46
Tools of the Trade / Re: New Flexbinder
« on: Aug 20, 2009, 01:31 am »
I am not sure of a specific number.... I would say it is equivalent to about a 3" binder?
News:
14 Jan 2021: Happy 21st birthday, SMNetwork! I replaced the old broken mobile theme. -K
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47
Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera rehearsals to Opera on stage
« on: Aug 19, 2009, 01:11 am »
OK....hijack of thread alert 
....
Go to your local PBS Station Website and look for the IMAGINE program. Your local station may not be showing it yet. Vegas PBS is not yet showing this episode.
....Go to your local PBS Station Website and look for the IMAGINE program. Your local station may not be showing it yet. Vegas PBS is not yet showing this episode.
48
Tools of the Trade / Re: New Flexbinder
« on: Aug 06, 2009, 04:06 pm »
Ok....I agree we should get less excited by these things...but I still do .
Amazon had been out for a bit I guess. I found mine at a Rite-Aid.
. Amazon had been out for a bit I guess. I found mine at a Rite-Aid.
49
Tools of the Trade / New Flexbinder
« on: Aug 05, 2009, 02:22 am »
Hi Guys -
I am in love with this new binder and I have to share. it is a three ring binder with a cloth spine. You can lay it flat....or, my favorite, fold it in half and and it still sits flat. Love it!
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-Hybrid-Notebinder-28173/dp/B0028Y43VI/ref=pd_sim_op_1
I am in love with this new binder and I have to share. it is a three ring binder with a cloth spine. You can lay it flat....or, my favorite, fold it in half and and it still sits flat. Love it!
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-Hybrid-Notebinder-28173/dp/B0028Y43VI/ref=pd_sim_op_1
50
Tools of the Trade / Re: Digital Prompt Books (Do you use them?)
« on: Jun 21, 2009, 05:30 pm »
I have called a show off a computer. We used an excel file to enter the script. The normal call was on one sheet and we used the down arrow to flip pages. We included hyperlinks on the side of certain sections to different sheets. So, if we were calling a different version of the show that night we could click a link to the alternate version only when needed and then back to the original script. This was a non-traditional type of show so moving acts around was a nightly event. We also had the links to Medical rescues for that part of the show on the screen we were in. I thought I would hate calling the show this way but I really enjoyed it.
We did always have a printed copy in the booth but I never had a problem with the computerized script working.
We did always have a printed copy in the booth but I never had a problem with the computerized script working.
51
Employment / Re: SMing in Las Vegas
« on: Jun 12, 2009, 02:46 am »
Hi -
What type of SMing were you looking for? Vegas has a very wide range. I have worked as a Stage Manager here in town and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I will say with the current economy there are very few positions open and there is not a lot of movement. I do not know many people that have been successful at moving to Vegas and then finding a job. Most folks here move here for the job. Anyway, let me know what you are looking for and I will see if I can help out.
What cruise line are you working for? I worked for RCI from about 5 years.....but that was about 5 years ago - Dani
What type of SMing were you looking for? Vegas has a very wide range. I have worked as a Stage Manager here in town and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I will say with the current economy there are very few positions open and there is not a lot of movement. I do not know many people that have been successful at moving to Vegas and then finding a job. Most folks here move here for the job. Anyway, let me know what you are looking for and I will see if I can help out.
What cruise line are you working for? I worked for RCI from about 5 years.....but that was about 5 years ago
- Dani
52
Tools of the Trade / Women's Harness for Rigging
« on: Jun 02, 2009, 01:02 am »
Hi -
I am looking for new rigging harness and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. I am currently looking at the Yates Womans Voyager Rigger Harness.
http://www.yatesgear.com/rescue/image.htm?Womans%20Voyager%20Riggers%20Harness&industrial&380WWomensRiggers.jpg
This is the only Y Harness I have worn. The only thing I know is that I do not want an H-Harness. Those were not built for women!
I am looking for any suggestions and reasons why you liked other harnesses.
