Messages

91

The Green Room / Re: audience callbacks- the ones you want, the ones you don't

« on: Apr 18, 2011, 01:09 pm »

Two moments from a recent performance.

Two men meet in a bus station, have a very awkward goodbye.  Later they are on the phone together and one says "Wait...are you flirting with me?"  Pause.  Woman in the front of the audience says "I sure hope so!"

Later in the same show, a character is staged to mumble through a speech because he is nervous.  Another woman, trying to be helpful, shouts out several times that she can't hear him, please speak up.

I love the matinee crowd.

92

The Green Room / Re: Stage managing and relationships

« on: Apr 18, 2011, 11:27 am »

Relationships take hard work.  Period.  No matter what industry you are in.

My husband and I have been married for five years now, after dating for three.  There are ups and downs.  The first year of our marriage I worked out of town 1/3 of the year.  We've found the communication is actually a little better when I'm out of town because we are both so intentional about having real conversations, not just a kiss goodbye when the other person is mostly asleep or emails about bills.  Skype and video chats have helped tremendously when I'm working out of town.

He works at the theater I now spend most of my time with, but he works 7:30-4, so no matter if I'm in rehearsals or shows we don't get much time together.  And it's hard to talk about work because we both look at the same exact show with very different perspectives.

The hardest thing about being a freelancer is involving him in the planning process.  The first few years he didn't want anything to do with it, and quite frankly, I wanted the choices to be entirely mine.  Then I had a terrible season where we never saw each other and when we did we were fighting.  I tried to involve him in my planning for the next season and he didn't want to participate in the decision making.  This year we worked it out together.  It was a relief making decisions that affect us both as a team. 

93

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: RUNNING: How do you decide when to cancel a performance?

« on: Mar 21, 2011, 06:56 am »

The snow this winter was a challenge to audiences.  We had a matinee with 53 people, in a house with a 850 capacity.  It was a two show day with an actor talkback scheduled after that particular show, so we did the show anyway.  We moved everyone to seats down front, the audience was great, the talkback had a very different feel to reflect what became a very intimate performance.

94

The Green Room / Re: Do you add a personal touch to your booth?

« on: Feb 26, 2011, 08:13 am »

I had to actually think about this question for awhile.  My call script and my little box of must-have supplies with the certain stopwatch and flashlight feel so personal already that I don't feel the need for anything more.  Except my coffee cup.  Surely that counts as a personal touch. 

I guess I also am almost never in an actual booth, just at a call desk backstage, s there isn't a whole lot of opportunity for personal stuff.

95

Stage Management: Other / Re: Hundreds evacuated in fire at NW Indiana theater

« on: Feb 13, 2011, 12:30 pm »

Michael thanks for the first post and for all the follow ups, I'll be talking about this with my students in class tomorrow.  It goes along nicely with this month's Equity News snippet about evacuation procedures in NY theaters.  Thank you!

96

Self-Promotion / Re: M4M in Central Park

« on: Feb 10, 2011, 09:10 am »

How fun!  I worked with David last season, he was great.  And you're right, the abbreviation is a little strange.

97

Tools of the Trade / Re: Discussing drills

« on: Feb 08, 2011, 09:06 am »

Bosch makes a great "pocket sized" drill/driver.  My husband works in a scene shop and got several for folks there.  They look a little silly compared to the full sized DeWalts, but they have plenty of power, are small enough to get into awkward spaces, easy to carry up a ladder, and may be great if you are working with high school kids who aren't used to the weight of a full sized drill, since they only weigh 2 pounds.

98

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Wandelprobe

« on: Jan 31, 2011, 07:05 am »

Speak to your conductor and your director about if they anticipate using ANY props or scenery, or if they will just be wandel-ing around a bare stage.  I once did a Cosi where the union crew was released for meal break during the wandel because the director didn't want to use props, but at downbeat the conductor said the timing of the props was too linked to the music and it became a full out run. (Because it was a music rehearsal the conductor trumped the director, and our production manager called the crew back. They went into overtime by the time they did the wandel, reset for the piano tech that followed and then actually ran the piano tech without a meal break.)

Occasionally a lighting designer will want to build cues over the wandel, its a bonus for them to hear the full orchestration and see the singers move.  The extent of the cuing should be talked about in advance, some conductors hate having the lights change while they are doing the initial work with the singers.

Enjoy.

99

Homework Help / Re: Deadline February 1, 2011: Stage Mangement

« on: Jan 24, 2011, 07:02 pm »

Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as you Negotiate.

100

Employment / Re: Finding jobs in NYC

« on: Jan 24, 2011, 07:01 pm »

The Larry Fazio book reads as very rigid.  Remember that since theaters vary, stage management procedures are flexible.  But in general, if crew is there, check with them first.

101

The Green Room / Re: Little luxuries...

« on: Jan 21, 2011, 03:59 pm »

Gravy cheese fries at a nearby pub, just once during each tech.  Usually with a friend who has nothing to do with the show - so that I can either vent freely, or catch up on everything happening in the outside world that I haven't noticed.

102

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSAL: Sign-in Sheet for Rehearsals

« on: Jan 21, 2011, 12:30 pm »

For one of the AGMA companies I worked at it is a requirement.  The chorus deputies sign off on the coro sign in sheets at the end of each call so that they are aware of habitual lateness so we use them for music rehearsals, staging rehearsals, tech and performances.

103

College and Graduate Studies / Re: Major in theatre or not. . .

« on: Jan 18, 2011, 07:45 pm »

Lauren,

The course of study on your school's website looks great.  Just supplement it with summer theater work at reputable companies and you should be fine. 

There are many many posts on this board about shadowing shows to observe professional stage managers, since you are in New York advantage of those opportunities. 

As to how you communicate the benefits of your particular department, you can mention it in the 'tell me about yourself' portion of interviews.

The degree does not make you a stage manager.

104

The Hardline / Re: "Equity Business"

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 11:09 pm »

To reply to the easiest part of this post-

In the Equity business section of the day you elect a deputy, and vote things that will effect your rehearsals.  The things you vote on vary by contract (both what you vote on and the ratio needed to pass things).  Some of the votes include shortening the meal break, working 6 hour days instead of 8 hour days, rehearsing for up to 2 hours on a 2 performance day, reducing the break between a rehearsal and the half hour call of a performance.

Hope this answers a small part of your question - you would still need to dig through your contract to see what applied and how many yes/nos were needed to pass each rule.

105

The Green Room / Re: This one goes to Eleven!

« on: Jan 15, 2011, 12:25 pm »

January of 2000 - I was a junior in high school, looking at colleges that would give me a BFA in stage management and looking at places I could go for a gap year between high school and college for a year away from theater.