Messages

76

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Be agressive?? Be, be agressive?!

« on: Jul 09, 2015, 10:07 pm »

I think a better word is assertive.

Being a good, or great stage manager, you need to be an assertive leader. 

How you do that, and how it fits into your style . . . that's the art of the management.

77

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROPS: Breaking a vase

« on: Jul 05, 2015, 06:56 pm »

Children's Hour - broken Cat statues was unfired greenware.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - we tried sugar glass for a lamp, but it melted - we went to a plastic globe, pre-cut.  We did use commercial made sugar glass for a bottle break.

Other times, we used pre-broken items that fell apart.  In Candide, we had a foam cupid statue held together by magnets that shattered into four or five big pieces when someone use it to break over someone's head.

78

Tools of the Trade / Re: Google Docs.

« on: Jul 03, 2015, 11:33 pm »

I think the easiest way is to add a column.

So you have column A, with it's data underneath.  Column A has a header.

Then you have a new column B, that is blank.

Go to A1 & B1 and merge this two horizontally.

Then you should have one header, with two columns beneath it.

That's how you do the split columns under a header.

I am unsure what you asking about resizing the new column . . .

79

The Green Room / Re: The Trouble with Paperwork

« on: Jul 03, 2015, 08:32 am »

It depends if the paperwork is just a form or is content driven.

For example, I have a pre-production thru closing checklist I put together since I started freelancing - it's all content, and it's part of who am I, my style, and how I work - it's a pretty dang valuable piece of a paperwork, and helps me be a better stage manager.  Taking this document is not a compliment at all.

Taking my prop list, my contact list, and using the format with your own content is a bit different.

Here's the thing to think of . . .

Take it out of stage management.

A designer puts together a sound design for a show.  Not only with content, but with a specific way of building the show.

And then a younger designer uses the same sound design for another production of the show.

You see the problem with that, right?

My paperwork is part of my stage management style, and if you want my paperwork, you should hire me, or my team.  It's put together with my knowledge and experience of (gulp) 28 years working as a stage manager (and god knows how long working in theater now).  And then to pass off my work as your work.  Not cool.

Lastly, my paperwork is usually put together by my entire team, so I always feel protective if a piece of a paperwork is lifted from us - because I feel like it's stolen from my team.  I have one assistant who is very proud of some of his excel and filemaker forms . . . I would NEVER share those with anyone else since I know the hours he has put into making them work just right.

Again, it's all of matter of perspective.  If you like the paperwork, and want to us it, ask, just don't take.  I am very generous in letting people use the forms, especially members of my team as they go out and do more work.  And my paperwork is used at a lot of former theaters I have worked at as a resident guy, but I was reimbursed.

I guess you either see the paperwork as a result of your hard work and experience - a particular way of working, organizing and communicating, or you just see it as ink on paper.  I see it as the first way, not a gollumesque way of hoarding over paperwork - that is not me nor my style at all (in reality, I only usually do Calendars and Contact sheet - my team does the rest). 

The point of this post, judging a SM by a paperwork sample in an interview scenario is pointless.  It could just be the format the school/theater/organizations uses.

80

The Hardline / Re: AGMA Companies that are not offering travel/housing

« on: Jul 02, 2015, 04:23 pm »

To play devil's advocate . . .

Let's say a company advertises a show, and they say no housing / transportation, which means you would be responsible for it.  This might actually still be appealing to a non-local - it might be the first job in a new city you are planning to move to, you might already have housing / transportation in that city.  Or, it might be a company you want to break into, so being hired as a local maybe worth it.

It would also allow you to negotiate - okay, the pay is 900 a week, I will need about 600 for housing and transportation.

It's not always a deal breaker.

81

Self-Promotion / Lion King National Tour

« on: Jun 24, 2015, 05:20 pm »

thrilled to announce I have been offered and accepted the PSM position for The Lion King Gazelle National tour ... In 11 days I head off to Vancover to pick up the tour

82

The Hardline / Re: Opportunity to Join IATSE - To Join or Not to Join?

« on: Jun 22, 2015, 09:43 am »

I worked with an IATSE member who stage managed as well.

There seemed to be no conflict.

83

The Green Room / Article: Training too many theatre designers

« on: Jun 21, 2015, 02:25 pm »

https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2015/john-napier-training-many-theatre-designers/


One could make the argument about stage managers as well - especially as more and more training programs have been established while the market continues to get flooded.

