Messages

1

Employment / Re: How far are you willing to travel?

« on: Jun 27, 2016, 11:24 am »

I live in NYC, so my "willingness to commute" is all based around mass-transit options.  My current commute is ideal: one subway line, direct to midtown, 35 minutes or less.

But I have done work out in the suburbs that required 2 different commuter-rail systems, meaning a 1.5-2 hr. commute each way (I've spent a lot of time waiting for trains in Penn station). 

But in both cases, what makes my commute bearable is that it is passive commuting:  I'm not driving, so I can doze, eat, do work, read, in transit.  I couldn't imagine driving comparable amounts of time. 

2

The Green Room / Re: Birth Order

« on: Jun 05, 2016, 11:28 pm »

I'm #4 out of 5 children.  In childhood, I was able to create chaos for myself out of the disorder of a large family...and learned how to go with the flow (because I had no other choice)...all life lessons I've carried with me from day-to-day in theatre.

These days, the family relies on my organizational tendencies, even when I'd prefer they didn't (for example: when I arrive (from show call) for a huge Thanksgiving dinner, and no one has figured out the seating yet...)

3

Tools of the Trade / Re: Kit Usage Statistics

« on: May 18, 2016, 12:19 pm »

Point of clarity:

Only people who are actually using their OWN PERSONAL KITS should contribute to this thread?  I'll be honest - working for regional theatre and commercial producers, I rarely use my SM box.  It sits in my apartment mostly for personal home office use, and has, for the majority of my career.

So I guess my question is about the goal of this thread: track usage of SM supplies, or track usage of supplies provided by SMs from personal inventory?

4

The Green Room / Re: Balancing Theater Work and Having a Life

« on: May 02, 2016, 09:23 pm »

This is one of the biggest challenges of creating a sustainable SM career.  Here's one of my strategies for creating a social life:

When I know I have free time (or am feeling that same sense of isolation you are feeling),  I think of the people I REALLY want to see.  Like really, really want to see - no drama or complicated feelings involved.  Then I send out a bcc email to all of them, admitting it's a "mass email" of sorts, and that I'm looking to book my time with the people I care most about.  Then I list my availability and any social vibes I have.  Literally, I've sent out a day-by-day schedule of my availability (listing my show calls, dinner breaks, curtain down times for each specific day).  This is especially helpful for non-theatre friends because they don't get what tech is, or how long a dinner break is, or that we might be free for coffee on a Saturday morning.

Then I say, "you see a time you're free?  Reply back and the time is yours." 

This strategy works really well because it removes the back-and-forth of schedule juggling between 2 parties (can you do Thursday?  Oh, I can't do Thursday, is Friday good for you? etc.) A few times, I've had 2 people "claim" the same time slot, which was fine too - friends from different corners of my world met for the first time, and we had a blast.

Good luck!  This is a long-term problem that you are smart to acknowledge.  I'll be interested to hear other folks suggestions to this point.

5

The Hardline / Re: Umm, that's not my name.

« on: Feb 18, 2016, 09:50 pm »

When I've received a contract with the wrong name, I just cross it out and correct it in every instance on the contract, then sign it the hand-revised contract.  Then follow-up with company management / press to make sure I am billed correctly.

6

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: CALLING: Calling a group of stoodby cues

« on: Feb 07, 2016, 08:27 am »

In fast sequences, I have resorted to "Lights GO" or simply "GO...GO...GO."

When I have had to say multiple GOs in a row like that, I will mention it in the standby, so the op is prepared for the fast sequence.  Something along the lines of, "and warning a multiple G-Os in a row." (As a rule, many SMs never say the word "Go" except for cue execution.  So during this warning, I actually spell it out.)

7

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof music

« on: Jan 15, 2016, 01:45 pm »

Have you had a conversation with your director about this?  Pre-show and intermission music choices can be big artistic choices that should be driven from the director first.   S/he may even make the active choice to NOT use music in either spot.

8

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Backstage Water Hospitality

« on: Jan 04, 2016, 02:54 pm »

I've worked in some tight backstage environments on large dance-heavy musicals with casts of 35 or so.  Very typical strategy that I've used and seen is to buy a hanging shoe organizer for each side of the stage, and find a home where they can live, ideally close to either the stage entrances OR the water cooler.  Cast are responsible for setting / refilling their own bottles, and can claim a "slot" in the organizer. 

In addition to the shoe organizer, my theatre provided one-use 3 ounce cups at the coolers.  I think this is the best of many worlds: it encourages an eco-friendly option, while still allowing anyone in the show a chance for a quick drink.  It empowers cast to take responsibility for their own physical needs, and prevents the SM team from gaining additional "clean-up" work. And it's a space-saver: no need for a table surface at all.  I've hung them from the side of prop-shelves, on the side of a backstage call-desk, the back of a dressing room door, and from the piping and infrastructure already present in the theatre. 

9

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Report/Notes Language

« on: Dec 15, 2015, 11:06 pm »

No notes.

10

The Green Room / Re: Can anyone name the SM & Production in this photo?

« on: Dec 15, 2015, 05:21 am »

How cool would it be if an SM Network member opened this post and was like, "Oh, that's me."

