Topics

1

The Green Room / Mini-rant: This Voicemail Box Is Full

« on: Jul 14, 2014, 11:18 pm »

Just a quick rant here. I can not understand people who don't delete old voicemails and thus let their mailboxes reach the point where you can no longer leave them a message. I've encountered that twice now in the past week when trying to contact people regarding a schedule change and a singer who was late to rehearsal.  Do they not realize that in addition to potentially not getting important information regarding the show they are working on, it could also potentially cost them employment down the line? I know if I was calling somebody to try to set up an interview, for instance, I would probably just move on if I wasn't able to leave a message. Anybody else just get extremely frustrated when they encounter this?

2

The Hardline / Showcase Costume Fittings

« on: Oct 02, 2012, 08:48 pm »

A question for those of you who have worked the Showcase Code here in NYC.  I'm trying to figure out what is allowed in terms of costume fittings, as there is nothing spelled out in the Code language itself.  The director does not want to give up rehearsal time to lose an actor to a fitting (as they pretty much never do).  Now under some contracts (I know for sure TYA, as that is the contract I've been working the most under the past few years) say that fittings must be part of the rehearsal hours for that day, and paid as such.  Others, such as the Off-Broadway (which I've been referencing the most for questions that are not spelled out in the very basic Showcase language) do allow for fittings outside of the rehearsal schedule, provided there are no break violations (i.e. should a fitting start at 9:00 then the actor must get a meal break no later than five hours from that point). 

What rules have others gone by in the past?  Obviously I'm putting in a call to Equity in the morning, but if somebody has done this recently it always helps to know ahead of time what Equity's previous stance has been.

Thanks in advance.

3

Self-Promotion / Sigue el camino amarillo

« on: Jun 08, 2011, 11:13 am »

The press release for my next show went out yesterday.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/151552-Virginia-Cavaliere-Natalie-Toro-Ryan-Duncan-Cast-in-New-Free-Off-Broadway-Musical-Yellow-Brick-Road

I've been with this show since the initial workshop last fall, through the mini-tour earlier this spring, and now Off-Broadway.  It's been quite a process getting here (including a change in director and choreographer after the mini-tour).

I'm really looking forward to meeting Chita Rivera, who is serving as the honorary chair!  I don't get star struck very easily anymore, but I do make the exception for living legends 

4

The Green Room / Broadway Flea Market

« on: Sep 25, 2010, 11:15 pm »

Just a reminder to everyone in the NYC area that tomorrow is the annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction!  Come on down to Shubert Alley and W. 44th street and spend some money for a good cause.  For those who don't want to buy more stuff to try to store in an already tiny NY apartment, I know at least one table (which would be my show's table, Tales from the Tunnel, in front of the Majestic) will also be selling cookies and "subway gropes."

Here's the info on the BC/EFA site:
http://www.broadwaycares.org/flea_market_and_grand_auction

5

Tools of the Trade / Stinky Booth

« on: Sep 03, 2010, 06:46 pm »

So, I have a query for any cat owners out there.  In the theatre I'm currently in a cat has somehow made its way in and taken up residence, and, after at least a week, has eluded capture.  My booth currently smells really, really strongly of cat urine.  Anybody cat owners have any tips and/or products to recommend to help eliminate this odor?

We first noticed the smell last Sunday.  At first I couldn't tell for sure what it was and just attributed it to an exceptionally damp few days we'd been having and the fact that we are in a basement space.  However, during the show when my company manager, who was watching from the booth with me, and I heard the cat meowing we knew there was more of a problem than just the smell.  Unfortunately we did not find it that night.  The theatre management has since put out a litter box and been leaving food out in one spot in the hopes to get the cat to sort of centralize to that spot and allow itself to be caught.

It's definitely not a situation I would have expected to come across outside of the outdoor summer theatre venues.

6

The Hardline / Do Members Need Equity's Permission to do College Shows?

« on: Apr 23, 2010, 12:11 pm »

<Split from SM:  Plays & Musicals thread Aspirations: ASM for AEA vs. SM for Non-AEA> -Rebbe

"I think you would need permission from equity to act or SM in college productions, because they would be non-equity."

This may have changed in the past few years, but when I went back to grad school, after getting my Equity card, the only school production I needed to get a waiver from Equity for was one where we were using the U/RTA contract because of the number of guest artists that we were bringing in.  Other than that all other productions that were under the auspices of the department were fair game and needed no permission from Equity to participate in.  This was the same for several of the actors who came in to the program already Equity, or got their cards during their time in school.

7

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / COMMUNICATION: Actors want more info, but can't process what they already have?

« on: Mar 11, 2010, 01:11 am »

I ran into a confusing situation tonight.  I'm currently on a TYA tour.  My cast has told me that they feel they don't have enough information about our daily schedule.

Each night I email them the next morning's call time (email was their requested method, as I don't have unlimited texting and thus refuse to send 12 text messages nightly), that also includes the curtain times, which version of the show we are performing (we have two), and when we are taking the meal break (i.e. between shows, after load out, etc.).  Now at our company meeting tonight they brought up the point that they feel they are not getting enough information.  I pointed out that just this morning, despite the above mentioned items being in their daily email, I was asked by no less than 4 people whether we would be doing the long or short show.  I was then told, "Well, we get those emails every night, it's hard to keep it straight sometimes."

I'm thinking "You can't process the amount of information I'm currently giving you, but you somehow want more?"  I didn't even know how to respond to that without making it sound like I was calling them stupid.  I'm not really even sure what more they want in terms of information for the day, and I don't think they did either, as it did seem to take them a moment to recover when I asked them if they were reading the entire email, since things like which version of the show and when the meal break is occurring are covered in each email.   

They also said they realize I run things by the book, but they weren't entirely sure what all was in there, but somehow didn't seem to see that as being their fault.  Is it wrong of me to assume they should know certain things that are covered in both the TYA rulebook and the company's Standard Operating Procedures that they all get a copy of and that is discussed with them at a set meeting during the rehearsal process?

Needless to say it was a very frustrating evening that ended with me completely dumbfounded as to where to go next with them.

Edited subject line-Rebbe