Messages

1

Students and Novice Stage Managers / broadway/off broadway and summer theatre

« on: Dec 21, 2005, 01:47 am »

does that apply to those that have SMed and called many shows at school?

Is it real life AND professional experience that you think all SMs have to have or experience period?

I guess I'm asking because I think that as in most cases there is no black and white.  There are a lot of graduates that think they know everything and don't need any reality based learning, but that may be more on the line of ~40% of those graduate.  And even in those cases the scale is pretty wide in terms of how militant they are in "knowing the right way" to do this job.

Most recent college graduates I know (and I'm one of them to expose my bias) are still sponges that have been shoked into the reality of getting paid almost nothing to do twice as much as they had to do in school.   That does depend on the job they've taken and the school they went to.  Taught correctly, your typical college grad will still have an open mind about the real world.  Not only that, but they will be genetically (or whatever you want to call it) predisposed to gaining knowledge and applying it to thier craft.  If anything, the passion to refine the method of doing the job exists more readily in a student and someone in "the real world" is locked into what has worked in the past and may be more resistant to adapt when a new challange arises.  Again though, that is not a black and white thing and I'm sort of playing devil's advocate by saying it.

It sounds like you've had a really bad experience with a college/young intern.  Believe me, they (we) aren't all like that.  My plan of action is to observe and soak in as much as I can from any job I take on and continue to learn from the people above and around me.

It seems to me that that leads to another question about stage management that is probably on another forum topic:

Is there one correct method of stage managing?  How much should/can the job change based on a SM's personal background and experience?

2

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / saftey with a peg leg

« on: Dec 10, 2005, 04:56 am »

the summer shows at my college did Irma Vep with a Nicodemous that had a "peg leg". The actor basically had a humoungous platform shoe that he walked in that had about 8" of wood from the bottom of his foot to the floor and the rest was strapped on with some creative costuming to make it look like a leg was missing.  (Vep is notorious for the number of quick changes, etc. and involving a wooden leg with a bent knee would be near impossible.)

Anyway, I'm working with that actor on my current project and he is still recovering from some pretty major back issues gained from hopping around at such an odd angle.  If you have the financial capacity to get a rehearsal set in place with a rake, I would suggest hooking the actor up with some massage therapy or chiropractic help.

Leaving the peg as an option (not requirement) in rehearsal is best, but if he's overzealous he might do some damage.  Maybe it's worth it to establish a schedule with the leg?  Sounds stupid right?  This gets to that experience that I saw happen with the other actor.  He didn't mention the pain/discomfort for fear of being the spoiled apple or diva.  I think making sure the actor's health it taken into effect by asking him what he needs before the actor requests it would be a good step.  (Not that I'm saying anything new or earthshattering there.)

I think the best bet is preventative therapy before pain becomes a problem.  Knee pads are a great suggestion, but it sounds like the problems might be larger depending on the angle of the rake.  

Insisting on railings for the steps and maybe an extra costume piece like a cane to give the actor a third point of contact might help make him feel safer.

3

Employment / One of the things I hate about the biz...

« on: Nov 24, 2005, 07:17 pm »

I'm going through a similar thought process right now.  I think the general format that mc listed fits and works well, as long as you can find a way to include some of your personality in it.  For me, it comes through in my writing style.

The most helpful thing I've found is to do some research on the theatre you are writing to (even if it's just looking at the website and looking through the names of the important players to see if you've worked with someone before).  If I was hiring, I would appriciate the time by a potential hiree if they made an effort to find my name (website or calling) and addressed the letter directly to me.

Name dropping too heavily in terms of my career feels forced and cheap (to me), but anything to get noticed right?  Hopefully your resume has that information and can be impressive enough.

Another thing I like to do is have someone else read my letter before I send it out.  If you have a roommate, or someone else close, they'll give you the best feedback on the general flow and content of the letter.  If something doesn't make sense to them, most often it's not just because they "don't work in theatre," but it's because your sentence structure needs looking at.

Hope that helps.

Jon

4

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Intro's and Question's :)

« on: May 17, 2005, 12:44 am »

I definitely think that that is a little harsh.  You really can't control another person's method and if it is something that you are having trouble with it's something that is totally in your perview to say.  A simple "I'm having a hard time following the sound cues when you call them that way, can we set some rules so I don't make a mistake one night" would work.

