Messages

1

Stage Management: Other / Re: What to expect moving from straight plays to opera

« on: Jun 06, 2017, 06:51 am »

Always cue entrances for chorus and for supernumeraries.
Wear quiet shoes. No noisy jewelry or key rings. Avoid wearing perfume/cologne.
Never walk between the conductor and the artists while they're singing (unless you absolutely have to in which case duck out of the way).
Highlight the rehearsal numbers in your score (ask your SM what those are) as they are commonly referred to when starting up again.
Listen to a recording to become familiar with the music, the artists will all know it already on day 1 (or at least they should!).
Enjoy the music!

2

Stage Management: Other / Re: Paging Calls in Opera

« on: May 25, 2017, 09:21 am »

Same as Joshua S. said. Additionally, I might occasionally call Places please Principals, Chorus and Supers for the [Banquet/Party Scene/Finale...] if I have little time to speak and if that is a term the performers would be familiar with from rehearsals. Keep it simple.

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Stage Management: Other / Re: AGMA Rates

« on: Aug 21, 2014, 12:39 am »

Every company negotiates their own rates and contract with the union. Is there a specific company you are interested in?

4

Stage Management: Other / Re: Creating a Handbook

« on: Sep 24, 2011, 06:09 pm »

You could organize it along the timeline of a show, ie what you need to know, do, fill out during prep week, followed by rehearsal weeks including any forms or formats that the company might use or be accustomed to, and continue for performance weeks.  Start by including obvious tasks, that might inpire or cause you to remember other less obvious ones.  Include routines the company is used to (first day is always a production meeting with these people, followed by a read through, etc.). 
Extra sections for special performances - speeches before Opening, school matinee routines, Holiday performance traditions.
If you work with other unions a cheat sheet on their rules is helpful, not all of course, but the ones the SM will most frequently encounter, break times, when the orchestra can tune, how many hours in a day...
Callboard layouts, room set ups, etc.
If you are calling the first show make notes as you go on everything you do as you go along and use that as the beginning of your handbook.  If it's your first show with the company make a list of all the things people tell you..."oh we always have this and that...", "remember so and so needs to have this by such and such time".  My first handbook started as a collection of stickies I was giving to visiting Stage Managers.

5

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera rehearsals to Opera on stage

« on: Aug 05, 2009, 11:49 am »

I should add that what I describe is common in American opera companies, I don't know the routines in other countries....anyone?

6

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera rehearsals to Opera on stage

« on: Aug 05, 2009, 11:44 am »

Typical tech week for an opera could involve 4 evening tech rehearsals give or take: a Piano Tech, a Piano Dress, an Orchestra Tech, and Orchestra (or Final) Dress.  The daytime is generally reserved for a combination of set and lighting work notes (no SM needed) and cuing sessions (writing the light cues).  The cast only shows up to the evening rehearsals.  Often the ASMs are the bodies onstage during the lighting session while the SM, AD, Director are in the house.  The SM has that opportunity to put the cues into her book (unless the LD has been able to provide a cue list in advance - it's not always possible) as they are written.  The SM would also coordinate with the available crew to set the stage properly for each scene that is being lit.  The evening rehearsals with cast tend to be all out efforts to get thru the piece, in the Piano Tech focus on the transitions, skip the arias if there's no blocking as needed to save time.  Scene shifts would be tech-ed during the day as time is available.  There often isn't time to spend on that in the evening - you may only have 3.5 hours minus breaks to get thru a 3 hour opera.....
You should have a good idea by the end of room rehearsals what the tech cues will be and can make preliminary Rail and Deck Sheets.  Also Prop and Costume running paperwork should be done.  Give the paperwork to the various crew heads before their first tech rehearsal so they have an idea what to expect.  Obviously things may change a little or a lot during tech.  If you're prepared with a starting place you'll be in fine shape going into tech.  Also before tech week you can put cues and standbys in your book as much as is known.  More helpful is to put in the Places calls (generally 5 min. before any entrance, not just top of the act), 5 min warns on the ends of acts and major shifts.  If you have rules regarding breaks find the moments within the show when you might be able to, say, give the chorus a break while the long duet scene is going on.

Every company is going to be a little different and hopefully someone at the festival, a production manager, a tech director can tell you how that operation works.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Good luck!

7

Stage Management: Other / Re: Opera rehearsals to Opera on stage

« on: Aug 04, 2009, 10:20 am »

A lot depends on the venue and the company.  Is this a school production or by a professional company that usually does Puccini and Verdi pieces, a company that does mostly musicals, a little of everything?  Is it a union house?  Your quickest answers on what to expect will come from your friend who may have worked there before.

8

Stage Management: Other / Re: new to opera and kind of scared

« on: Apr 11, 2009, 02:21 pm »

A few more music reading tips I thought of....

I find it helpful to highlight all the time signatures so I know when it changes from 2/4 to 5/8 to 3/4 etc.  Helps counting.
Hopefully the score also has "rehearsal numbers" in it, I highlight those too.  These are sequential numbers usually inside a square or circle, they refer to the orchestra parts and are frequently used to communicate to the music staff/orchestra where to start again.  They've always seemed randomly placed to me and rarely are they exactly where you want to start.  For example the maestro may call out "we starting at 3 before 25" meaning 3 bars before rehearsal no. 25.  One usually refers to placements on the page by page no/system/bar.  A system is each complete line of music (the soprano's line plus the right hand's and left hand's lines of the piano).  A bar is delineated by the vertical line that goes top to bottom.  So 107/2/3 would be on page 107, second line of music, third segment of that line.  Hard to explain without a visual aid, but I hope that helps.

