Messages

826

Employment / Re: Websites

« on: Sep 12, 2007, 05:39 pm »

When I was job-hunting out of college I had a personal website.  I thought it was a great tool and a great place to showcase my work.

Now that I'm on the other side of the coin and working very closely with recruiting and hiring, I'm not sure how useful a personal website is for a stage manager who's job hunting.  For designers it's a great place to showcase some photos and for a potential employer to get a feel for their work.  As a stage manager though, there's nothing on your website you can't put on your resume. 

Some will argue that it's nice to have a "professional" looking email address, but again, being on the other side of the coin I really don't think less of a potential employee for having a gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc... as long as it's an email address that makes good business sense that's in front of the @.  I got an application a few days ago from an email address to the tune of "jesus freak" and some numbers @ something.com... not terribly attractive to someone looking for a stage manager.

All in all I think it can be a nice touch to have a personal website, though it's certainly not necessary and in my opinion doesn't give you an edge in getting a stage management job.

827

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Inner Crew Issues

« on: Sep 05, 2007, 05:21 pm »

Do you have a staff/faculty adviser for stage crew?  Typically clubs and organizations at educational institutions (be it high school or college) are required to have a faculty sponsor; if this is true with your stage crew I'd suggest this would be a good place to start.  If there's no direct advisor or sponsor then the director of the show may be a good place to start.  Whichever you decide, politely request to set up a time to meet with them.  Once you have a scheduled meeting you can formally express some of your concerns (in a cool, collected and matter of fact manner). 

Once it is decided who's going to be the stage manager I think it's up to faculty to intervene if there are issues with authority or taking direction from another student.  Emotions run high and it can get messy in high school productions pretty quickly. 

828

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Emerson/DePaul/Webster/Syracuse/Penn State?

« on: Sep 04, 2007, 12:52 am »

I went to Penn State.  I couldn't be happier with the education I received.  The Stage Management program is very well-rounded and you will take more classes in actual stage management than other undergrad programs I've seen.  The head of the program is also a stage manager by trade (broadway credits, off broadway, etc..), which I feel is extremely important.  Another very valuable thing is even though it is a BFA program, you still are required to take the same gen-eds as everyone else at the university. 

The atmosphere up there is amazing, so much fun (especially if you like football).  Tons of good parties and always something to do outside of the school of theatre.  In my four years there I always lived with non-theatre people to keep me grounded.  Feel free to PM me or grab me on AIM if you want to know more about PSU.

As for the interview, you'll find a couple similar threads on interviews around here and I think those really apply to pretty much any school you'll interview with.  The general gist of that thread was that people aren't expecting to see a professional stage manager walk into the interview; it's their job to mold you into a professional stage manager.  They want to see someone with potential.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

829

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PSMing vs. ASMing

« on: Aug 30, 2007, 02:05 pm »

yes ASMs just do what they're told.  they don't have to make command decisions.  there's more grunt work, but less stress.

For me, I think there is so much more pressure as a PSM. I like PSMing more but ASMing is totally easier. You just do what your told essentially.

Not true at all, if an ASM is only doing what they're told then they're not doing their job.

830

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Aug 29, 2007, 03:04 pm »

Just as I thought, check my post from the day this happened.  How stupid, safe edges will save lives and equipment.

831

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: ASM's Prompt Book

« on: Aug 29, 2007, 09:50 am »

Mac,

I agree with you below.  I typically kept mine in the back of my prompt book binder clipped together, just so I wouldn't accidentally turn to one while leafing through with a designer, etc...

ASMs should definitely know where they are and have access to them, but if there's an emergency that requires the medical form the SM needs to know anyway.

832

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Effective communication as it relates to today's technology

« on: Aug 21, 2007, 12:36 pm »

One thing I found that worked exceptionally well was having the entire callboard online.  You then create a communication structure that's completely different than most of us currently use with email.  I bring this up because I've seen a couple posts here about people getting too much or too little information.  Putting the information online creates a situation where all the information is available to anyone who is given access, and people can choose how much they wish to digest.  People need to be held accountable for getting the information themselves, and this is done by making this the only way they can get the information.  In my situation I had numerous people ask me to still email them the reports individually; my response was that the information is available online and I've give you access to it, it's your responsibility to go get it.  There was some hmm-ing and general grumblings in the early stages (which there will be anytime there is change), but by the time we were into the 2nd or 3rd week for rehearsal people loved it; it was that much less email that they received every morning.  This was in an academic environment so everyone had easy and reliable access to computers.  I haven't been in a professional situation where I was able to give this a shot, but look forward to when I can!

833

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 20, 2007, 12:15 am »

One time I complained to my SM advisor about having to take acting classes. She said "This way when you're stage managing a show, even if you don't know what you're doing, you can act like you do."

I thought that was funny.

"Professionalism is the art of pretending like you know what you're doing even if you have no idea what the hell is going on."

