Messages

466

The Green Room / Re: The Next Great Adventure

« on: Jun 02, 2014, 10:28 pm »

Best of luck with your new adventure! It's funny how our priorities shift as we get older - towards family, stability, etc. It's definitely not wrong to want those things, and it's something I think about a lot in terms of my career too.

There will be no work for me in the small village that we will get to by bush plane, but I plan on doing all of the creative projects that have been on the back burner because "I don't have time". Maybe this is my blessing in all of this. I'm not saying that I won't go stir crazy and accept a job touring or in a town that will pay to get me there, but at least for the beginning I am going to have a lot of free time.

There's something really wonderful in this- being able to take some real time to do things that you love but don't have much time for. I hope you have a stack of books to read and if you are a knitter/crocheter/other crafter, I'm sure you will enjoy being able to spend some real time on those hobbies.

467

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Explaining my job over and over and...

« on: Jun 02, 2014, 01:09 am »

Regarding the director, have you tried to talk with them before rehearsals begin? I would see if you could set up a phone meeting to talk about preferences, etc (or even email) ahead of time- with everything that goes on during the first day of rehearsal, often I find there isn't time for me to have any pre-rehearsal time with the director.

When working at an AEA theatre, there's the benefit of the 'AEA business' time at the beginning of first rehearsal to introduce yourself and talk about the policies at the theatre, as well as give out wallet cards, etc. At a non-AEA theatre, I would talk to your production manager about carving out 10-15min at the beginning of the day to do 'theatre business'. If that's not an option, I would take a few moments at the end of the day for it. With a lot of theatres bringing donors and staff to first rehearsal, it can be awkward or uncomfortable to take up time with 'business' while everyone is there- it might be easier to do at the end of the day.

It's tricky to explain your role with international artists, but I actually think you have come up with a great way of describing it to them, using terms they are used to- a combination assistant director/show-caller. I would liken an SM to that, if it will help them better understand what you do. If you are running into this issue over and over, maybe you can include a blurb in a "welcome packet" about how the theatre works, and what your role is? I have found that since theatre doesn't work the same in other countries, international artists often come in with different expectations about how things are going to work, and it can be a bit of a learning curve to get everyone on the same page.

It sounds like with this group of people, you need a thick skin, as your role is new to them and you will probably need to be patient, as it takes some adjustment time to get used to a new way of working. Sometimes people will give you grief about schedules and breaks and line notes. See if you can find a light, humorous way to deal with complaints and remarks about things that are a necessary part of your job. (This doesn't change from community theatre to professional theatre- there's always going to be someone grousing about something, either good-naturedly or not).

468

The Green Room / DC actor Frank Britton

« on: May 28, 2014, 09:25 pm »

Hi all,

I wouldn't normally make this kind of appeal, but this is a special person who means a lot to the DC theatre community. Actor Frank Britton was assaulted and robbed on his way home from the theatre on the opening night of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. He has been in the hospital since late Monday night, and will likely need multiple surgeries to repair damage to his face.

He does not have health insurance, and is likely to have a hefty hospital bill. There are a lot of people here in DC looking out for him and working on taking care of his medical bills in various ways- one of which is a fundraising website. They've raised an incredible amount of money in a short time, but any little bit will help, so here's the link. If you are so inclined, please consider donating a few dollars.

I thank you for any help you are able to give. Sincerely,

Maribeth

469

Introductions / Re: Happy to have found this network

« on: May 28, 2014, 02:02 am »

Hi and welcome, Ramona! Tell us a little about yourself- what kind of show was the production you worked on? What kind of shows are you interested in working on in the future?

470

Introductions / Re: New Graduate from Ohio!

« on: May 28, 2014, 02:00 am »

Hi and welcome, Victoria! Check out the SM: Other board for info on working cruise lines.

471

The Green Room / AEA Health insurance premium reminders

« on: May 28, 2014, 01:17 am »

Just found out that you can get a text message reminder when your health insurance premium is due. Check out http://www.equityleague.org/ - there's a link on the front page that tells you how to sign up.

472

The Green Room / Re: IFTTT

« on: May 27, 2014, 11:19 pm »

Like this website, would like to make more use of it! Here are mine:

Backup my contacts to a Google Spreadsheet.

If I star a link in Gmail, add it to my to-do list.

Text me if it's going to rain. I haven't found this one to work very well....

And then one I created myself to email me when a Craigslist search returns a new result.

Edited to add: Text to remind you 30min before an event on your calendar.

