Messages

46

Tools of the Trade / Re: Box Office Software

« on: Nov 11, 2009, 06:53 pm »

Do you have Seat Advisor in the US? It is becoming increasingly popular here in Australia, particularly with small to medium organisations. As far as I am concerned the big bonus with it is that you can log on from an computer and become a ticke outlet. People can also buy online and choose 'print at home tickets' etc . Its pretty user friendly.

47

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Why do you do it?

« on: Oct 21, 2009, 10:43 am »

Hello! I see you have been around the boards quite a while - great to hear from you now.

 These are pretty fundamental questions aren't they. I particularly like the last one. I think the stage manager's skill set is an interesting bag and could transfer well to many career paths. We have this discussion quite often about where experienced stage managers could take their skills when they want out of stage management but do the same options apply to young stage managers? - Maybe not. Maybe they have the capacity to be good people managers, calm in emergencies, multitask, etc but not the experience that means they necessarily could transfer easily. But if its actually just an alternate career choice  in the arts for people with ' a stage manager brain' what would I suggest? Hmmm, tricky!

artistic administrator? venue manager? volunteer coordinator? education officer in a theatre company? events manager for a council? community arts worker? Anything that requires passion, interaction with people and organisational flair I guess.

What are your own thoughts?

48

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Enforcing Punctuality in Community Theater

« on: Aug 23, 2009, 12:32 pm »

Also, I suggest, start on time, no matter what.  If you have to read in missing people, get started.  You are going to have wait or go back anyway, why not show the cast we are starting on time no matter what . . . so let's get started[/quote]

I couldn't agree more! Tell anyone who asks that if they have been scheduled then yes they are required - dont feel bad about doing this - and then start on time no matter what. Explain this strategy to the Director in advance if you need them to be on board to make this work. If not just do it. Starting late because some people are late is a self perpetuating cycle where eventually noone bothers to arrive on time.

And as Matthew also said - this is a problem in varying degrees at many different levels of theatre practice, not just community - but if you set the tone by your own demonstration of committment and professionalism you are less likely to have problems - ie EXPECT them to be committed and behave as if they will be.

I also agree with the phone call strategy. If you have an asm who can do it - ring everyone who isnt there right on start time and ask why they are not there - I usually start by asking if everything is OK (ie that they havent had an accident )- if they have had a problem you dont want to be being stern with them about lateness - that tends to end badly

Hope  things are improving for you
ChaCha

49

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera rehearsals to Opera on stage

« on: Aug 05, 2009, 08:07 pm »

I would say that opera is one of the most international of art forms and that there will be few differences. The singers, conductors and directors  work all over the world so similarity of process is common.

I'd also add that you should be prepared for the switch in 'power' from the Director to the Conductor the first time the orchestra enters the theatre. From that moment the rehearsals  usually belong to the conductor and the Director cannot stop the rehearsals to fix blocking or whatever (I have seen the director running around onstage during orchestrals pushing people around while the opera just carries on around them - bad pratice though this is.) And usually the conductor isnt going to be too patient if you want to stop rehearsals either - so if you know a major scene change is still not ready to run ( or whatever ) discuss this with the conductor in advance.

Also often the General Rehearsal ( final dress) can have quite a big invited audience.

Be ready to write don everything that happens in the curtain call when they block it late at night in 3 minutes flat - copy it out and give to artists, techs, etc.

Also, I assume you have looked at other posts on the board about opera - probably some useful hints -

Cheers
ChaCha

50

The Green Room / Re: Best reason from an actor for being late

« on: Jul 09, 2009, 04:51 am »

" I just heard that my mother has been abducted by her own political party and no one knows where she is or if she is alive"

51

The Green Room / Re: Where and when are you at your best?

« on: Jul 08, 2009, 10:23 am »

I would say that as a stage manager I am at my best when the situatation has complex politics and personalities. I like untangling the threads and I get the situations resolved through people skills. I was never at all technical as an SM but give me a room full of people who dont understand one another and I will get them all on the same page and moving forward. I like a lot of responsibility, give me a director who is a control freak and I get bored. I also work better when I have an asm - maybe Im just lazy but I prefer to think I like to be part of a team albeit a mini one ( opera was nice - sometimes I got three other stage managers to play with on my show!) . I know the other people are part of a team but they Are Not The Same, no matter how fabulous or supportive.

