Messages

676

The Green Room / ARTICLE: Backstage at 'Metamorphoses'

« on: Feb 09, 2013, 12:55 pm »

In the Washington Post this morning, there's a really interesting article on Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, focused on its current run at Arena Stage and how they dealt with the challenges of working with so much water onstage. Lots of quotes from the stage manager, but I think it's generally interesting to see how the water really affected all aspects of the production. Link

677

Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Feb 08, 2013, 04:32 pm »

The images look fine- it's hard to say without seeing how the different menus like the "inspector" interact with an actual script. Do they lay on top of it? Off to the side? I'm wondering if those buttons in the left hand corner (print, save, etc) need to be so big- they might be something better accessed on a pull-down menu.

I think my biggest question is that the top of the page seems to have most of the same functionality as the "inspector". What's the difference? For me, making a call script has 2 steps- setting up the page in the way that I want it (margins, page numbers, headers/footers, etc) and then inserting cues, so I think the wizard makes sense. It might be nice to be able to save a page setup so when you open a script, the program automatically formats it with your preferences.

Once I'm at the point of adding cues, mostly what I need is quick access to my pre-formatted cue shapes (I think how you referred to them is 'saved shapes'). I'd like to have something on the page itself, not in a separate menu, that allows me access to the saved shapes. Do the buttons at the top access the 'saved shapes', or do you have to go through the inspector to do that?

EDIT: accidentally left out a few words

678

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Stage Manager Pay

« on: Feb 05, 2013, 09:43 pm »

I would take a look at the thread that's active right now about what people give up for this job- http://smnetwork.org/forum/the-green-room/the-things-we-give-up-for-theatre/

Like Jessie said, only you can decide if it's worth it.

679

Employment / Re: How do I make a short resume look more appealing?

« on: Feb 05, 2013, 05:51 pm »

Personally, I think when you're younger and have less actual stage management experience, it's ok to have some non-SM credits on your resume. If possible I would limit them to theatre experience- backstage positions you've held, etc. I would put them in a separate category on your resume than your SM credits.

It's also appropriate to include a (short) list of related skills- do you read music, speak French, are you First Aid certified, etc. My personal thought with related skills- make sure they are truly related! I always think it's kind of silly when people have a huge list of skills and none of them have anything to do with stage management. I also include a short Education section and References at the bottom of my resume.

When you're just starting out I think that it's okay to have a lighter resume- better than cramming it full of filler. Add experience as you obtain it, organize the experience you have in a clear and legible fashion, and as you're able to, phase out less-related positions, like run crew.

I would check out the Resume Browser to see examples of what others have done. If you're interested in having an outside perspective on your resume, send me a PM and I'd be happy to offer suggestions.

680

Introductions / Re: Hi!

« on: Feb 05, 2013, 03:53 pm »

Hi and welcome, Laraine!

681

Introductions / Re: Just Discovering SMNetwork

« on: Feb 03, 2013, 09:43 am »

Hi and welcome, Rebecca!

682

Tools of the Trade / Re: Useful iPad apps

« on: Feb 01, 2013, 05:14 pm »

I've been trying to use my iPad more for work purposes. I've been using Evernote for note taking at meetings. So far I like it- it lets you organize documents into folders (so I can group notes by show), and saves to the cloud, like Dropbox.

683

Introductions / Re: Howdy, Hi, Hello!

« on: Jan 30, 2013, 11:11 pm »

Hi and welcome to the boards!

684

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Reharsal Report AND Notes?

« on: Jan 30, 2013, 03:19 pm »

I've never sent out a daily set of rehearsal notes to actors, just the next day's schedule, with call times, any fittings scheduled, photo calls, etc. If the director asks me to send something out to the actors, like an article relating to the play, or a reminder about something that we discussed, then of course I'm happy to do so. But in a professional setting, I'm not sure what purpose the notes would serve.

685

Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 04:51 pm »

I hope this application will be available to use on PCs as well as Macs.

686

The Hardline / Re: EMC program Pros. vs. Cons

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 02:05 am »

The nice thing about the $100 fee is that if and when you do decide to go AEA, the $100 comes off of your initiation fee.

I don't know much about the Chicago theatre scene, but when I was EMC I never felt like it was stopping me from working at smaller theatres. But, as babens says, no reason you have to let non-AEA companies know about it, if you're worried.