473

Job Postings / AEA or Non-AEA SM needed for DC Fringe production- The Duchess of Malfi

« on: May 27, 2014, 08:50 pm »

Seeking Union/Non-Union Stage Manager for We Happy Few's 2014 Capital Fringe Production

We Happy Few Productions presents stripped-down, small-cast, ensemble productions with a group of talented artists, providing unique perspectives on classical texts.  We are looking for an experienced stage manager for rehearsals and performances for our production of The Duchess of Malfi.  We will be operating under the AEA Capital Fringe Code, so both union and non-union stage managers will be considered.

Schedule:
Rehearsals would begin in early June and would mostly be weekends and evenings.  Tech rehearsals would be July 5th and 6th.  The show will run at Source Black Box from July 13th to 23rd, with performances on the following dates:

Sunday, July 13th: 2:00PM and 7:00PM
Monday, July 14th: 7:30PM
Wednesday, July 16th: 7:30PM
Saturday, July 19th: 2:00PM
Sunday, July 20th: 2:00PM and 7:00PM
Monday, July 21st: 7:30PM
Wednesday, July 23rd: 7:30PM

Pay:
We Happy Few splits 100% of box office proceeds among the artists involved. Exact percentage will be provided upon acceptance of position.

If you have any further questions or are interested in the position please contact our Production Manager, Keith Hock, at hockkw@gmail.com.  For more information about We Happy Few Productions please check out our website at www.wehappyfewdc.moonfruit.com.

474

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REPORTS: Including Human Error

« on: May 15, 2014, 06:36 pm »

Here's a thread about how honest we are about what we include in reports and what we don't (and why).

I would include a cueing error, either due to my own mistake or a board op's, because the report should be an accurate reflection of what happened in the show. If I were in your situation, I would say something like, "LQ30 was late- SM pressed the back button instead of GO. LD helped us get back in the right cue."

I usually put what happened, how it was fixed or dealt with, and what steps will be taken to ensure it doesn't happen again. I try to be as unemotional about it as possible, and not "blame" anyone. (i.e. "LQ30 was 2sec early due to board op error." or "The onstage QC was long because the pajamas were not unbuttoned ahead of time. SM will double check in the preset for future performances."

Mistakes happen.

EDITED TO ADD: Another relevant thread, about noting our own mistakes.

475

Introductions / Re: New Englander off to college!

« on: May 13, 2014, 09:34 pm »

Hi and welcome, Nora! Check out the Students and Novices board- there's a lot of great info there for (and from) students.

Sounds like a fun group and glad you had such a good time with your final show with them!

476

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROPS: Non-Dairy Stage Dip?

« on: May 11, 2014, 10:39 pm »

Hummus, for the dip that doesn't have to look like mayo or yogurt. Pureed cauliflower is white and might pass for one of the other dips. Otherwise I would go ejsmith's route and look for non-dairy yogurts.

477

Introductions / Re: New here!

« on: May 08, 2014, 08:58 pm »

Hi and welcome aboard! There's a lot of great info here and I'm sure you can find some info that will help you on your journey. There's a search box in the upper right-hand corner of the page, which is great for finding posts relevant to your situation.

I would say, if you want to make a journal of your progress and journey, you should do it- not because people here want you to, but for yourself. It can be a really helpful tool for self-evaluation and improvement to reflect on past productions. But I encourage you to post questions and start conversations on SMNetwork about your experiences.

What's your favorite production that you've worked on in the past?

478

Employment / Re: Freelancing scheduling tactics

« on: May 05, 2014, 09:50 pm »

Thanks for the response. Yes, there are usually less readings, etc around here to fill gaps- I lucked out this year. Generally I am okay with a few weeks off (it usually ends up being a little vacation for me), but any longer than that and I really try to fill the gap.

I have been asking around with companies/people I have relationships with about that slot, so I'm hoping something will come up. Good idea about contacting other trusted SMs- definitely something to consider. Trying to stay in town if at all possible so local connections are going to be key. I usually send out resumes to new-to-me theatres that I'd like to work, so that might also be a way to go.

I would definitely be interested in hearing other suggestions and other people's experiences, if anyone's willing to share.

479

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Working on a "Work-In-Progress" Show

« on: May 05, 2014, 08:41 pm »

There are a bunch of great threads here on the topic of new works. If you go to the Plays and Musicals board and sort by subject, look under "New Works" - there are a number of really helpful posts.

I would check out the posts about tracking/distributing script changes- they have been really helpful to me.

480

Introductions / Re: Why Did It Take Me 2 Years To Say Hi?

« on: Apr 30, 2014, 02:47 pm »

Hi and welcome to the boards, Shae! Glad you're getting a lot out of it. Hope you can contribute your own experiences as well- I'm sure there a number of SMs interested in the NYC scene that would benefit from hearing your experiences. There's a Regional board for the NY/NJ/PA area- check it out for some great shadowing opportunities/other NYC-specific posts.