Messages

76

The Hardline / Re: OFF-BROADWAY - Actors being the musicians and issues

« on: Jan 04, 2012, 08:14 am »

When the Huntington did RUINED last winter there was a 30 minute onstage call prior to half hour that combined fight call, the most aggressive of the dance moments, and sound check for our drum set, two guitars and the primary singing mic.  It took the full 30 minutes to get through everything.  This is a practice the company began when they originated the show at LJ Playhouse and other than lots of crew grumbling about the stage needing to be ready early it worked fine for us.  I'm not sure how the cast and management responded in LJ when it was originally proposed.  As Matthew knows, Huntington is a LORT contract, rather than an Off-Broadway, and a non-IATSE crew.

77

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Les Mis

« on: Sep 09, 2011, 10:24 am »

I rarely use counting for exactly the reason Matthew mentions, something unexpected comes up and I need to be able to deal with it.  However, when working in opera, I do make sure that I can follow the music by counting rather than reading in case I need a back up way of following.  I was doing Giovanni a few summers ago in the Berkshires and a thunderstorm knocked out my audio monitor and I couldn't hear the orchestra over the rain.  I got through two numbers by counting along to the conductor camera before my speaker was fixed and the rain let up a little.  Not something I'd like to repeat, but I was thankful it was an easy count show.

78

Tools of the Trade / Re: Doodle?

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 09:13 pm »

Doodle has been great for me this past year.  What gets tricky is when you are trying to schedule several events and they are all asking for the same availability slots.  Once one event solidifies a time I have to remember to go back and adjust my times in the other polls. 
The thing I like most about it is that it gives me a visual indication of when it is worth it for me to work to adjust my schedule for the good of the group, and when there are many other options so I should just leave my appointments and such alone.

79

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Business Cards For Students

« on: Aug 14, 2011, 09:09 pm »

I agree with the other posters - keep it simple with your name and contact info.  The only advice I give to students is to get matte finish rather than glossy so that they can jot notes on one side when they give them out (or allow others to make notes on them). 

There are so many options right now that look great and are dirt cheap - there is no reason not to have them made.

80

The Green Room / Re: ARTICLE: 5 Reasons To Keep A Work Diary

« on: Aug 02, 2011, 02:13 pm »

I journal in the mornings about the previous day, but limit the writing to one page.  The one page limit makes it manageable and doing it after a night's sleep prevents it from being just venting, it helps me see the big picture.  I tend to write when I'm waiting for coffee to finish brewing, its worth the time.

It ends up being a mix of personal and work things, but it is really helpful as a freelancer when I go back to work for or with people I've worked with before.  I can see what was frustrating, where I grew, what was a surprise, what I need to work on, and reminds me when I should just say no to certain situations or opportunities.  There is certainly the release factor that the article mentions, but I value it as a way to see patterns and to grow from my own assessment of what worked or what didn't. 

In order for this to be beneficial I have to really focus on my part in things, in the things that I can control, rather than on other people's work.  You can only write a complain about something three days in a row before you sit back and say, "wait this is familiar, is there something I'm doing wrong, is there another possibility here I'm just not seeing?" 

Anyone else do something similar?

81

The Green Room / ARTICLE: Communication Errors

« on: Jul 25, 2011, 10:07 am »

From the business world, but still good overall points to be aware of

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=652647119&ids=0Pe3cTe34RdjoIdjoMe3sOczkSb3cRe3wUc3cRdyMVcj4Td3oOdjoId38Pc3oSdjkS&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod-b-ttle-68

82

The Green Room / My booth feels like a spaceship

« on: Jul 23, 2011, 04:32 pm »

I'm calling in a space that's new to me and the booth feels like a spaceship.  Not in that there are a ton of cameras or controls, just that I feel light-years away from the action onstage an disconnected from the things I usually have a handle on.

This is a space usually used for lectures and concerts, unaccustomed to opera stage managers.  The booth is in the back of the balcony, and I sit at a huge empty counter.  Great view of the stage, but it was a bit of a struggle to explain why I needed a conductor camera.  The backstage paging system is in the bay behind me, behind the sound console, so no paging singers to places during the show.  I have giant speakers hung above and behind me that sound great, but I can't find a way to make them quieter.  My ASM doesn't have a wireless headset and spends the show running around, so if I want to check something backstage I ask the two crew on wired headsets to relay messages or tell me how many people are standing there ready for an entrance.  Not that I can do anything if I'm missing someone.