Another pro is that you don't actually need 50 weeks to go AEA, you just need someone to offer you an AEA contract. So if you are EMC, and you reach a point where you want to be AEA and have been offered an AEA contract, and you don't have the weeks yet, you can join regardless.

687

Tools of the Trade / Re: Call Script Word Processor Mac App

« on: Jan 28, 2013, 01:45 am »

Hi Miriam,
Happy to help!

1. My general preferences- most of them you mentioned. East to adjust margins and layouts, easy to use. Final product saves as a pdf so that the layout is set in stone. It might be nice to be able to 'tab' scenes, so that you can jump around easily, though not totally necessary. Easy to import a script from Word.

2. Calling script/text on the left, blocking on the right.

3. Cues on the left.

4. If I'm keeping the pagination the same as it currently exists, I like to have the page number at the top and the bottom of the page, on the left- it's the easiest way for me to see it. If I am deviating from the existing pagination, I would probably put the number in a box on the left hand side of the page where the break occurred. I might consider something like a dotted line across the page where the break occurs, if I thought it was easier to read.

5. I use rectangles with and without tails for cues, speech bubbles for standbys/warnings, thought bubbles for anything I need to be aware of but not actually say out loud (i.e. "Check that SL door closed after Peter's exit" or "Turn down monitor volume"), and arrows to indicate a quick page turn.

I'd be happy to send you an example of what my calling scripts look like in a PM. Good luck with your project, and be sure to keep us up to date!

Maribeth

688

The Hardline / Re: EMC program Pros. vs. Cons

« on: Jan 27, 2013, 10:44 pm »

Right, but my understanding is that after 50 weeks, once you are offered a job accept a contract at an AEA theatre, you have to join, you can't take another non-AEA contract at an AEA theatre.  You can still work on non-AEA shows at non-AEA theatre and keep your points (for up to 5 years).

Again, not sure if this is still true but that was my understanding when I was EMC (6 or 7 years ago).

EDIT: I should say, once you accept a contract.

689

The Hardline / Re: EMC program Pros. vs. Cons

« on: Jan 27, 2013, 06:35 pm »

It's been a while since I was EMC, but I remember that once you had accrued 50 weeks, you had to join upon signing your contract at the next AEA theatre. Does anyone know if this has this changed? I know there have been changes in right-to-work laws in recent years- has that affected the EMC requirements?


From the AEA website:
Upon completion of the program, your eligibility to join Equity lasts for five years. During that time, if you are
engaged to work at an Equity theatre, you must be signed to an Equity contract. If you do NOT choose to join
within the five-year period, your accumulated weeks of credit will expire, your registration fee will be forfeited, and
you will not receive the credit toward a future initiation fee.

690

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Pointers for handling large numbers of props?

« on: Jan 26, 2013, 10:45 pm »

I've never done that play, but there are some ways to help deal with a heavy-prop show. Not knowing very much about where you are in the process or what exactly you're having trouble with, here's what I would suggest.

Create an organized, coherent props list. It may be that your director or even the props person has already done this, but it may benefit you to keep your own list with the information that you need on it. Confer with the director and props person when making this list, and keep the props person up to date on any changes made during rehearsal.

For a large prop show, I like to number the props so that when you refer to them in the report, it's clear exactly which prop you're talking about. (i.e. Sarah's bag(#34) should have a false bottom). If there are 8 chairs that all look the same, give them each a separate number. You can label them with masking tape in rehearsal for easy reference.

Keeping your own list allows you to track something like whether or not you've received a rehearsal stand-in for each prop- it's easy to glance down the list and see which props don't have a check mark in that column. Or you can track how many of a consumable item is needed for each show, etc etc. Updating the list daily will help eliminate confusion. If you cut a prop, don't reassign the number- that way it's a lot easier to restore the prop if needed.

Start making a prop preset list on the first day of rehearsals, and use it every time you set props. Don't rely on your memory- if you use the list every time you set, you won't miss anything, and you'll notice errors on your paperwork sooner.

If you have an ASM, you might consider assigning them the responsibility of tracking props. If you do, make sure that they are keeping their paperwork up to date, and that you have a copy.

With weapons, it's important that the cast understands that weapons aren't toys- even stage weapons can be dangerous. They should be carefully tracked and locked up at the end of every night.

Is there anything specific you're concerned with?