11

The Hardline / Re: 10 out of 12s Meal Break Question

« on: Nov 23, 2015, 10:30 pm »

I have worked at large regional theatres that use this variation on the schedule, and actually like it.  These are typically complex shows with heavy automation and rail cues.  It is also an IATSE house, where crew calls mentioned above need to be taken into consideration.  In this theatre, the crew and creatives DO get a full hour meal break, and then use the following hour as critical dry tech time.  So here's how a typical 10/11.5 day lands for cast / crew:

8-11a      Crew Call for Work Notes OR Dry Tech
11a-12n  Crew meal break.
12n         Crew call for preset / Actor Half-Hour
12:30-5p Actors onstage: Full Tech
5p-6p      Crew/Creative/SM Meal Break
5-6:30p   Actor Meal Break
6-7p        Tech Dry or Work Notes Onstage*
6:30p      Actor Half-Hour
7-11:30p Actors Onstage: Full Tech

*This is the pinch point where we often are battling duel purposes.  Maybe trying to dry-tech a sequence in Act Two before we get to it with actors, while still being ready for Cast Onstage at 7p where we stopped in Act One.  But usually between SM, PM, and the artistic staff of the theatre, we are able to create a realistic goal for that hour (ok, we'll tech the new fog FX and flash, then re-set for 7p start), knowing how quickly one hour goes by.   

12

The Green Room / NY Times Credits Restored

« on: Nov 21, 2015, 10:31 am »

Not sure if everyone is aware but a few weeks ago, the NY Times stopped publishing the creative staff alongside reviews.  Depending on the producer, SMs were often listed as well.  There was a huge outcry in the industry with a huge letter-writing campaign, and the Times reversed their decision.  I've pasted the body of the letter drafted and signed by lots of famous playwrights because of their inclusion of SMs in this fight.  Not shockingly, it's very eloquent and a beautiful tribute to the many folks who work backstage with us. 


"We are reaching out because we'd like to talk to you about the recent elimination of the full credit box in your theater listings and reviews.

We playwrights are always mentioned in the listings and reviews. This is not about us. We think the stage managers and sound and lighting and set and costume designers we work with are just as important as we are when it comes to making theater.

These people are so often overlooked, even though our medium is, literally, coordinating moving bodies, in clothing, with accompanying sound, through light and architectural space. The credits at the end of the reviews and listings are often the only way designers and stage managers are recognized at all. And these people are real artists. They're not helpers. They're our collaborators. They're the show itself.

It's also important for your readers to be able to find out days, months, years later, who created the shows they saw and read about. There are so many theater artists who aren't writers and directors and actors whose careers should be followed and documented, regardless of the writers and directors and actors they're working with, simply because they make extraordinary work.

We need talented artists in New York City to continue to want to pursue these fields. And if they're unnamed and uncredited in the Times it's bad for all of us. Their names are as important to the future of American theater as the names below.

Please restore the original credit box to your reviews and listings, online and in print."

13

The Hardline / Unofficial Equity Member groups on Facebook

« on: Nov 12, 2015, 09:23 pm »

To those of you not already aware, there are now 2 unofficial Facebook groups for Equity members.  These were created by individuals and are not vetted or managed by Equity.  But many councillors and elected officers are present in the conversations.

1. The Actors Equity Under 40 group
2. The Actors Equity Discussion (for all members)

The second group was created in part as a reaction to the Under 40 group as some folks don't appreciate the exclusivity of a Young Members group.  At this point, the admins of both groups are working together, and sometimes offering duplicate posts to get a conservation happening in both places.

There have been a few SM specific threads: one about the use of the ASM/Actor contract, another about the duties of the SM (I was disappointed that this thread didn't generate more actor responses.  I'd love to hear what they understand our job to be).

The thread that has gotten the most traction and responses is the question of OT for SMs.  I haven't had time to read through all of the thread yet, but wanted to let the community over here know about it.
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14

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Keeping yourself busy on slow shows

« on: Nov 03, 2015, 09:29 pm »

A show with "very few cues," eh?

Do you count every cast entrance and exit as a cue or not?  If not, it's a great habit as an ASM to consider each EN/EX from the stage as a cue for you, and make yourself present and nearby to observe the EN/EX.  Not that you want to approach or talk to an actor each time, but place yourself in the appropriate wing to observe, and if necessary, be close at hand for any issues.

Obviously on a larger show, it is impossible to accomplish this, but practicing it on a smaller show helps with some deck ASM "reflexes."  The more you observe these EN/EX, the more aware and in-tune with the company you'll be.  And when you jump onto a larger show, the EN/EX of your cast will become something you track as second nature in the back of your head, even if you are managing many more deck elements or crew.

15

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Rehearsal Reports

« on: Oct 22, 2015, 12:56 pm »

How about flipping the question around?  Instead of asking for an ETA, I often will present a specific time line request (ei: Is it possible to have the show-swords in the rehearsal hall by Wed, when we will be holding our next session with the fight choreographer?).

This tack helps the production team / designers prioritize the many requests that accumulate during even a week's worth of reports.

And avoid the phrase ASAP.  If you always ask for everything "as soon as possible," the phrase loses all meaning.  And again, it provides no specificity about urgency or immediacy of a request.