Messages

46

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: What to do? Waiting for internship result & offered a position

« on: Apr 06, 2016, 07:51 pm »

You'll be making decisions like this one, your entire career.

Do I take this job or look for another one? Do I take this job or that job? Do I commit to something completely different for a certain amount of time which means I'd have to turn down work if it came up?

The decision making never ends, if you are lucky. It's good to practice making a decision and turning that decision into the right decision by not looking back, while you are still young. It'll inform the more important decisions you'll have to make when you are older!

47

The Hardline / Re: LORT D Schedule Question

« on: Mar 17, 2016, 10:14 am »

If it's a true emergency, you call the actors and they come to rehearsal if they can, regardless of notice, and then the Deputy and Business Rep. hash out the payment issue. But in an emergency, like an actor being out, I have rehearsed with just a couple of hours notice. Mantra: check with the Rep.

Quick question for the smart people on here. 

As a reference,  I am working on a LORT contract right now.  Heres my question:  After a show has opened,  how much notice do the actors need to be given about a rehearsal being held? This was not on a calendar as it is not something that was planned for and is a bit of an emergency situation.   I can't find anything that is specific to this situation.  All I could find is that the actors must be given 12 hours notice of the span of each rehearsal day.  Would that count here as well? 

Thanks so much for your help!!

48

Tools of the Trade / New Stage Management Software

« on: Mar 07, 2016, 07:21 pm »

I have no connection at all, with the development or distribution of these soon-to-be-released SM apps. Just want to keep you all abreast of what's happening in the industry, as I find out about it.

Que-It and Line-It

http://creising.github.io/urbanbyte/

49

Tools of the Trade / Purchasing Gaff and Spike Tape

« on: Mar 05, 2016, 10:34 am »

From what vendors do you order your supplies of gaff tape and spike tape? Any favorites? Any business to avoid?

50

The Hardline / #10KforAEA

« on: Mar 05, 2016, 10:04 am »

My fellow Equity members,

I am very excited to announced the launch of a new campaign: ‪#‎10KforAEA‬!

#10KforAEA is an unofficial, member-driven, grassroots campaign with the goal of encouraging 10,000 members of Actors' Equity Association to cast ballots in the 2016 Council Election.

Last year, out of a membership of more than 50,000 actors and stage managers nationwide, only 6182 votes were cast in AEA's Council Election.

As Jed Bartlett wisely said, "Decisions are made by those who show up." So in 2016, we've set an ambitious goal to raise the number of voters to 10,000.

In 2016, we want to get 10K for AEA!

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?:
Click the link below and like the #10KforAEA Facebook Page,
Follow #10KforAEA on Twitter at twitter.com/10KforAEA,
and join our introductory Thunderclap at http://bit.ly/1QAqQ9E.

Finally, on Monday we will be opening up a new discussing group, the "#10KforAEA Forum", a place for discussions of all campaign-related topics, ideas, and thoughts. We hope to see you all there!

51

The Hardline / Re: Daylight savings & Rest Period

« on: Mar 04, 2016, 03:44 pm »

I'd love to hear what your Business Rep. says to this query. Please post the answer once you have talked to them!

Thanks!

I'm working with an SPT theatre under SPT-8 and we go into tech next week.
Our two 10/12's fall on Saturday & Sunday--right now both 11am-11pm.
However, we realized that Sunday is Daylight savings (Spring Forward!) and technically we won't have a full 12 hour rest period.

From the rulebook:
10.BREAKS AND REST PERIODS
(A) Rest Period. There shall be a 12-hour rest period between the end of work on one day and the beginning of work on the next, except on the final day before the first public performance when the rest period may be reduced to 11 hours.
Any invasion of this rest period shall be paid at double the overtime rate in addition to all other remuneration due.

So does that mean we either need to do 10pm-10pm on Saturday or 12pm-12am Sunday?
Our awesome PM is contacting Equity, but I wanted to see if anyone else has run into this issue before.

52

Job Postings / Seeking SM Intern for Summer Season

« on: Feb 18, 2016, 03:37 pm »

I am seeking a Stage Management Intern for my summer gig at the Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, MT.   I would love to find a rising junior or senior, or someone just out of college, interested in being part of a three person SM team for three musicals, in Rep. in a beautiful part of the country. (First week of June through the first or second week of August.) Anyone interested in the Intern position should send their resume, cover letter and references to Betsi Morrison, Artistic Director, Alpine Theatre Project, atpwhitefish@gmail.com Put "SM Intern" in the subject line. Thanks!

53

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Calling the camera shots on Grease Live!

« on: Feb 03, 2016, 05:27 pm »

This video is a game changer, and is going to inspire many a theatrical SM to upgrade their music calling skills. Since I've never called shots on a TV show (live or otherwise) I had a good time trying to pick out what the shot "go" calls actually were, among the measure counts and beat counts. But not only does the person calling cues have to be at the top of their game, the person actually executing the change of shots has to be a great listener, as do the camera operators, who have to know when their camera is live or not live, in order to execute their change of position, focus and angles between shots. This is the epitome of mad skills and teamwork!