I am looking for new rigging harness and wondered if anyone had any suggestions. I am currently looking at the Yates Womans Voyager Rigger Harness.
http://www.yatesgear.com/rescue/image.htm?Womans%20Voyager%20Riggers%20Harness&industrial&380WWomensRiggers.jpg
This is the only Y Harness I have worn. The only thing I know is that I do not want an H-Harness. Those were not built for women!
I am looking for any suggestions and reasons why you liked other harnesses.
53
The Green Room / Re: How do you keep in shape?
« on: Jun 01, 2009, 08:37 pm »
Jesse -
Your reply cracks me up. When I worked with those Cirque artists I looked at them and thought...well I can never look like that so why bother. It did not stop me from practicing my chin ups backstage though. Something about the cute Russian guy egging me on makes it so much better.
I prefer to do with out my car whenever I can. I am frequently rehearsing in a new town so I put my feet to the pavement and get out and explore. I may only have one day off so I make it worthwhile. Walking the beach in California is a great day off when you live in the desert.
I try to avoid the unhealthy snacks. My last project the snacks table was a regular assortment of cookies, red vines, chocolate candy, cheese corn....and we were in an amusement park with all the junk food you could ever want nearby. I brought in Veggie trays. I am much more likely to have a carrot if it is right there. The trays were very popular and I had to bring in a bigger one on day two. I will say I felt alot better at the end of those days than I had been feeling after snacking on garbage all day. I lost ten pounds during one month of reh...woohoo!
Your reply cracks me up. When I worked with those Cirque artists I looked at them and thought...well I can never look like that so why bother. It did not stop me from practicing my chin ups backstage though. Something about the cute Russian guy egging me on makes it so much better.
I prefer to do with out my car whenever I can. I am frequently rehearsing in a new town so I put my feet to the pavement and get out and explore. I may only have one day off so I make it worthwhile. Walking the beach in California is a great day off when you live in the desert.
I try to avoid the unhealthy snacks. My last project the snacks table was a regular assortment of cookies, red vines, chocolate candy, cheese corn....and we were in an amusement park with all the junk food you could ever want nearby. I brought in Veggie trays. I am much more likely to have a carrot if it is right there. The trays were very popular and I had to bring in a bigger one on day two. I will say I felt alot better at the end of those days than I had been feeling after snacking on garbage all day. I lost ten pounds during one month of reh...woohoo!
54
Tools of the Trade / Rehearsal via Skype
« on: Jun 01, 2009, 08:17 pm »
I am currently working on a project that is continuing rehearsal beyond it's original contract dates. As a result many of our designers are moving on to other projects and leaving their assistants to finish up. Our Aerial Designer left two weeks ago. After the Executive preview the creative team decided they wanted to redo the flight sequence. So he has been reworking it via Skype/iChat from backstage at his current show. There are so many issues with the reasons why this arrangement was needed but that is an entirely other topic.
Here is my question. Have you ever used Skype, or another Video service, in a a rehearsal process. Was it successful? What were the drawbacks? If you have never used this type of service for rehearsal can you imagine an instance where you might?
We have found sometimes the video is jerky so we are also using an iFlip and a mobileme account to post videos. Our designer can watch them and give us feedback to reprogram. This has been a stressful way to reprogram but a lot better than not being able to have his input at all. I did have a moment the other day when I was quite impressed by the technology we were using. We were using music from an iPhone through the amp, recording with an iFlip, posting to MobileMe and were joined by our AD on iChat....this rehearsal is brought to you by Apple...
Here is my question. Have you ever used Skype, or another Video service, in a a rehearsal process. Was it successful? What were the drawbacks? If you have never used this type of service for rehearsal can you imagine an instance where you might?
We have found sometimes the video is jerky so we are also using an iFlip and a mobileme account to post videos. Our designer can watch them and give us feedback to reprogram. This has been a stressful way to reprogram but a lot better than not being able to have his input at all. I did have a moment the other day when I was quite impressed by the technology we were using. We were using music from an iPhone through the amp, recording with an iFlip, posting to MobileMe and were joined by our AD on iChat....this rehearsal is brought to you by Apple...