I have no communication with the pit, no cue lights for the tune, no phone handset for them to talk to me. 

I've been told not to expect to talk to FOH staff, that I start when I'm ready and they'll just shut the doors when the lights dim and open them up again at intermission, same procedure to start the second act.

Our first day of tech went fine, and I'm adapting, but it all just feels bizarre.  The space is very nice, the best green room I've had in awhile, but it all seems a bit more sterile than I'm used to.

83

The Green Room / Hiring ASMs

« on: Jun 30, 2011, 07:41 pm »

About once a year I get to choose my own assistant.  This is great when it happens expect that it always has to be a phone interview because of someone's location or schedule.

Because so much of a successful PSM/ASM relationship is about compatible personalities, senses of humor, and work styles do you have favorite questions you use in phone interviews to draw those things out?  Or do you just have standard interview questions and judge the flow of the conversation?  What works for other people?

84

Tools of the Trade / Re: Arc Customizable Notebooks

« on: Jun 23, 2011, 11:08 am »

This is similar to the Circa system available in a few cities and works really well for things that you would usually take to get spiral bound.

I had always hated the idea of making a log book for shows because of the lack of flexibility in moving things, or adding things, but the ring system is a good cross between a bound notebook and a binder.  The Circa system sells the punch so that you can make your own templates and punch them, as well as any other odds and ends you need to add to your book.  I'm sure the staples system will soon release their own punch if they haven't already.

85

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PROFESSIONALISM: cell phones onstage

« on: Jun 20, 2011, 09:06 am »

Earlier in this thread someone mentioned crew with phones backstage.  I saw something new on the show I just closed - the crew had 15-20 minutes between cues so they frequently played backgammon.  On the second night of the show they started using an iPhone to roll a pair of dice so they didn't have to worry about the noise during the quiet moments of the show.

86

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: May 31, 2011, 11:28 am »

Private Lives by Noel Coward, please!

Thank you.

87

The Green Room / Re: What would you do, with a grant for SMing...

« on: May 30, 2011, 03:09 pm »

I'd split it between some new equipment and training.  A new external hard drive, updating FilemakerPro, some good headphones for listening to opera scores, a flip camera to film portions of choreography and chorus blocking in rehearsal.  On the training side, I need a language course, either Italian or French for opera work.  I'd use it to pay for updating my first aid training, and maybe take that one level further.  I'd also like to take another course in stage combat.

88

The Green Room / Re: Trivia Tournament III - 2.0.11

« on: May 10, 2011, 04:32 pm »

I picked the topics, I'm to blame for the geography disaster.  I'd hate to see what they consider the hard level of questions!

89

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: May 02, 2011, 08:30 pm »

I'd appreciate copies of either Ma Rainey's Black Bottom or Tartuffe.  Thank you!

90

Tools of the Trade / Re: Your Cue Light System

« on: Apr 22, 2011, 11:38 pm »

The system I use at the Boston University Theater, which houses the Huntington, is the one MacCalder posted a picture of.  It took me a while to get used to it, but I like it now.

The good:
Whoever you are cueing can acknowledge the cue light, which changes the display at the panel from a flashing orange light to a solid one.
You can do two groups, but change them for each sequence as you need to.  Mostly I use this when I need lights scattered from 1-14 and don't want to risk my fingers hitting a wrong button as I try to hit everything at once.
Instead of being "light goes on=standby and light goes off=go" the dot of light under "standby" is orange and the light under "go" is green.  It goes solid green, then flashes green before going out.  To me it says "This is your cue to go.  Why are you still here, I said GO!"  It makes it hard to miss.

The bad:
The buttons are tiny.
The buttons are very close together.
This means it is difficult to cue multiple things while looking at something else (a monitor, the stage or your book) without risking your hands accidentally hitting something else.  Using the groups to preset things helps a bit with this.

I'm in the Huntington's other theater right now and they have nice old toggle switches with the handy button at the end for when i want to turn all 6 off together.  It works for the small show I'm on now, and feels better to the fingers.

Good topic!