52

College and Graduate Studies / Re: i need free books about Stage Management

« on: Jul 06, 2009, 12:49 am »

I have come across this before with a grad student in Egypt studying literature - hard as it is for us to imagine, they actually dont have access to the world of books we take for granted. Even in the library.

53

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Director Dilemma

« on: Jul 05, 2009, 06:39 am »

Hi StageLeft
I am just wondering how you are getting on with the Director and AD now - has the situation changed at all?
ChaCha

54

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Making coffee (and other novice assignments)

« on: Jun 21, 2009, 01:12 am »

I was the asm on the Australian Film Industry (AFI) Awards night, it was a delayed telecast from a Melbourne Theatre. Just before the show was due to start I got told to sit UNDER the stage holding a stick which had something attached to it just above the stage floor ( I really cant recall what it was) an if the MC said a particular line I was to push the stick up through a small hole in the stage floor just in front of the MC position, thus pushing the object up off the floor and into the air. It was some idea the MC had arrived at the venue with that night (and management had decided to humour him). They told me the first time the MC would say the cue word was in the first 5 minutes, but after that I should just be ready at any time. So I spent about 3 hours in a small space under the stage. And never got the cue again after the first time. That was one boring evening, where you really wished all the winners did not get to make speeches! But I got paid, so not all bad I suppose...

55

Stage Management: Other / Re: Stage Managing for Dance

« on: Jun 04, 2009, 10:55 am »

I haven't delved in these old posts much before, but what a fantastic article. I have recently been spending a lot of time with independent choreographers and all these comments rang so true for me. I feel like I am not alone!

56

The Green Room / Re: How do you keep in shape?

« on: Jun 02, 2009, 08:52 pm »

I always have good intentions. That counts, right?

57

Tools of the Trade / Re: Twitter.

« on: May 31, 2009, 11:19 am »

I have been doing a lot of reading about social media since attending a web 2.0 seminar aimed at arts managers a few months ago. I have to say that twitter still eludes me. However I did read about a theatre in the US which set aside a section of the theatre ( I hope behind the paying customers!) and invited people twitter throughout the show. I guess the point was to maximise 'word of mouth' if you can call it that, and that old chestnut 'actively engage' the audience. I think in my mind i just felt a bit sorry for the actors. call me old fashioned, I won't be offended!

58

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / SCHEDULING: Who writes your rehearsal schedules?

« on: May 31, 2009, 02:35 am »

I am curious to know whether in professional theatre in the USA (especially with all your union rules to track ) it is always the stage manager who writes the rehearsal schedule? Does the Director just tell you where they want to get to each day/in the week and then leave it to you? Does the director do a draft which you then check meets union rules and slot in all the extras such as wardrobe and media calls?

I worked with both systems - sometimes a director was so bad at knowing how long scenes would take to block that I would eventually manage to wrest schedule writing control away and write it myself. It usually worked out fairly well and less time was wasted because needed cast were not present. Other directors wrote great schedules and stuck to them quite faithfully.

Is there a standard procedure where you are?

ChaCha

59

Tools of the Trade / Re: Google Wave

« on: May 31, 2009, 02:24 am »

I'm not sure about its application in my workplace, although with a staff of 2 in Perth and a head office 3000miles away in Sydney it could prove useful. But I am blown away by the integration Google Wave appears to offer and can easily imagine it being adopted as a preferred means of communication between social networks.

60

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Aging in stage management (those late 20's)

« on: May 30, 2009, 01:22 am »

so true matthew. I once took a three week job as a sort of site manager/guest artist minder for a festival. A three week job which I really thought was rather beneath me. well, those guest artists invited me to tour the world with them. in a role which was an incredible learning curve and which definately helped me along the path to my current role as a producer. not to mention all that free travel. you just never know...