84

Employment / Re: Current Pay Rates?

« on: Jun 20, 2015, 06:40 pm »

How do you determine where in your range to quote for any particular gig?  (Other than whether the hiring company is a nonprofit or not.)

All of these things will play into it . . .

1) How much money do I need?
2) What is the workload?  (Is it just one week of work, but I know there are two weeks of prep attached it?)
3) Team Size - am I doing a lot of work myself?
4) Loss of income . . . if I am stepping away from a project to take on more work - am I getting paid enough to step away from the project?
5) Comparable rate  . . . figure out what they have paid in the past for similar projects . . . what other projects that rate would pay . . .
6) Leave some wiggle room - so they can negotiate down.
7) Especially if working on a union contract - I want to make sure that I am compensated for not having an employer make health care or pension payments.
My value - what am I bringing to the table?  If it's the type of thing I have done 100 times more, I may bringing quite a bit - if it's something new . . . then maybe I cut the rate a bit
9) Reimbursement for supplies  . . .
10) Expected out of pocket expenses. . . look, there is often a weird combo of Pay + Per Diem . . . sometimes the per diem is so high, that I cut back on my weekly rate, sometimes there is no per diem, so I have to boost my weekly rate.  Also, I may need to bring on an assistant to help me . . . so I am paying that, I want to make sure I am covering those costs.

85

The Green Room / Re: Professional Ethics: Departing Early from a Show

« on: Jun 20, 2015, 12:57 pm »

I think on AEA contracts you are fine, since most (if not all contracts) have an out clause.  As long as you are not on TWO contracts at the same time without both knowing about it your are fine.

I don't think there is a legal question in play.

The question is more of a "What type of manager" are you? 

In the case of this interview, it was a 9 month tour, and the last stop I would not be able to do - in April.  The show that I would need to leave for has been rescheduled several times.  Friends said don't mention it all, you have an out in the contract and as long as you can honor that.  My issue, the show I would depart from early is all over my resume, and several press announcements are out . . . pretty obvious I am doing it.

So, in my case, I brought it up, and they very quickly said that the early departure, with this much notice, was no issue, and a firm job offer came through.  So, I feel I did the right thing.  Other people have lost the job because of a conflict.

In the end, how honest do you want to seem . . .

86

Employment / Re: Current Pay Rates?

« on: Jun 19, 2015, 11:00 am »

Yeah, but the $120 is not just for meals, but could also include taxis, laundry and other costs.

I prefer to be reimbursed - it always feel more honest.

87

Introductions / Re: Just Joined...

« on: Jun 18, 2015, 11:39 am »

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

88

Employment / Re: Current Pay Rates?

« on: Jun 18, 2015, 11:37 am »

As a business, you need to set you the rate you need to do the work . . . yes, you need to investigate the market and see what the market will bare and support.

I usually for one off gigs, do something like
$1,500 a week - $3,000 a week
$300 a day - $750 a day
$40 an hour - $90 an hour

travel, hotel and food reimbursed at cost - or if they want a per diem, I book the hotel, and add on $75-$100 a day for food, etc.

I also try to budget rental car and parking if that is required.

If it's a more high end client, I will propose the higher amount.  If it's a non-profit, I will work with them.

A lot depends on the project and how much I want to do it . . . .

89

The Green Room / Re: Professional Ethics: Hearing about a job

« on: Jun 15, 2015, 06:45 pm »

What's tricky about the city - is we all know each other or know someone who knows everyone.

In this case, I heard about this position on a national tour from my current assistant.  It's not really a job I am interested in, but it's a PSM I am interested in - someone who I have applied to a few times in the past.

What I did, was after my assistant interviewed, and set up his final interview with the GM, I sent a resume to the PSM saying, "I hear you have filled all your positions, and wanted to get you a current copy of my resume . . ." - so it was a way of networking, but not horning in on the job.

It's a very fine line.

In reality, it's a small enough world - we all know each other, and even if I had seriously wanted, and had horned in . . . there might have been a 100 other ways I could have heard about it.  And it's not quite private what shows are going on the road, and who is PSMing them . . . or what show is coming to Broadway and who is PSMing those.

90

The Green Room / Re: Professional Ethics: Hearing about a job

« on: Jun 15, 2015, 01:31 pm »

Yes, one has to imagine, yes, if you had heard about it from another source, you would have applied.

In this case the person hearing about had applied previously to the PSM on multiple occasions.