Messages

586

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Sep 15, 2011, 02:57 pm »

ARGHHHHH

(not counting I have been taking mini-naps in the middle of filling in the holes, so I wake up and it's, like, 80-100 seconds to finish. Double arghhh!)

587

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Les Mis

« on: Sep 08, 2011, 01:02 am »

Beautiful Matthew (like mine, but so much cleaner...cuz I use pencil and flags...

- I like calling off scores (esp for shows like Candide and Smokey Joes and Les Miz) and fwiw, the national tour for Les Miz uses the full score to call, because there are so many cues that occur internally on counts or specific notes in the music. Counting is fine for normal musicals, but when you have pages of music and pages of cues, if you don't read music you need to learn the score really quickly to know when things need to fall.

good luck!

588

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Les Mis

« on: Sep 07, 2011, 10:12 am »

quick initial qq- do you read music? that is key for shows that use scores as their libretto and there will be cues on musical counts/notes rather than on words.

589

The Green Room / Re: Stage Management Handbook

« on: Sep 06, 2011, 02:18 pm »

If you do a search on this site you will see many discussions of people's favorite books (and even why, in some cases). That'd be a great starting point.

590

The Hardline / Re: AEA ASM?

« on: Sep 01, 2011, 09:51 pm »

juliz, may I print this out and bring to our next meeting?

And - HEAR HEAR!!! On the one hand, great for young SMs to have on-the-job training and opportunity. On the other hand, working SMs want, need and deserve jobs too, and because all of us have done the "everything" thing, a good ASM is deeply appreciated and very much needed. I for one would like to see ASMs everywhere, but at the very least on all shows that are over a specific number, complex, new, have large groups of kids, or for any other reason an SM would need help in rehearsal and performance (like a company I work w who often rehearse off-site so props etc need to be packed/unpacked daily). Over time, I have learned that we work harder and do more people's jobs at smaller theaters, and having an ASM in those venues would do a great deal to improve morale as well as solve/assist with specifics of the show.

I have a few other pet areas needing change. For example, among the things I am passionate abt: all SMs deserve a tech week bump regardless of contract. Also, if we say a show is more complex than originally stated and we need help (ie another ASM), our union shd take that to the producer and makes sure we get that help.

Let's use this opportunity to really unite and make our needs known in a pleasanly constructive but firmly determined way!

591

The Hardline / Re: AEA ASM?

« on: Sep 01, 2011, 07:37 pm »

backing this up - because ASMs are the first thing requested to be concessioned by producers most of the time.

1) all AEA SMs on this site, please GET INVOLVED in the union. You can now be on the phone regardless of where you are, even if you are not in an office or liaison city (per the summer AEA newsletter). Be a part of the discussion! We need to weigh in when we think additional union ASMs need to be required based on the complexity or size of a given show.

2) Document these and let your SM committee chair know abt it - we all want to see more ASMs working (for all our sakes). This means both more work for all of us and a better understanding of what the heck we do and why our work has value.

Anyone with specific concerns, feel free to PM me with any thoughts, and with specifics you may not want to post (eg show, theater, producer) you want to make sure get heard - I am on a national subcommittee working on some of these issues and would love to have the support from y'all to continue to prove the need to deny concessions and/or request additional help where it is important to a shows safety. Plus, having help means we don't double our day doing pre and post show stuff!

592

The Hardline / Re: Theatres That Have Closed--Can You Say "Emergency?"

« on: Sep 01, 2011, 04:47 am »

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18783708

CLO South Bay Cities is being forced out of their home, and while their language claims they are not closed, well, until we see a venue I will assume otherwise.....

593

Stage Management: Other / Re: First time on a devised show

« on: Aug 30, 2011, 10:04 pm »

Yes, you need a timeline when things are locked (well, more or less). Script, props, basic blocking all need to be fixed at some point so lights/sets/costumes can do their work in a timely manner. Even tho things will change in tech, even tho things will change up to opening (and, sometimes, past), you need a series of dates when you accept specific aspects of the structure, like the order of scenes, the scenes themselves, key props, which won't change again past that point (barring a massive epiphany and a cancelled performance to use the time for rehearsal by the director). And you need to get drop deads from your designer/dept heads to know when those need to be set, then back it up a few days so you have a cushion.