55
Employment / Re: Moving for a Career
« on: Jun 01, 2009, 08:07 pm »
I have always moved with a job lined up as well.
I arrived in Vegas a few years ago to work with Mystere. I was on tour in Australia when I was hired. I flew in from Perth and arrived at the LAS airport at 10 AM. I was at the theatre by noon. That was a long day. Thankfully the company I was working for had arranged temporary housing for me. I had a corporate apartment for 30 days while I looked for a home. It was frantic learning a new show while I also apartment shopped, car shopped, furniture shopped. I moved here with two suitcases in July and by August had an apartment set up. I was only really able to accomplish this because I had a decent amount of savings. it is very expensive to set up a new household and I do not think we realize all of the little things we have taken for granted in Company Housing all these years. I know I did not.
So, now I have been in Vegas for 5 years. This is the longest I have lived in one place since college. I am considering moving on. I am terrified of what a new city will bring. I am not a member of Equity which is going to make it difficult to find a job at the pay level I am used to. I have settled into a job as an Automation programmer for now. I am hoping it will allow me to make the jump to a new city with some stability and look for work without being unemployed. In this day and age I am certainly not looking at quitting my current job just hoping to find something different. I am now also saddled with a house that is very upside down....Hopefully, that will make some recovery soon.
I also had a very sad day when I surrendered my Ohio license for a Nevada one. I will always be an Ohio girl at heart.
I arrived in Vegas a few years ago to work with Mystere. I was on tour in Australia when I was hired. I flew in from Perth and arrived at the LAS airport at 10 AM. I was at the theatre by noon. That was a long day
. Thankfully the company I was working for had arranged temporary housing for me. I had a corporate apartment for 30 days while I looked for a home. It was frantic learning a new show while I also apartment shopped, car shopped, furniture shopped. I moved here with two suitcases in July and by August had an apartment set up. I was only really able to accomplish this because I had a decent amount of savings. it is very expensive to set up a new household and I do not think we realize all of the little things we have taken for granted in Company Housing all these years. I know I did not. So, now I have been in Vegas for 5 years. This is the longest I have lived in one place since college. I am considering moving on. I am terrified of what a new city will bring. I am not a member of Equity which is going to make it difficult to find a job at the pay level I am used to. I have settled into a job as an Automation programmer for now. I am hoping it will allow me to make the jump to a new city with some stability and look for work without being unemployed. In this day and age I am certainly not looking at quitting my current job just hoping to find something different. I am now also saddled with a house that is very upside down....Hopefully, that will make some recovery soon.
I also had a very sad day when I surrendered my Ohio license for a Nevada one. I will always be an Ohio girl at heart.
56
Employment / Re: Interesting Article about Actors in Non-Profits, but a good read in general
« on: Apr 24, 2009, 01:44 am »
Thanks for sharing that! - d
57
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Headset Etiquette
« on: Apr 05, 2009, 02:23 am »
I prefer to turn my headset off whenever I can. In general I do not think anyone needs to hear the loud fans in the booth for the entire show. Not to mention all of the other noises (Talking artistic staff, typing up show notes, etc.). I have called shows with pretty intense automation and some pretty big emergencies (technical and medical) and I have yet to have a problem getting to the call button in time.
58
Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How to explain what we do...
« on: Mar 26, 2009, 02:02 am »
Matthew -
Thank you very much for posting your presentation. I thought you did a wonderful job of summing up what we do. I also thought you highlighted a "can not do without" part of a good stage manager's kit...a sense of humor.
Thank you very much for posting your presentation. I thought you did a wonderful job of summing up what we do. I also thought you highlighted a "can not do without" part of a good stage manager's kit...a sense of humor
.
59
Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Working with a Russian Director
« on: Feb 03, 2009, 12:25 am »
Wow! Thanks for the update. I agree this will be a great learning experience.
