Messages

61

Tools of the Trade / Re: Tape-out on Carpet

« on: Jun 25, 2013, 08:53 pm »

I have not tried this nor do I know the logistics, but I know someone who laid out yarn once. I just imagined the tripping hazard but apparently it worked.

I've done the yarn thing before when we were not allowed to leave spike on the ground and had several rehearsal locations. Essentially you measure out your walls into lengths of yarn and tack down the ends with tape. They tend to pop if actors walk "through the wall" which we know is bound to happen, but it worked better than nothing.

As a suggestion- next time I would probably use twine or something that had less stretch to it. The yarn could be inconsistent because of the stretch, and that caused it to pop more often.

62

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE:Fox Searchlight should have paid interns, judge rules

« on: Jun 13, 2013, 12:17 pm »

If I'm going to make a career out of this I'm going to have to have to make some money eventually, I don't want to be stuck forever in not getting paid. Pretty soon I'm going to have to face reality. What are some steps I can take to avoid being stuck in the unpaid cycle forever?
~Confused Intern 

When you are approached about the next show or season, just let them know that you love working with them, but you can't continue being an unpaid intern. Have a number in mind too- is working for $100 a show really any different than being an unpaid intern? There is nothing wrong with asking for money. If they can't afford to pay you- they will find someone else who will work for free, and you will move on. You HAVE to be willing to walk. It is so easy to keep doing what you are doing, but there comes a point when it is hurting you and your career aspects. There are companies out there that are willing to pay- it is your job to go out and find them if the one you are at is not willing to pay you.

I had to leave a company and turn down a job offer from a theatre once early in my career because they weren't goign to pay me enough and it wasn't worth the hassle to me. I didn't have a back up theatre job. I ended up moving back home and working a day job unrelated to theatre while I looked for work that would pay me what I knew I deserved. It took a while, but I'm very happy I didn't get caught in the trap. It was more important to me that I was making money and happy, rahter than having a theatre job just for the sake of working in theatre.

63

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: Low Pay/No Pay (UK article, interesting read)

« on: Jun 13, 2013, 11:53 am »

I know a lot of people try that path but I don't think you can truly pursue this career while working another 9 to 5, if you just want to be an SM then I'm sure you can work at a  smaller regional or community theatre and have a day job, but any higher than that and it's a full-time commitment.
Does anyone have a different experience?

This year I made the change of traveling all year to wherevever there was work that would pay and house me, to picking a city and settling down (as much as you can in theatre- I still did go to alaska for a month for a job). It is a different way of working and living- The first thing I did was get a day job while I searched for theatre work. I have been through several day jobs at this point, trying to find the right fit- the most important thing in the end was the flexibility of my manager. I got a job at a smaller Equity theatre (SPT level 8 Contract). I knew that I would have to work both jobs at part time rates to pay my bills. At the worst I was working 80hour weeks to bring in just enough to pay my bills. For me it was worth it to break into the community and get my name out there.

The most important thing though- I knew this was temporary. I can not do this forever. Not having days off during the entire run of a show is exhasting, and not healthy. The good thing in my case was that my hard work impressed my bosses (funny enough at both jobs) so that I am not going to have to continue working both part time. Next season I will be full time at one or the other.

I guess the bottom line is there comes a point when you have to  make the choice like BARussell says and make a full time commitment one way or another. Especially if you want any sort of time for a personal life.

64

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE:Fox Searchlight should have paid interns, judge rules

« on: Jun 12, 2013, 02:19 pm »

I am all for paying interns- especially when they are just filling the gaps where real employees should be. But I also can not ignore the amazing benefits I gained from my own unpaid internship during college. I did not have the resume or experiance at the time to have actually worked in the capacity that I did on the production at the local equity theatre. I learned so very much that I would not have from professionals that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to make connections with. I can trace all of my paid work for the next several years back to connections I made on that internship. I was unpaid, but I got college credit (something addressed in the article) and feel that what I recieved was beyond what I could have acheived without it.

It is interesting too that when you read all of the advice articles on linkedin and other job sites, internships are in the top reccomendations on how to get ahead in any business. I had a friend who worked 4 internships in PR, and didn't find a paying one until the last one. She still had to spend 6 months finding a job- and it ended up being a job created because the company couldn't find an intern to do the job.

What do we say about all of the internships in theatre that pay a flat rate or 100-150 a week and then expect you to work a full show/production/rehearsal schedule. I once worked out that if someone handed me a $20 bill for each show I would come away with more money, and that didn't take into account the rehearsals I was attending during the day. Talk about depressing. When this theatre offered me a job extension with almost no pay raise, I did what you have to do at some point and I turned them down, moved home and worked a day job to pay my bills. I think that is the most important thing we have to do as we consider ourselves professionals- you can't continue to work for low/no pay at some point when we have enough experiance and connections. I could afford to make that sacrifice for a little while, but now I demand that I be paid what I am worth. Even though it can be scary, there is no way I won't negotiate for a reasonable wage at this point in my career. If I can't manage to get paid what I think I deserve, than it is time to re-evaluate.

65

Introductions / Re: Noob to this Network

« on: Jun 09, 2013, 11:25 pm »

Tyler!!! Hi.