Here's the split screen version, so that you can see the shots as she calls them:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP2QOmN57iU

54

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COSTUMES: How involved do you get with costumes and wardrobe?

« on: Jan 24, 2016, 05:09 pm »

I provide Wardrobe with a Character/Scene Breakdown, Entrance/Exit plot, and all associated timings of entrances and exits, as well as a list of onstage costume presets (if any.) If there are very quick changes, those are always noted in the daily reports during the rehearsal process. The Wardrobe Supervisor then makes their own assignments, as to which dresser does what work during the show. Quick changes are noted in the master running plot of the show, but I've always found that the Wardrobe Department generates their own "Wardrobe Run Sheets."

How does Wardrobe runsheets fall into that statement? Very curious as I tend to prepare those for the wardrobe crew and consult wardrobe head with QC and presets and other tasks.

55

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REPORTS: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 23, 2015, 10:07 am »

That's why I started this thread. To discover if what you say in your first sentence, is really the reason for this use of language. The jury is still out, it seems.

Ruth, how much of this do you think is SMs early in their career lacking the experience or diction (admittedly two wildly different suggestions)  to speak with confidence on a peer to peer level with other members of the production team? 

As I read this thread I'm torn between that, or our society's newfound fear of offending anyone creeping in to our professional discourse.  A simple factual statement such as "no notes today" conveys all that is needed in as few words as possible; brevity in action.  A lot of folks now add flowery or superfluous language to email communications to convey familiarity or a more casual tone, as emails with simple factual statements can be interpreted by some as coarse.  Perhaps this tendency is creeping in to the archival reporting as well.

56

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REPORTS: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 22, 2015, 07:10 pm »

No, Nick. As stated above, I use "Nothing to report."

Simply, when I see the phrase such as "Nothing today, thank you!" repeated four or five times in one report, as stated above, I always wonder why the SM is thanking others for not giving them notes.

In fact when I speak regularly at the SM seminar at a major university that puts out lots of BFA SMs and MFA PMs and SMs, their professor always reminds me to talk about how to eliminate any excess of "please" and thank you" from the report. Not to be impolite, but to infer equality in standing and a sense of "team."

I certainly use these words in my notes, when called for, but to thank a department for not presenting them with any notes? Never.

My stand by was always, "Nothing today, thank you!"

<snip>
Might I ask how this situation came up or is it just an observation you made? Did someone see it and make a comment to you, Ruth?

57

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 16, 2015, 03:03 pm »

I agree, you do not. But excessive "thanks yous," to me at least, read as something other than respect. Maybe it's just me.

Probably for the same reason that you thanked us in advance for replies...Common courtesy and respect for the other departments.  I've never felt demeaned by offering an unwarranted "Thank You".  Respect is not a zero-sum game.  I do not lose it by offering it to others.

58

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 16, 2015, 07:56 am »

Thanks for the answers.  For the record, I use "Nothing to report."

But here's the reason I started the thread.  Some of you, and many young SMs I know use "No notes, thank you."

I fail to understand why a Stage Manager is thanking another department, when there are no notes for that department.  Are you thanking them simply for reading?  It smacks of sheer subservience to me, and makes the writer seem like a underling or sycophant rather than thinking of themselves as a valued member of the team, providing needed, and required, information.  Especially when many departments receive the same "No notes, thank you" in one report. Heck, shouldn't THEY be thanking YOU for not giving them notes, and for sending clear, informative information on a daily basis?

So, those of you who use this phrase, why? Simply because this is how you were trained and you've always done it this way? Were you trained to do this by an educator, who perhaps did not see you as a valued colleague, and couldn't see past the fact that you were their student?

I am NOT attacking anyone who uses this phrase. I truly want to know, as I see it so much, and have come to view it as the writer (stage manager) diminishing themselves, rather than presenting themselves as an equal to the colleagues receiving the notes.

Thanks in advance for your responses!

59

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / REPORTS: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 15, 2015, 09:06 pm »

When you submit your Rehearsal/Performance report, but there is nothing to communicate to a particular department, what phrase or sentence do you use to inform them of this? (Yes, there's a reason for this question, but I'd like to hear  your input, first.)

Edited to add topic tag- Maribeth

60

The Green Room / Re: Facebook Group for SMNet members

« on: Dec 09, 2015, 08:03 am »

I've noticed the same, Byron, and had the same thoughts, as well. Kay, you do what you have to do. It is a pity, that one bad apple gets to spoil it all.

Maybe not the appropriate place to post this, but I have to say that I have seen that particular person's behavior over several different SM groups on Facebook and it's pretty much the same M.O. in each one. I have to admit that it's a pretty big turn off and should I ever come across his resume it's certainly going to weigh heavily against his favor.
<snip>