Also, if in a situation where I see someone in the SM position make a mistake, I think it's best to wait for them to approach you, and when asked say "would you like me to give critiques as well as positive notes." (this is more applicable in educational settings)...

Or... when someone makes a mistake or seems to be doing something that isn't working I try to make a mental note to remember not to do that when I am in a similar position.  When all of that pressure is on you and you're in the hot seat, sometimes you forget the obvious and situations where others around you are forgetting things/doing things differently are oportunities to learn about your own methods and refine your skills.  Getting mad or frustrated only hurts the whole process as your body language will read to your SM and he or she will feed off that negative energy.

It's not your ship always, and when it is your ship there will always be someone that has some criticism about what you've done.  I think it's important to remember that because you may be in a similar situation someday and someone will be there watching you and I would hope they weren't biting their tongue to keep from calling me an idiot.  I would hope they would be looking for a way to assist me and work through the mutual issue we were dealing with.

5

The Hardline / AEA or IA?

« on: Apr 15, 2005, 03:01 pm »

so, as someone that is sort of on the verge or breaking into the workforce, I was wondering what the general concensus was on a couple of AEA related issues.  I have been a part of a union before in my first job.  It was actually a requirement to be hired to sign up for the union that was an in house type thing.  I'm all for a unionized workforce and understand the benifits of collective bargaining and fully support it.  What troubles me, was that in the union I was in, I could quit my job and get rehired even if I stopped paying my dues and it was something encouraged at the beginning, not discouraged.

The initial step of joining AEA seems like a big one, and it's seems like it's almost a bad thing to do initially.  This sort of strikes me as odd, due to the fact that the more people we have, the more power we have.  I'm not fully versed in AEA lore or history (I'd like to be so if someone has a good primer please point me to it), but I can't get over the fact that I'm going to probably try to hold off joining the union until I absolutely have to to start making a living.  It seems contrary to my personal gain to join right now.  I don't know how to address that issue structurally, but I think it needs attention.

I've heard stories of recent graduates of college being offered AEA contracts by producers in the "poof you're Equity" manner, just so they wouldn't work again because they pissed off the producer.  That's scary, not comforting.  I'm not lambasting the union in any way, and when I eventually join, I hope to have these discussions and become active in finding solutions, but the point still seems valid to me that it's against the interest of the union to keep it's membership as low as possible by discouraging potentially qualified applicants by having them price themselves out.

Within LORT contracts, it seems to me that something could be worked out where a union house pays a certain scale and that house is not allowed to operate without hiring X number of union members, yet members could still work X amount of time outside of union work without penalty.  Or have penalties built into membership (rise in dues, etc. for outside work), but have that be something that allows people to work outside if they wish.  The penalty could even be high enough to make it economically unsound for that work to be done, but if the SM or actor chooses, they can do it without punishment of being kicked out for life.

I'm sure there are plenty of issues with what I've said, and I'll admit that it's not thought through entirely, but those are discussions are probably something important.  And discussions that should be taking place if they aren't.  Or at least something that AEA or IA will be forced to reconcile soon, especially if we continue to have the number of opportunities even within LORT and other contracts diminish due to economic closures, etc.  The current political climate isn't union friendly, and the unions we have must respond to that in order to stay lively.

Those are my incoherent ramblings for this week/month.  Hope people can see my point and respond to it...

jon

6

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Intro's and Question's :)

« on: Apr 07, 2005, 01:28 pm »

a friend of mine worked on a show that was being completely written and devised in the 4 week rehearsal process leading into tech.  While it drove her nuts, she did a couple of things differently that seemed to work.

While she had trouble getting changes finalized (the director and actor/writer were very "organic"), she kept a running electronic copy of the script.  That's essential.  This copy got sent out with changes to the PM and AD nightly.

She also kept track of her changes and provided them in rehearsal reports.  Any large scale cuts and alterations were listed by line and pages cut from old copies.  Anything minor was mentioned and if anyone needed the change (LD), she asked the LD/SD to contact her and she would get them to him.