594

Stage Management: Other / Re: First time on a devised show

« on: Aug 30, 2011, 02:23 am »

agree w BalletPSM - when I've done originals that are developed in process, most of the early reh is taking notes, and making sure props that get discussed arrive (most of them will go away, but it helps to have something to play with in the meantime). I track stuff and get a sense of the work, and there will be a day with an AHA moment for you, where you see the piece as a whole (or at least where it wants to go) and you will be able to start doing the more traditional paperwork for blocking, lines, props, set, costumes etc

Part of the SM's challenge is to be willing to give up control, esp for that first part where it's all exploration. Allow the room and space to happen and the shape will appear before you in its time (esoteric, but it will make sense once you've experienced it).
Have a blast, you are part of an exhilarating process. 

And - don't forget to have fun!

break legs

595

Employment / Re: to QR or not to QR?

« on: Aug 28, 2011, 11:52 pm »

this shows you how non tech-savvy I am, but what is QR?

thank you

596

The Hardline / Re: AEA MAternity Leave

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 01:21 pm »

    Part of the battle is changing the category and making pregnancy NOT an illness.

And I am sorry that I compared it to that  . . .

it's not you - it's how it's generally categorized (tho in the LORT it's under Termination), something that needs to be rethought on many fronts

597

Employment / Re: Consulting - A Hypothetical Situation

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 12:43 pm »

then I'd discuss some sort of fee.

or a job -

598

The Hardline / Re: AEA MAternity Leave

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 03:14 am »

This is a difficult subject because I am from an era where women were not given opportunity because (regardless of marital status or expectation) the assumption was, we were going to get pregnant and leave. That was the excuse given in my med school  as well as stage management interviews, as well as from teachers who refused to give women A's because we were going to end up barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, so why bother. Seriously.

Part of the battle is changing the category and making pregnancy NOT an illness. That's a first step. But, avowed feminist that I am, and while I think maternity leave (and paternity leave) should be a basic right, until women SMs (or women in other male-dominated professions) are accepted and hired equally, until we don't lose jobs because our capability is based on someone else's erroneous assumptions, and while scarcity of jobs is laden with reasons why NOT to hire someone, I worry about requiring paid maternity leave.

In addition to Matthew's arguments, which are correct, you can only plan to a point since no one knows for sure, until they experience it for themselves, that they won't have issues being pregnant - from morning sickness (which can kick in any time of day) to bed rest restrictions. Not to say women haven't had babies on their own for centuries and went on with the harvesting or whatever, but are you able and willing to take time off if your health requires it? Are you willing and able to take time off or bring in help once the baby is born? And are you able and willing to leave if your baby requires special attention? In today's world, that job isn't shared by anyone else, and the extra hassles combined with hormones and post-partum depression are enough to drive even calm, even-tempered, capable, smart women over the edge. And, what happens to your show if any of the above kick in?

However, good luck. It's been done before, and it will be done again. Frankly, most of my work has been covering in a resident company for a show or two (tho not for pregnancy), so ideally they hire someone who wants to be in a new place for a show or two without moving permanently.

599

Employment / Re: Consulting - A Hypothetical Situation

« on: Aug 25, 2011, 02:09 am »

I think you can offer a little advice for free, it will give you a chance to feel out working with him and demonstrate your credibility. Will he take your input seriously? Still, it would be exciting to see the space. If you can see what the problem(s) is (are), then you have room to negotiate something for yourself. But it is common practice to put toes in the water first.

600

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Aug 22, 2011, 02:45 am »

I hate second guessing myself - clicking the right answer then doubting it so changing my mind to the wrong one...argh!

I really, REALLY shouldn't play when I am this tired.... I also really hate making stupid mistakes when I absolutely know something but hit the wrong button cuz my eyes are fuzzy!