Messages

631

Employment / Re: Necessary in a resume?

« on: Jul 05, 2011, 12:34 am »

Nick, I would have assumed the same but only one of those folks was young - and he may be ASM on a Bway tour this fall (he did a phone interview and is quite personable, but he was a TERRIBLE ASM on a tricky show and I cannot in good conscience recommend him because his only focus on my show was on how he was killing time by playing video games and watching DVDs rather than being aware during rehearsal or show (I saw him recently - truly a sweet guy - and he told me how much he had learned and how bad he realized he had been but still, I need evidence to trust him...). The other is in her mid-40s and talks a good line also, but, well, is adequate at best - and I am one of many I know who feel this way. So that's why I am curious abt all those extra things on their resumes that somehow got them interviews. Hmmmm.

632

Employment / Re: Necessary in a resume?

« on: Jul 04, 2011, 05:53 pm »

Interesting discussion - because I was always taught to keep my SM resume about being an SM, with some add'l skills at the bottom (of course) - but the last few folks I know who got some pretty major interviews, including a Bway tour, listed all kinds of things on their resumes as if it were a regular job list, interspersing theater work with things both unrelated and in other areas of the field: from, say, selling clothes at Banana Republic or elementary school teacher or telemarketing, to writing for various journals, even FOH work like ushering or Box Office.

So frankly, I am not so sure any more that my (eg) museum educator job shd be left off. I mean, if folks with far less experience can get interviews with these jumbled resumes when I can't get in the door, maybe that's the solution?

633

Employment / Re: Resident SM?

« on: Jul 02, 2011, 03:27 pm »

depending on the contract there are usually a few perks, such as a slightly higher salary to cover non-prodn weeks, and accrued paid vacation. What contract are you on?

634

Self-Promotion / Re: SITP: Measure for Measure

« on: Jun 30, 2011, 02:59 am »

103 days of rehearsal

wow - I don't think I've ever rehearsed something that much!

And - playbill lists everyone except the SM? or did I miss it....?

635

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Jun 29, 2011, 11:28 am »

feel so much better after the embarrassment of the last few weeks......even got the ones I knew wrong (doubting myself) - grateful for today's list!

636

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Blocking Script vs Calling Script

« on: Jun 28, 2011, 05:07 pm »

I use flags through tech, but my prompt book is finished when I write the notes in on the page (keeping the post-its for my reference but that way the post-its go on top of the written-in cues) cuz, yes, I have had post-it flags come undone. While sounds like that PSM/interviewer was either deliberately seeing if you had been paying attention during your show or just being stupendously careless, mostly it feels like he/she was probably hoping to see your reaction when things go oops.

637

The Green Room / Re: gaining new perspective

« on: Jun 27, 2011, 09:05 pm »

I do still perform with some regularity (and being an SM always helps there too) so I just got a whole new, if oddly come by, appreciation for our too-often invisible but truly essential profession. My most recent show had no SM, and, well, suffice it to say there was a whole level of missing info and greater communications, to things as basic as show calls, that didn't happen  (what? it's 1/2 hour and you are now telling me that tonite, and tonite only, there will be a band instead of just piano, and there is no time to run the numbers once?) and, well, when the proverbial stuff hit the fan, no one was on the producer's side when he needed a favor. As opposed to, a good SM, someone to whom actors can bitch and moan, take production issues, get show calls and hear about things that impact the performers and performances before they turn into recipes for disaster.....

638

The Green Room / Re: LINKS: Simple desktops

« on: Jun 24, 2011, 03:45 pm »

thanks - will try!

639

The Green Room / Re: LINKS: Simple desktops

« on: Jun 24, 2011, 12:26 pm »

hate to sound stupid, but how do I add those wallpapers to my desktop on a mac? thanks

640

The Green Room / Stagehand ODs, dies backstage at HOW TO SUCCEED, cancelling 100th show

« on: Jun 23, 2011, 01:07 pm »

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/nyregion/stagehands-death-leads-to-cancellation-of-how-to-succeed-show.html

Holy crap. RIP and light to his family but - holy crap!

641

The Hardline / Re: AEA Shared Productions

« on: Jun 22, 2011, 03:36 pm »

Are you the only new/different person? If not, then you have to have the meeting anyway. If you are, I might suggest that you first of all get in touch w their deputy and get a sense of the show and the folks involved. And yes, it is a good idea in that brief window before first rehearsal to ask the cast if they want to reelect the deputy or change any other preexisting votes (you cd, of course, ck this privately via individual email and then have the AEA meeting if anyone answers yes to changes, and not worry abt it if all are ok).

In terms of what to ask their current SM: start with asking if there is anything you need to know - not just about the show itself and challenging sequences/problem areas, but also about the director, the producer, the cast or any established traditions/routines. Assume you are getting the SMs book, but just in case, check on that, and just plain ol' chat to get a sense of the show politics and running issues. And get a copy of and read the show many, many times before you walk into those two days of restaging/tech!

642

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: Jun 22, 2011, 03:20 am »

Yikes. Totally embarrassed today!

643

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Harmful line-throughs?

« on: Jun 19, 2011, 04:00 pm »

maribeth's response is absolutely the best first line of defense - mine is great if they aren't listening and need a real listing of places to work, peel out before you see them or need a tactful but discrete and personal reminder. And I have always been taught never ever to tell them what they said that was wrong, since it reinforces that in their brains and may pop out next time.

644

Tools of the Trade / Re: iPads

« on: Jun 18, 2011, 08:56 pm »

TONS of them at the TCG conference - people using them for literally everything, from note taking to checking email to whatever - (hmm, I thought theaters were all hurting for funding...) anyway, curious, but right now not in the budget or the near future unless I win one -

645

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Harmful line-throughs?

« on: Jun 18, 2011, 12:30 pm »

Line notes go in the general section of the report you send around to director/tech/designers/producer etc, but I am not sure why you send a report to the actors. You can send them a group note saying lines are getting sloppy, please review scripts especially pp________. Individual line notes sent to individual emails are always appropriate and a great way to clean things up. You can be specific "p. 13, LINELINELINELINE", or you can say something like "please review at p. 13". You can add "Let me know if I can help" as well.

Either way, if you come at it from a learning experience perspective, you can ask the director why they didn't want a line-thru - he/she may have info you don't, esp abt specific performers. Some actors who run lines every day before the show have either "2nd show syndrome" - they forget in the show because they have just said it already so they don't connect it to THIS SHOW NOW, or they exhaust themselves in the line run and have nothing left to bring to the stage.

....good luck with this!