She was working alone on the show and was trying to maximise her effectiveness by not spending time trying to explain changes that the LD/SD didn't feel they needed.

What do y'all think of that?  I'm not sure how I would react in that situation, but I know that with multiple actors it would be a task and a half.

7

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Backstage or Booth?

« on: Mar 30, 2005, 09:49 am »

I did a show as a SBO where my SM called the show from the booth (which is normal at my current college).  The show was nominated to go to ACTF in Indiana (Region VI I believe) and I traveled with it in which the SM had to call the show from backstage.  As the SBO, I had my board and set up in the back of the orchestra with the balcony above me in the open.  She said it was the wierdest thing to call from a different location and being forced  to use a b/w monitor.  Luckily I knew the show really well and could tell her if things were happening onstage that weren't supposed to.  During a scene change, someone forgot to grab a portable prayer booth thing (we were doing Hamlet) and if she had not been where she was situated, it wouldn't have left the stage, because she ran out to grab it and hopped back on headset to call us out of the transition.

I'm 95% sure I would prefer a booth though, with trust that my backstage crew is on top of thier game.  If I didn't have a trustworthy ASM or crew though, I think it would be nice to be backstage constantly supervising.  Your presence alone should probably be enough to keep folks on thier toes.  Also, if calling from backstage, I'd like someone else that I trusted (LBO/SBO) in a booth or the back of the house keeping an eye on things.  It all about having that team there to back you up and trusting other people to give you correct information on what is happening...

jon

8

SMNetwork Archives / Would someone be willing to help me with my resume?

« on: Mar 25, 2005, 01:48 pm »

hey.

so, I'm really green here and am trying to find work.  I would love it if someone was willing to take an "outsider's" look at my stuff and give me any pointers.  I'd be really grateful.  I'm confident that my stuff looks okay, but any advice would be warrented, especially from people that are in positions to hire folks.

my e-mail is jrnook@wisc.edu.

my concern is that my resume isn't beefy enough, I got into SMing late into college and just don't have the number of shows that I've seen on the resume's posted here (even from people in my age/experience range)

anything anyone could offer would be great.

thanks,

jon

9

Employment / What is really required?

« on: Mar 24, 2005, 02:11 am »

Greetings Casper!

Others may not agree with me, but I would not consider going to college to pursue a theatre degree at this stage in your life.  I do think higher education is important, but I do not think having a degree in theatre or in another discipline is a prerequisite for being able to be hired as a stage manager.  I think college theatre programs give you two very important things: experience and contacts.  If you're motivated, you can get enough experience on your own thru community theatre.  If you're able to arrange an internship, you can get both experience and more valuable contacts thru that.  It would be the better option to try to figure out how to live very cheaply for a couple of seasons while you pay your dues at a professional theatre than go into debt for a couple of years as a full time student.

Just my opinion of course!  

While I don't think college is the most important thing, especially for SMs, I think that as a life choice it might be a good idea if it is affordable.

I was given some advice by a professional that I trust where I was told to plan on returning to grad school at some point in my development.  This can only open up potential doors.  If I were to make the obvious (as I see it) transition into Production Management at some point, it is possible to head a SM department at a college where work is being done at a high quality.  Without a master's, the ability to settle down in a city in that situation is impossible as you can't teach above your level of education no matter what experience you have.  With a master's it is possible to teach stage management to grad students and gain tenure at a university and be set for life.  It all depends on when and how you want to settle down though.

School is rough, but it is a place to make connections and while the payoff will not be immediate, settling down is a lot easier with a master's than without.  We're all going to bump around the country for a little while, but teaching is a way to settle down and that door should (as I see it) remain open.

My opinion though...

10

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / CALLING: warnings verses stanbys . . another poll

« on: Mar 24, 2005, 01:58 am »

I give warnings when the spots have frame changes so they are ready when I give the Standby...

I've also been in situations where you have some complicated sound stuff happening with the EQ on the board and multiple channel level changes.  It's always nice to give consistant timings on your warnings (if you're using them) and standbys so the board op can be set and knows the countdown if they are not set.  When you start altering your standbys and calling them late, bad things can happen.  Warnings help in this situation, but that is generally the only time I have seen much need for them.  Basically it's in use to keep your board ops in check.