I don't know where I first heard it, but it's become my mantra. It's the only way I've gotten through some shows.

That's not what professionalism means at all, not even close.

834

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Effective communication as it relates to today's technology

« on: Aug 19, 2007, 11:41 am »

This is a very interesting thread.  The past two years at USITT myself and my former professor have done presentations on this topic.  The first was at the 2006 conference in Louisville was entitled "Digital and Wireless Communication for Stage Managers" and this year's at Phoenix was entitled "The New Language of Technology".  If I can dig up the powerpoints I will post them here, it goes hand in hand with a lot of stuff we've been discussing in a few threads recently.

835

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Vent vent vent

« on: Aug 18, 2007, 03:20 am »

I don't have something I want to get off my chest per-say, but I do have a question.

What level of production is this?  Is this amateur, college, semi-pro, professional?

In my posts I never intend to be an ogre or harsh, but I'm always honest.  It sounds like from the behavior symptoms you list below the actors are not being held accountable for their actions.  If you treat people like children they will act like children.

836

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 18, 2007, 03:13 am »

I think you certainly have a chance to get a very well rounded education here. 

My point with this whole thread is not that you need a degree in stage management to be a successful stage manager.  My point is that if you're paying $25,000+ for an education in stage management, wouldn't you want to be taught by a stage manager?  I realize your school's theatre progam is in its infancy, and I don't doubt that you are getting good experience in a constructive learning environment; but at the end of the day who is giving you feedback on your performance as a stage manager?  Is your feedback from a TD, a Director, Designer, Production Manager, etc..., or is it from a stage manager?  Or, are you getting your feedback through a narrow window of one specified field?

837

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 15, 2007, 01:00 pm »

It still just doesn't make sense to me. 

I'd much rather have someone who's SMed for their career rather than someone who has built sets, or designed lights or someone who's directed.  That's the end for me, no ifs ands of buts.  A good SM program includes everything you just said and more, and a good instructor knows that.

I would repectfull disagree that a stage management instructor needs a degree in stage management.  A significant amount of professional experience, yes, but not necessarily a degree.

I would agree, though, that a working stage manager should have an undergrad degree in something.  Frequently you will use what you learn in all of your non-SM classes and the people skills that you learn in four years more than what you will learn in SM specific classes.

Just MHO!   

Scooter - maybe we're not quite on the same page here.  I definitely don't think an SM Instructor needs a degree in Stage Management.  I'd bet that most of us who have an SM degree were taught by someone without an SM degree, as those programs didn't really exist until the early 90s, at the earliest.  I know my SM prof had his undergrad in acting and a masters in directing, but went on to a successful SM career.

838

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 14, 2007, 11:45 pm »

Agree completely Mcshell. 

If you're going for the degree you've gotta take courses in all related fields. 

My degree program we took acting (2 levels), directing, movement, voice and speech, script analysis, scenic, lighting (2 levels), costume and sound design, scenic, lighting, costume, sound practical courses that are all mandatory.  Also had the standard theatre history courses and mandatory University Gen-eds.  My personal degree added two levels of technical direction, a course in production management, scenery automation, and a course on labor unions.  Add that on to an intro level of SM where you learn your basic paperwork skills, how to do a run sheet, etc... basically the stuff you can teach a monkey to do, then three levels of advanced SM concentrating on more of the intagibles - communication, group dynamics, research new technologies in the SM world, basically whatever you want your degree to be.  I feel like I came out of the program very well-rounded and definitely feel I got my money's worth.

839

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 14, 2007, 09:32 pm »

It still just doesn't make sense to me. 

I'd much rather have someone who's SMed for their career rather than someone who has built sets, or designed lights or someone who's directed.  That's the end for me, no ifs ands of buts.  A good SM program includes everything you just said and more, and a good instructor knows that.


My point is, that a TD who teaches stage managers will form stage managers who are REALLY good at dealing with a shop, but can't talk to actors or deal with those personalities.  A Director who teaches stage managers will form SMs who are REALLY good artistically but don't know the difference between a flat and a source four; etc...  If you really want a well-rounded education/training in Stage Management the ideal way is to be taught by a Stage Manager.


I just can't even comprehend that anyone disagrees on this, and I don't mean that offensively.  It just seems so strikingly simple to me - would you take flying lessons from someone who's made a career driving a bus?  I wouldn't. 

840

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Where do I start?

« on: Aug 14, 2007, 07:03 pm »

If this makes you feel better, most of my professors who taught me my BFA Stage Management program did not major in Stage Management but in design or artistic management. Experience can teach you many things that a classroom wouldn't be able to teach anyways.

This is actually what I feel is wrong with a lot of SM programs.  If you were starting an SM program, why would you not have it taught by a Stage Manager?  I really don't see how it makes any sense, it's like a Math teacher teaching English.