional payment. From the SPT contract:

"47. (F) Prior Work. The Actor shall not be required to memorize a part and/or musical score prior to first rehearsal unless the Actor agrees in writing by means of a rider attached to the contact. The Actor shall receive no less than one week's contractual salary for such work."

439

The Green Room / Re: The Turos Test

« on: Aug 07, 2014, 03:23 pm »

Oh god, so true. I did a musical that had 3 understudies. All three were hired to be in rehearsal starting the second week. That meant they were there when the scenes were staged, when the choreography was taught, etc etc. They were encouraged to do the choreography "off stage" while we rehearsed, and ask questions if they needed help. They were required to be present for all of tech, and encouraged to run lines, practice choreography, etc.

We had 3 understudy rehearsals- one to learn music (with the music director), one to review choreography (with the dance captain), and one to review any blocking questions and do a full run of the show, with tech. All 3 were unprepared for each of these rehearsals, and barely knew any aspect of their role. We didn't get through the 60 minute run through in the 3 hour rehearsal. I had a serious discussion with them about it. Within a week, 2 of the 3 understudies had to go on, and the 3rd almost had to go on (of course, she was the most prepared of the three). 

Luckily after our discussion, they kicked it into gear and we got through the show. But never have I had a less-prepared group of understudies, and I think they ended up going on for about 6 performances!

440

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / MOVED: Deputy?

« on: Aug 05, 2014, 11:01 pm »

This topic has been moved to Students and Novice Stage Managers.

http://smnetwork.org/forum/index.php?topic=8291.0

441

Job Postings / PM needed for NextStop Theatre in Herndon, VA

« on: Aug 05, 2014, 11:14 am »

See attached job posting.

442

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Sharing Paperwork with ASMs

« on: Aug 03, 2014, 06:00 pm »

Open Office is free and compatible with Microsoft Office formats.

EDITED TO ADD: And it works on both Macs and PCs.

443

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Deputy?

« on: Aug 02, 2014, 03:19 pm »

Like Kay said, they are voted from among the company- you don't have to have any special qualifications. The vote takes place with only AEA members present, on the first day of rehearsal. You can read the description of a deputy's responsibilities here, in the stage manager's packet.

The deputy contacts AEA if they feel any rules are being broken, or if the health and safety of the actors is at risk. They are a representative of the cast, and if an actor has a concern that they don't feel comfortable approaching management about, often they will approach the deputy and the deputy will broach the subject with the SM.

I can't think of a real reason for this in an educational setting, but I have worked on a large show where there was a Principal Deputy and a Chorus Deputy, and the theatre decided to (unofficially) elect a "non-AEA deputy" as well, so that those members of the cast also felt like they had a representative. (Of course that person didn't deal with union issues).

Side note- AEA has recently launched an online deputy support center, with the deputy information available online, and no more filling out hours tracking paperwork. I will be curious to see how the new system works!

444

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Giving Notes Advice?

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 03:15 pm »

Yes, per AEA you cannot email out personal actor notes to the group or post on the callboard, so in a sealed envelope is the way to go. (Or you can send each actor a separate email with their own notes). But I think that works better for something like the director's notes after a preview, where there might be several pages worth of notes to deliver.

If there's a handful of notes following a performance my personal preference is to handle them in person. Now, if I am unable to catch the actor before they leave, I might leave them in a sealed envelope on their dressing station. (Or on the rare occasion that I've had to do a substantial amount of line notes mid-run).

If you're curious, you might want to look through one of the AEA contracts- they are all available online on the AEA website. Here's the SPT contract, which a lot of small to midsize regional theatres use. Be aware that not all contracts are the same- this is just an example of one.

445

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Giving Notes Advice?

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 02:46 pm »

I'm not a fan of posting notes publicly. It invites people to comment on things that are not their department, or could potentially embarrass someone.

For actors- Frankly, I wouldn't even post general acting notes. I think it's better to give them in person, either at the end of the night or when the actors arrive for the call. I like to stick my head in the dressing room after the show, check in with the actors, and talk about any notes with them face-to-face- it makes it more of a conversation, and I think people are more likely to take the note that way. (Plus, they don't have the excuse of, "Oh, I didn't see that note".) It also gives THEM the opportunity to give you any notes- "I broke a prop" or "There's a lot of noise backstage during my monologue" or "My button fell off" or "Can I get another piece of glotape on the table edge?" etc etc. And, I remind them of their next call.

For crew- It's better for notes to go in the report, and then be dealt with in person at the next call. I wouldn't want an actor to comment to a crew person about a mistake they made, any more than a crew person commenting on an acting note.  Crew notes could be given before they are released for the evening after a performance, or at the start of their next call. Something like a broken doorframe or costume fix should go in the performance report, so that it can be taken care of in advance of the next call.

Just saw Kay's response while writing this, and agree that you can also delegate some of these things. An ASM or deck chief can mention a lost button to wardrobe or an adjustment to a scene change.

446

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Learning how to read music

« on: Jul 28, 2014, 11:47 am »

And, when referencing a part of the music on paperwork, Page/System/Measure/Note.

But, (and SMrose touched on this) not everyone has the same page numbers. If you're working on an opera, often the chorus does not receive a full score- they just get the pages that they need. So it helps to say something like:

"Cast, that's the beginning of the chorus section (and I'll call out what the first few lyrics are)".

447

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsals: Giving line notes - a real novice question

« on: Jul 27, 2014, 12:15 pm »

Do you automatically give the job of doing line notes to an ASM? (if you have one or more)

No- like Ruth, for me it depends on the show. I keep track of line notes in my prompt script throughout the rehearsal process. Incorrect lines are circled and noted (WW for wrong word, DL for dropped line, etc). When an actor fixes the mistake, I put a check next to it. When they say it correctly the second time, I erase the note. I usually give line notes verbally in rehearsal, and then either myself or an ASM will handwrite them on line note forms when we do a runthrough. (I'm not fond of the little slips of paper).

448

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation

« on: Jul 26, 2014, 01:02 pm »

I've never used a standard fight notation but a quick google search yields this: "Gregory Fight Notation".

449

Self-Promotion / Contemporary American Theatre Festival

« on: Jul 24, 2014, 10:15 pm »

I'm out at CATF for my third summer and figured I'd hype my shows.

CATF is a festival in Shepherdstown, WV that does 5 new (or new-ish) plays in rep each summer. It's a great place to see new work. You can get a festival pass (they have discounts for college students, and a bigger discount for the last week of the run- "college week"). It's about an hour and a half from DC so if you're in the area, consider making the trip up!

The festival runs through August 3rd. The plays are
NORTH OF THE BOULEVARD
ONE NIGHT
THE ASHES UNDER GAIT CITY
DEAD AND BREATHING
UNCANNY VALLEY

Plus Shepherdstown is a beautiful area with lots of great restaurants and places to hang out! The town really supports the festival and it's a great place to spend a few days.

450

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What is the difference between a Production Stage Manager and a Stage Manager?

« on: Jul 22, 2014, 01:28 pm »

There are a couple of threads on this topic.

http://smnetwork.org/forum/students-and-novice-stage-managers/production-stage-manager-versus-stage-manager/

http://smnetwork.org/forum/students-and-novice-stage-managers/definition-of-production-stage-manager/