Messages

1

Employment / Re: Seeking Stage Management Fellowship

« on: Feb 25, 2008, 10:30 pm »

I apprenticed at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in the 2000-2001 season.  It was an incredible experience.  Once the shows opened (and they produce big-budget musicals and plays), it was me on stage left and the other apprentice on stage right--you work as a fully functioning ASM and I can't imagine a better way to learn. 

As for the stipend, it was, at that time, $275.00 a week.  No housing, but I was able to afford my own studio apartment in center city, a seven minute walk to the theatre.  Money was tight, no doubt.  But I was able to get by and still go out for a good time once in a while.  They also provided health insurance, and if you can find the time, free classes in their theatre school.  I also spent the summer after my apprenticeship as the production manager of their summer camp and went back the following two seasons to stage manage their non-equity "Christmas Carol" on the mainstage.  I also can say that having those credits on my resume definitely helped to make my phone ring more often after working there.

2

SMNetwork Archives / KIT: Number Line

« on: Apr 08, 2006, 09:43 pm »

I'm working on beefing up my supply stash and would like to add my own portable number line to the mix.  I have to move between a couple different rehearsal spaces for my upcoming summer gig and would like to have a number line that I can just roll up and move easily.  I've seen a couple different variations, but they all seem to have been specially made.  Does anyone know if there is a source from which I can order one pre-manufactured?

3

SMNetwork Archives / Walnut Street Theatre

« on: Dec 28, 2005, 04:08 pm »

I was an apprentice at the Walnut about five years ago.  As far as apprenticeships go, they really don't get any better than this one.  For starters, you actually get a paycheck every week.  But, even more importantly, if you're working on the mainstage, you'll be functioning as a primary ASM, and most of the time you--and probably one other apprentice on bigger musicals--will be responsible for running the backstage.  In other words, you're truly an important member of the stage management team and not just "an intern."  

Also, you'd be working alongside established professionals on Broadway-scale productions.  And having the Walnut on your resume really doesn't hurt.  My phone started ringing a lot more after working there.

The long and short of my answer is this: you should apply for the program and if you're accepted, you'd be a fool not to do it.  I would be hard pressed to think of a better apprenticeship situation.  Apart from working at a well-known theatre and learning a tremendous amount by actually DOING the job (and not having to do all those other "miscellaneous" jobs that interns are often expected to do), Philadelphia is an awesome town to live in.

4

The Hardline / 401K plan

« on: Dec 21, 2005, 12:46 pm »

One thing you need to be careful of is thinking of the 401K plan as a savings account, as I think many people can fall into the trap of doing (let's face it, when you work in this industry and live paycheck to paycheck thinking in terms of the long haul financially can be difficult to do).  

It's a retirement investment tool and you need to make sure that when you make a contribution that you are willing to forget you ever had that money for the next 20 or 30 years, depending on how far out from retirement age you may be.  The penalties for early withdrawl are enormous and just not worth it.  So if you think you might end up needing the money in the near future, DO NOT put it into a 401-K.  

Also, if there's no matching contribution, and you have credit card debt it makes little sense to contribute until your debt is paid down.  The interest you're paying on that debt most likely far exceeds any potential returns on your investment.  If you have debt and you're putting money into a savings account or retirement plan, odds are you're really not saving money at all.  Use the money you have saved to pay off your debt and THEN start saving (unless it's already in a 401-K--again those penalties!!).  Of course, I always try to have a cushion to get me from gig to gig, but in the long term scenario paying down debt is step #1 and should be an absolute priority.

The exception to that rule is if there is an employer contribution (for those with "real jobs").  In that case, even with debt, you should contribute because that employer contribution is free money.  In other words if your employer contributes fifty cents for every dollar that's an automatic fifty percent return on your money and you just can't pass that up.  So in that case you would contribute up unitl the limit that your employer matches and then stop contributing and then turn your attention back to reducing debt.