There is an amazing wealth of information on this site- I'm sure it will help you as it has helped me. The search bar in the upper right corner is super helpful to find answers to specific questions.

Best of luck this year- and I'm super jealous about Columbinus- great show.

66

Employment / Re: Continuing Education/Certifications through Employer

« on: Jun 06, 2013, 12:54 am »

Something like this may not be available where you are at, but Villanova University offers a 'certificate in non profit managment' that is really interesting. You learn how non profits run, raise money and function as a business. Perhaps if you had an interest in pursuing a career past stage managment at some point this could be useful. Learning the business side of things could prove beneficial to your communication with your current company as well.

67

The Green Room / Re: Desk/Sleeping area...for those long days

« on: Jun 05, 2013, 11:29 am »

Two show days. Perfect solution.

68

Introductions / Re: New Blood!

« on: May 31, 2013, 12:05 am »

Is it really weird that I just read the tumblr post on "what should we call stage management" and then popped right over here to see if anyone new signed up? I have both websites tagged so I read them every day.

I have a problem.

Welcome though! Best of luck, and we hope you find a ton of good information!

 

69

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Artificial hay help!!!

« on: May 26, 2013, 12:12 am »

  Or buying plastic grass skirts ... and cutting them to create your straw look? 

Along the lines of grass skirts- Delaware Theatre Company just finished South Pacific and they had a bunch of grass skirts in the show. Maybe contacting their props department/office?

70

Employment / Re: What are you looking for in the next job>

« on: May 10, 2013, 10:54 am »

I am at a point right now, several years out of undergraduate that I am really craving some sort of stability in my next job. It is exhausing to be continuously looking for work and pulling 70 hour work weeks with my day job and theatre. I have some really exciting prospects that would give me the ability to give up my day job and work exclusivly in theatre for the first time (outside of the time when I was living with my parents.)

Ideally I would like to find a company that I could call 'home'. I have grown close to the company that I have been working with this year, and really realize how important that is to me- more so than the notariaty or prestige of the company. I want to love the people that I work with. It makes a world of difference to me psycholgically.

71

Employment / "Stop using these 16 Terms to Describe Yourself"

« on: May 10, 2013, 10:50 am »

I read this article on Linkedin this morning, and although it isn't specifically about writing cover letters I think it has some really great information that we can think about and learn from.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130117141235-20017018-stop-using-these-16-terms-to-describe-yourself?trk=mp-details-rc

I have always had a hard time writing cover letters that don't seem generic and get a good response rate. It is so easy to slip into saying that I am creative and organized and blah, blah, blah, but  it is so much harder to really show what kind of person I am and why I would be an asset to the theatre.

I think the article brings up some good points about how when we talk in real life we don't talk about ourselves this way. It reminds me of advice on playwriting- show, don't tell. If only I could figure out how to effectively show and not tell in my cover letters. Lucky enough I married an English Teacher and he totally proofs everything I send out!   

Has anyone else found effective ways to write professional but unique cover letters that really express who you are while avoiding cliche?

72

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Personal reasons NOT to do a show?

« on: May 09, 2013, 08:47 am »

It’s not material I will avoid, it’s people – directors, actors, producers, general managers, organizations.  Material comes and goes.a

This is so true. I feel much more strongly about people that would offend me as opposed to the material of a play. This influences me much more in my decisions.

73

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Communication with the production team/what do they need from us?

« on: May 08, 2013, 12:13 am »

Something that helped me learn in college was actually having a blank sectioned rehearsal report with me during all rehearsals. That way I had a constant reminder that there were catagories that I had to pay attention to. Props, Set, Costumes, etc all had their own box and I would jot notes as things came up in rehearsal.

A lot of what I learned too came from actually working in the other departments. If possible you could have your students shadow the other department leads so they can see from a different point of view what is important. I think sometimes it is very easy to get stuck in your own job and not realize what others may need- a stage manager that understands what is important to a lighting designer because they understand the designer's job (even if just basically) is going to take better and clearer notes.

74

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: Personal reasons NOT to do a show?

« on: May 08, 2013, 12:07 am »

Interesting. I have actually had to have these kind of tough conversations with my parents about what I do. I was raised (and still consider myself) Catholic. I'm not an in-your-face kind of religious person- never have been. I live my life, and let others live theirs without judgement. I believe in a love-based religious outlook. So for me personally, I haven't really felt conflicted with shows that I have worked on. The exploration of human nature facinates me.

It comes down to this for my way of thinking too- you can't be a "light to the world" if you don't go to the dark places. I would never take myself out of a show situation because of something like this- we work in a business that encompasses many different worldviews- a theatre that was as narrow as one person or groups way of thinking would be sad I think.

75

Introductions / Re: Hello all! Greetings from a New York City SM!

« on: May 04, 2013, 10:27 pm »

Welcome!

The Search Bar in the upper right corner is great- you can search the entire site or specific boards for topics or information you are looking for. The is a wealth of information here!

Also pay attention to the threads that are 'stickied' to the top of each board- they generally contain information about rules for the board or important discussions that everyone can benefit from.

I use the "Show unread posts since your last visit" link next to my profile pic to keep up to date on all of the recent conversations, but it is great to just browse around too. I have picked up so much from just reading, and one thing leads to another.

Welcome again!