I worked with a few foreign directors in college and I have worked with quite a few Russian and French directors (and coaches) since. A request to work with sound, costumes and full props from day one seems to be the norm. I believe it comes from a culture where shows are much more organic and there is not as much structure to the rehearsal process. I have also seen this in the expectations of foreign artists. It is a different process and one that can be difficult to adjust too (on both sides). However, sometimes compromises need to be made and normally an explanation of why these things are not possible and a reasonable substitute will do. At the same time, it is an amazing process as an actor to have all of these tools from the beginning. There is so much less time spent on remembering where there should be a chair and instead discovering how you can dance on that chair. So, compromise where you can but try and do as much as you can so your actors can enjoy this unique process. On that note, as an actor I frequently helped run sound for scenes I was not in or washed costumes one day a week to help out. I learned a great lesson about theatre being a team effort.
I also found that these directors are less precise than I am used to...ie they often have ideas that are expressed out loud but that they do not expect immediate follow through on. Sometimes when a director says..I want full costumes ready tomorrow for the entire cast to wear for each rehearsal a simple clarification will help. You may discover the director was not actually expecting that to happen but merely was thinking out loud to the creative team. Even if they were expecting it you may be able to compromise. Approaching your director with an explanation of your concern and a solution, (ie some type of preexisting rehearsal wear your actors could wear over street clothes) may work to solve the issue.
I have a very clear image of a stage manager killing herself to make every single thing the director wanted happen - only to have the director look at her and frequently dismiss items as "just an idea" later.
it is a very tough balancing act but one which will greatly benefit you later in your career...
I wish you the best of luck! - D
I worked with a few foreign directors in college and I have worked with quite a few Russian and French directors (and coaches) since. A request to work with sound, costumes and full props from day one seems to be the norm. I believe it comes from a culture where shows are much more organic and there is not as much structure to the rehearsal process. I have also seen this in the expectations of foreign artists. It is a different process and one that can be difficult to adjust too (on both sides). However, sometimes compromises need to be made and normally an explanation of why these things are not possible and a reasonable substitute will do. At the same time, it is an amazing process as an actor to have all of these tools from the beginning. There is so much less time spent on remembering where there should be a chair and instead discovering how you can dance on that chair. So, compromise where you can but try and do as much as you can so your actors can enjoy this unique process. On that note, as an actor I frequently helped run sound for scenes I was not in or washed costumes one day a week to help out. I learned a great lesson about theatre being a team effort.
I also found that these directors are less precise than I am used to...ie they often have ideas that are expressed out loud but that they do not expect immediate follow through on. Sometimes when a director says..I want full costumes ready tomorrow for the entire cast to wear for each rehearsal a simple clarification will help. You may discover the director was not actually expecting that to happen but merely was thinking out loud to the creative team. Even if they were expecting it you may be able to compromise. Approaching your director with an explanation of your concern and a solution, (ie some type of preexisting rehearsal wear your actors could wear over street clothes) may work to solve the issue.
I have a very clear image of a stage manager killing herself to make every single thing the director wanted happen - only to have the director look at her and frequently dismiss items as "just an idea" later.
it is a very tough balancing act but one which will greatly benefit you later in your career...
I wish you the best of luck! - D
60
Employment / Re: Websites
« on: Jan 03, 2009, 01:02 am »
Hi All -
What a great discussion. Maybe some day I will get my "stuff" together and manage to put together a page for my self. In the meantime I have really enjoyed visiting all of yours and seeing how your unique approaches changed the way your sites were put together. You have all made me feel like a dinosaur.
As a note, I would strongly suggest you ask someone with strong spelling and grammar skills to closely read your websites. Sometimes it just helps to have another set of eyes look at that paragraph you have been working on for days to get just right.
If you are sending potential employers to your website make sure your first impression is a good one.
What a great discussion. Maybe some day I will get my "stuff" together and manage to put together a page for my self. In the meantime I have really enjoyed visiting all of yours and seeing how your unique approaches changed the way your sites were put together. You have all made me feel like a dinosaur
. As a note, I would strongly suggest you ask someone with strong spelling and grammar skills to closely read your websites. Sometimes it just helps to have another set of eyes look at that paragraph you have been working on for days to get just right.
If you are sending potential employers to your website make sure your first impression is a good one.