Messages

541

SMNetwork Archives / Merry Christmas All

« on: Dec 24, 2006, 02:24 pm »

The time has come, that day everybody eagerly both awaits and dreads has arrived. It's Christmas day (at least in Australia... the rest of the world may need to wait a few hours).

Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe, don't drink and drive and remember - it is not about how good the presents you receive are, it is about whether the person who got you the presents kept the receipts.

542

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Maintaining

« on: Dec 22, 2006, 12:55 am »

ROFLMAO! That would have to be one of the most amusing, yet accurate answers that could be given!

543

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Maintaining

« on: Dec 21, 2006, 01:41 am »

I believe that "Show Maintenance" - unless a historic piece, (ie Shakespeare) which are generally fairly rigid, is more about "Maintaining Directorial Intent" as opposed to making the show static - to a certain extent.

544

Tools of the Trade / Re: Headset Headaches?

« on: Dec 18, 2006, 03:25 pm »

Considering the fact that if I don't have one before the show, I have a splitting headache by the end, and am likely to bite the heads off of anyone who crosses my path, it is better for everyone. I had gone to a doctor about it, and that was their recommended treatment.

545

Tools of the Trade / Re: Headset Headaches?

« on: Dec 18, 2006, 02:42 pm »

I usually take ibuprofen (Neurofen) before starting a show, as I used to get them too. I think it is because of the quality of sound from the cans. There is a lot of HF noise - some above the audible spectrum, which is extremely irritating.

546

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Christmas Wish List

« on: Dec 16, 2006, 04:28 pm »

A gift I was given when I started out my career in SMing, was an invitation from a company to sit next to the stage manager of a pro show in prompt corner with a set of cans, followed by a back stage tour. You may be able to wrangle something like that with a nearby company.

Or, if you are after a more physical gift, I would probably suggest a Leatherman Wave, a AA MiniMaglite and a set of blacks - with the Maglite, there are a couple of "kits" out there - one in a nice plastic case carry case, and one in a "blister pack" - I would go for the blister pack as it comes with a belt holster, and get the Gel kit as well (a small black rubber cap, with a couple of pieces of red and blue plastic, to change the colour of the maglites beam). You could then put it in a nice box as a "Theatre Essentials" gift.

547

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Flying Carpet...

« on: Dec 13, 2006, 07:20 am »

Dry Ice, a 'sunset' or 'starry night' cyc, and a carpet on a low-ish platform.

The trick with dry ice in this case, would be to get a decent sized tub of warm water, and lower the dry ice in, then use a slow fan placed a decent distance behind the tub to direct the fog onto the stage.

Actually Flying a carpet is difficult and requires specialty equipment and training. Unless your venue has motorised flys and a qualified theatrical aerobatics expert, it cannot be done safely. To fly a carpet and move it across the stage, you would need two motors - for stability, 4 would be better as well as an aerial framework etc, and from where I am sitting, the risk assessment alone would make me want to run the other way.

548

The Hardline / Re: Breaks During Run-Throughs

« on: Dec 13, 2006, 06:35 am »

I would recommend a break of 5-10 minutes when interval would normally occur, just to cover your backside no matter what. I think that those 5/10 minutes are essential really to get the flow of the show too.

549

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Hi i'm jess from australia

« on: Dec 11, 2006, 07:49 pm »

I am lucky in that I have two or three temp jobs that I can just make a phone call, and have work the next week. Not glamorous, not well paying, but they keep me alive.

550

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Hi i'm jess from australia

« on: Dec 11, 2006, 06:00 pm »

Yah, but none of that is recognised. Paper matters I am afraid. Good thing about NIDA (I have not looked at WAPPA, but it may be the same) is that you come out with a whole host of certificates of competency that would cost a bucket load to do independently (like Pyro and work@heights/EWP/etc)

551

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Hi i'm jess from australia

« on: Dec 11, 2006, 05:47 pm »

Welcome

Get into amdram - I know at least in Vic, there are quite a few Amdram places that need SM's.

I cannot help with pay - I take the odd jobs, which can pay anywhere between nothing, $50 per week, to $850 per week (the later has only happened once) - I tend to average $550 per week when full time SMing - which is, as ChaCha mentioned, quite a bit below the standard award rates for an SM.

I have been looking at getting pro qualifications, and NIDA's Bachelor of Performing Arts specialising in Production seems to be the one that suits me most, although I could not afford to apply for next years intake (I cannot afford to move to Sydney at the moment and give up full time work) - it seems to be a rather rounded "Back stage" course, as opposed to a course in Stage Management. VCA apparently has a course which is "Stage Management" - but the people I have spoken to have all said "Don't bother with it" -  VCA's focus tends towards the performers, as opposed to the non-performance aspects. From what I have heard, NIDA and WAPPA are really the only way to go if you want a respected, well rounded degree.

Fringe is a great place to get contacts in the "New Australian" arena. They are often written/directed by the same person, so when the playwright writes another play, if you did a good job, there is a good chance they will call you first. A tip though, if working on a "New Australian", get the playwright to sign a "Right of First Refusal" contract with you, valid over the next 5 (or 10) years - it is basically an insurance policy that even though you don't get payed for the fringe work, if a professional company wants to mount the play, they either have to pay you out or offer you the job as Stage Manager.

552

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: HELP! Sample Contracts

« on: Dec 11, 2006, 02:02 am »

A lot is dependent on the award they are being employed under - or even if they are being employed (Most sub-contractors I know (myself included) provide their own contract).

Take a look at the designers association/union - I know that (in Australia at least) we have industry associations for each of the major design fields, and from memory, each of those IA's have sample contracts.

553

Tools of the Trade / Re: What goes inside a SM Kit?

« on: Dec 11, 2006, 01:59 am »

It is also useful for getting peoples attention/relieving stress upon people... *Thwak* 

554

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Thanks for coming out and auditioning, but....

« on: Dec 09, 2006, 02:34 pm »

I have had letters that were offers too, but that at least, is a pleasent surprise - admittedly, I am usually tempted to throw it out before reading it - after all, Dear Johns are a fairly standard letter, so why bother reading a letter that basically just says "Thanks, but no thanks" - but fools hope always prevails, and occasionaly, it is right.

555

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Stop The Show!

« on: Dec 08, 2006, 01:43 am »

As a general rule, no. A lot depends on the venue and how it is managed as to what you cover in your H&S walk through.

I cover evacuation procedures and what to do in emergency situations, however there are far too many variables in "What to do when the show stops" for it to be taught to the cast. The last show stop I did I made an announcement along the lines of:

"Attention ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately we are forced to stop the show momentarily for the safety of our actors. Please remain seated until further notice. Cast and Crew, please leave the stage via Stage Left and report to the warm up room. Ladies and Gentlemen, once again we apologise for this interruption, and hope to resume the show in five minutes." - that announcement was because the flyman had noticed one of the fly lines had come unclipped from a backdrop in the right hand corner, and had the second line broken, or come disconnected, the backdrop would have hit someone on the head.

Managing things like that is usually a 'seat of the pants' thing. You make the decision, good or bad, and provide instructions on the fly. There is no formula that you can teach to the cast.