Also consider a ROTH IRA.  Unlike a traditional IRA, you do not get the tax deferral because it's paid with after-tax money, but you may withdraw your contributions at any time without any penalties.  Only the earnings on your investment are subject to taxes and penalties.  In other words, If you invest $4000 and that money earns $200 in a year, you can withdraw the $4000 without paying a dime.  However, the $200 in earnings would be subject to income tax and the penalty (which I think is 10%, but that number could be wrong).

There's a great book out there that has been extraordinarily helpful to me--"The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke" by Suze Orman.  Pick it up!!  This woman has changed my life.  She manages to make financial planning seem manageable and concrete, not just some abstract numbers on a page.

5

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

« on: Apr 13, 2005, 09:39 pm »

The issue of creative input is a very sensitive one, I think.  I believe that our chief responisibility is of course to facilitate the creative processes of others.  However, it does get to be quite a balancing act once the show opens and the director leaves (if a long run).  I've been running my current show for nearly four months now.  The director and I had a solid relationship in rehearsals and he trusts me completely.  Also, a firm relationship/being on the same page has helped me tremendously in maintaining the show.  Having connected to his process, I know what to allow the actors to keep and what to make them take out as their performances grow.

Being someone with an interest in directing, I have always found working with actors in understudy or put-in rehearsals to be an interesting challenge.  I try never to simply give an actor the moves "by the numbers" but to make the process as organic as it can be given the circumstances.  In a sense, you're working backwards.  In the rehearsal process with the director, the goal is to make the blocking fit the process.  When dealing with understudies in a show that's already been directed you have to make the process fit the blocking.  I hope that makes sense.

I would love to hear others' thoughts on rehearsing understudies and replacements in the absence of the director.

6

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Backstage or Booth?

« on: Mar 30, 2005, 02:58 pm »

Again, this is dependent on having a competent ASM, but I absolutely prefer to call from the front of the house.  Apart from being able to see the action for cueing purposes, it makes maintaining the show easier if you're able to see it from the front, since most of us don't usually have the staff on hand to allow one stage manager to occasionally sit out in the house to simply watch the show and take notes.

I understand what many people are saying about liking to be backstage to deal with actors/crew/problems directly.  But that can get tricky if you're calling a complicated show.  It's one thing when you're dealing with a play with a limited number of light cues and/or shifts, but if you start getting involved in deck issues, there is a much greater possibility of missing cues.  

And I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I was chatting about this very issue with a friend of mine recently and she raised a good point, saying that the only reason Broadway stage managers call from backstage is that there simply aren't booths in most of the Broadway theatres which are pretty old.

the long and short of it is, unless you need to have a clear view of the deck for saftey issues in big scene shifts, I think it's most advantageous to call from the front of the house, particularly for longer runs.

7

The Hardline / TYA Per Diem Rules

« on: Feb 10, 2005, 08:01 pm »

I'm working with an actor right now on a TYA tour and his partner is also working on a TYA tour, but for a different company.  They are having a dispute with the producer regarding hotel accomodations and I was looking to see if anyone has had any experience with this issue.

My actor's partner is one of a company of five, including four actors plus a stage manager.  The producer's default room arrangement when they booked the hotels was one double room (for the two women in the cast) and one triple room (for the men in the cast plus the male SM).  The two men in the cast do not want to room with the stage manager and be in a triple room.  They want to be in a double room, which would then force the SM into a single.  Obviously, this would be a lot more expensive for the SM, especially considering that the current per diem on the TYA contract is $52.00.

There is a rule that states that unless the actor chooses to arrange for his own accomodations, the producer must reimburse him anything spent on hotels in excess of 85% of the per diem.  

The producer is interpreting this to mean that if they elect not to accept the producer's rooming assignments, then the producer is not responsible for paying the overage under the 85% rule.  However the actors feel that by staying in the same hotel booked by the producer they are not arranging for their own accomodations, just changing room assignments.  

There is nothing in the rules to qualify the payment of the excess hotel costs (in other words, there is nothing in the rules that says opting for your own room would disqualify you from being reimbursed under the rule).