9

Stage Management: Other / Re: new to opera and kind of scared

« on: Apr 11, 2009, 01:54 pm »

Congrats on getting the job, it can be a lot of fun and there's likely great music!  Primary duties will depend on the stage manager and how they like to divide up responsibilities on the team as well as on how many ASMs there are.  ASMs are often responsible for Prop and/or Costume running documents as well as the WhoWhatWhere.  The extent of that content is up to your SM.  Sometimes it's just entrances and exits and applicable props/costumes, sometimes it includes tech cues as well.  ASMs typically cue all entrances especially for chorus and supernumeraries (extras).  Principals may take their own entrance cues, but you should be there in case they fall asleep.  Each SM works a little differently and they should be able to guide you in this.

Rehearsal process: Often the first day is a musical sing through of the show, sometimes they just do music of the pertinent scene right before staging it.  Actual staging rehearsal will look familiar as far as resetting props, having rehearsal costumes available.  The conductor may request coaching time for a certain singer if he feels they need more work, that's usually private time and SMs are not needed.

Music reading fluency: I take it from the way you phrase the question that you have some familiarity with reading music.  If so then the best way to become more fluent is to borrow a recording of the opera and listen to it while following the score.  Then do it again.  As often as you need.  While one can often follow the vocal line that shouldn't be relied on in case the singer is off by a bar.  Get used to following the orchestra (piano) line.  If there's a particularly difficult passage you can either count beats diligently or even ask the accompanist for guidance in how to follow it, they are often helpful people.

Good questions. Let me know if you have more.

Beth Krynicki

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dear Abby: Torn between two majors

« on: Apr 06, 2009, 10:58 am »

You do not need to major in theatre to have a career in theatre, experience is what counts.  IF you enjoy computers that's a good background to have no matter what field you enter.  IF you enjoy computers my suggestion would be to find a school that also has an active theatre program and that allows non-majors to participate in their productions (note that many campuses have student run productions which are also valuable experiences).  This way you can gain experience in theatre and also have a broader education with the comp sci degree.
If computer science is not something you actually enjoy you will just be unhappy for the 4 years of school.  Ultimately you will be happier working at something you enjoy doing - that may mean making difficult choices in the short term (whether to accept parent's financial support or not, for example) - but those are choices only you can make for yourself with your long term goal in mind.

11

Employment / Re: Being new during tough times...

« on: Feb 08, 2009, 11:08 pm »

The lack of work is not your fault.  In tough financial times a company often has to make difficult decisions and seniority is an impersonal way of handling letting people go.  Since that is an accepted practice in business it makes the decision easier for the person having to make it (they are human too) and neither side has control over the fact of the original date of hire.  By the sound of it you did your job to the best of your ability and were quite successful at it.  The company even found a place for you next season, albeit less than you hoped.  Since you do have good feedback ask them to be references for you in your search, maybe they know other companies to apply to (whether or not they have open positions).  You may even search outside of theatre for work that uses your talents (being organized is useful and not as common as you might think).  If you think your talents are lacking for some reason ask your supervisor what, if any, areas you can improve on.  It may be there are none and the company just can't afford to produce on the same scale as before.  They didn't have a choice about that either.
Point is, some things you just don't have control over and you cannot beat yourself up for those.  Instead focus on what you CAN control, like how well you do your job, how many resumes you send out, your talents will speak for themselves.  And no, you are not alone.

12

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Internship (For oversea students)

« on: Feb 08, 2009, 09:11 am »

I saw another thread somewhere on this site about internships in the UK, see if you can find that one.  Not sure about Germany, etc.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Internship (For oversea students)

« on: Feb 06, 2009, 11:27 pm »

You may find it difficult to get a paid internship or apprenticeship these days...US work visa requirements I'm told are complicated and probably require help from the company.  My company for example doesn't have the staff or resources to devote (they've tried in the past) to the project.  So, the applicant is left with taking an unpaid position and entering on a tourist visa.  Unless you have your own funding to support you it will likely be difficult financially to make the trip worthwhile. 
Still, if there are companies you'd like to work for or internships you'd like to apply for (you can find many online) you should write and ask if they can help you with your visa application.  Research what is needed to obtain a work visa, don't ask the company to do that for you.
Best wishes for your search!

14

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: The unwilling crew

« on: Jan 16, 2009, 12:50 pm »

I think I might have tried "Actually, yes it IS your job" and since you say they "pay" for the apprenticeship by crewing I would (first checking with the program administrator for concurrence) offer the recalcitrant a choice: You can either "pay" your way by doing the assigned crew work or you can pay the theatre X amount of money for the privilege of attending the program.
I have not actually had a subordinate who was so uninterested or just totally incompetent, but for a couple who have tried to be obstinate I have offered them a choice of actions.  The consequences of one are presumably not appealing to the person, but it would also have to be a choice whose consequences I could live with.  (In the above example maybe the money paid could go to entice a replacement crew member).  In both cases the individual opted to keep their current assignment.  But the choice was theirs.

Second question...nutshell version: lead by example.  Usually if the naive crew sees you helping out at least sometimes then you get *some* credit.  However, if they are too uninformed to know that the SM's job is multifaceted maybe some openness about what you are doing....."Could you please finish sweeping the stage while I deal with the fact that the fresh veggies didn't get picked up for the performance"

Obviously not cure-alls, but other tools to put in your tool bag...
Good luck next time!

15

The Hardline / Re: How did you get your card?

« on: Jan 05, 2009, 10:47 am »

I had to get my AGMA card when I signed a contract with an AGMA opera company.  The only qualification necessary was the intiation fee either paid in full or taken as a percentage of each paycheck until the total was reached.