The actors called Equity and the TYA business rep sided with them, told the producer what the rule was and that the company cannot dictate who rooms with whom and that if every single person in the company wanted to be in a single, the producer would be obligated to pay the excess under the rule.  Now the producer has flat out said that they are in disagreement with the ruling, will not pay the excess costs over 85%, and they'll have to come up with some other solution.

So, I'm wondering if anyone here has encountered this and what your experiences were.  I am currently in a single, and the producing company is more than willing to reimburse me for the excess hotel costs.  

Also, what's the next step now that the producer is in disagreement with the TYA Business Rep's interpretation of the rule?  Is her ruling final. or can they take it to arbitration?

I'm interested to hear your feedback!

8

The Hardline / When do you claim overtime?

« on: Sep 16, 2004, 05:54 pm »

I was talking to a friend a while back who was working at a theatre with two SM teams.  She was telling me how they were putting in very long hours during the end of the rehearsal & tech period and felt that they were at a point where claiming overtime would be appropriate.

The problem was that the other team never put in for overtime, although they were working just as many hours.  So they didn't want to put in for the overtime fearing it would reflect badly on them when compared to the other team who did not claim any OT.

So my question is this:  what's your "breaking point" when it comes to deciding when to claim overtime as opposed to just accepting insanely long hours as part of the job (and the reason our pay scale is higher than actors')?  I know I always just expect that the tech & preview period is going to be filled with long nights, where I'm still sitting in the theatre working with designers and production management long after the end of the actors' call.  But when do you say that it's time to be compensated?

9

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Actor hatred on tour

« on: Aug 31, 2004, 05:55 pm »

Having spent the majority of the last six years touring, I know what you're going through.  True, in most situations, if it doesn't affect what's going on on stage it's not your concern.  However, when you're on tour and the only representative of management, what happens offstage is just as much your concern as what happens onstage.  

Now, having said that, there's really not always a lot that you can do.  One of the things I've found helpful is once a week to have everyone gather in my room and open up the floor to concerns.  Always try to stress that these concerns should relate to the show/tour and that the meeting is not an invitation to attack each other.  Of course, personal gripes will creep in.  But TRUST ME it is better to get them out in the open on a regular basis and in a controlled environment than to let it fester and then explode.  That is always UGLY.

Another thing that's critical.  I make it an ABSOLUTE RULE that there is NEVER to be any arguing, fighting or whatever in a venue.  EVER. This you must insist on.  In that instance it is your responsibility to speak up.  It reflects really badly on the show and on the company and when there's infighting word gets around the country fast (even for a small kids' show)--you'd be surprised!  These techies with friends in other venues talk to each other and love to gossip more than the ladies in "Steel Magnolias."

If you feel things are getting ugly between cast members, don't be afraid to intervene.  Offer to sit down and play mediator.  I know you may not think it's part of your job to play psychologist, but with green actors on tour for the first time, it can be just as important as calling the show.

10

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Blocking notation help, anyone?

« on: Aug 24, 2004, 05:40 pm »

As far as numbered blocking goes....  I learned a new way of doing that a couple years ago from an SM I was working with.  Instead of numbering each MOVE, she would number every other LINE in the script (1, 3, 5, etc.) and then insert a caret in the line when the movement happened.  Then when you record the blocking, you write the number of the line in the script where it happens.  That way, you don't have to worry about changing the numbers when new things are added.  Hope that makes sense.

11

SMNetwork Archives / Question about SM finances

« on: Jul 15, 2004, 03:21 pm »

True, the financial rewards in stage management can vary greatly.  However $42,000 in student loan debt is really not all that much.  I am a huge fan of Suze Orman (a brilliant financial adviser with her own advice show on CNBC.)  She always stresses that student loan debt is "good debt".  Interest rates are at their all-time low, and $2500 of your interest is tax-deductible every year.

You'll be paying it off for a long time, but the fact is these days you just can't get a decent education without amassing some debt unless you are lucky enough to be wealthy or get a free ride somewhere.