Messages

1

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: FORMS: Performance Report Attendance Listing

« on: Feb 19, 2015, 01:27 pm »

I usually list the SM and Director at the top of the page, and the House Manager (who typically sends their own report for the theatres I work for).

On the first performance report, I list the names and positions of my crew at the bottom...
ASM:
Deck Crew:
LBO:
SBO:
Spot Ops:
Wardrobe:
Hair and Makeup:

And then only edit them if something is different, so Designers are able to know why something may have been different.

2

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: JOB DESCRIPTION: not needed until tech week?

« on: Feb 19, 2015, 01:13 pm »

Is there some ind of ASM who is in rehearsals for you? I was offered a similar position where there was a season ASM in rehearsals, and they were hiring PSMs by the show, specifically for calling/running purposes, while the ASM ran the floor. That, I was okay with. Otherwise, it would make me uncomfortable that there's been nobody watching rehearsals.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOUP BOWL: Facebook vs Excel

« on: Dec 26, 2014, 09:17 pm »

Woah, currently a 15-0 runaway for Excel!! After all, anything I can do on Facebook, I can pretty much do somewhere else. But Excel? Excel keeps my life together.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOFTWARE Division semis, Round 2: Photoshop vs Qlab

« on: Dec 18, 2014, 03:48 pm »

Having done my own Marketing with Photoshop AND my own sound design with QLab, I am so torn. So torn.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOCIAL Division Semis: LinkedIn vs SMNetwork

« on: Dec 18, 2014, 03:46 pm »

As far as Stage Management is concerned: SMNetwork all the way.
-> Can you find literally HUNDREDS of useful forms that other SMs have been kind enough to upload so you just have to download and edit them on LinkedIn?
-> Can you easily search through past topics in order to prevent yet ANOTHER thread about Stage Management Apps (ugh) on LinkedIn?
-> Is LinkedIn moderated by extremely cool people IN YOUR FIELD? (I thought not)

While LinkedIn is good for connecting to people who you have worked with or might work with in the future, so is SMNetwork.
I expect a landslide.

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Introductions / Re: Introduction to Me!

« on: Dec 17, 2014, 09:28 pm »

Hi Jenna!

Have you considered Fellowships or Apprenticeships? They're a step up from Internships, and there are quite a few in some very respectable theatre companies and universities on the west coast.
But definitely don't get discouraged. Keep working for the small companies and build up your resume, and it doesn't hurt to see how you can get involved outside of Stage Management. Building a good relationship with companies can only help you in the long run.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOCIAL Division Semis: Facebook vs Tumblr

« on: Dec 17, 2014, 09:06 pm »

Yeah, Nick. I've definitely caught some of those posts... Like a cast member who called out sick to a rehearsal (community theatre, they're allowed to...) then was tagged in pictures of a concert he went to.
Well, somebody got called into the Director's office when he returned to rehearsal. [to clarify: I didn't rat him out. Another cast member did, because they wanted to to go to the concert but decided the show was more important...]

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Introductions / Re: Hello!

« on: Dec 15, 2014, 09:32 pm »

Haha, unfortunately I've moved from Philly. Just in Central PA now. I miss the Philly area a TON. There are a lot of really cool theatres, and the community is spectacular.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOCIAL Division Semis: Facebook vs Tumblr

« on: Dec 15, 2014, 09:28 pm »

I'm totally okay with disagreeing. I appreciate SMblr and have used it myself. I'm an active Tumblr user, but as far as keeping in touch with people I've worked with, I'd much rather use Facebook. *shrug* I don't find Tumblr as useful professionally as Facebook, or even LinkedIn. But it's great for doing research as a designer, and even to network with other SMs. I just don't see it AS useful...

10

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: Directors on Double-Duty

« on: Dec 15, 2014, 07:25 pm »

The show I just signed on to is at a community theatre in a small town with a surprising number of theatres and drama programs. The Director and Musical Director for my show are co-Directors of a drama program at a local high school, where they are simultaneously working on another show together.

"My" show opens in February, the other one in May. But they're going to be doing double-duty in rehearsals. At the high school most days from 3-6, and our rehearsals starting at 7. And it's at least a 20 minute drive from one rehearsal space to the other... on a good day in non-rush hour traffic. The Executive Director at the theatre was apparently unaware of this arrangement when he hired them (which makes me question HIM a smidge, too, but...)

My question is: How should I prepare myself for issues that will, inevitably, arise from this? There are only so many things that I can do to stall, should something happen where they're delayed getting to our rehearsal. I know I should be ready to have them work on lines, or run scenes, or have the choreographer jump in and start working on something (if she's there). But I'm worried about there being other issues (like their working relationship with each other) and how that affects our show and morale among the company.

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December Madness 2 / Re: SOCIAL Division Semis: Facebook vs Tumblr

« on: Dec 15, 2014, 07:00 pm »

In defense of Facebook:

I find it much easier to privately network on Facebook - I've gotten several job offers through Facebook friends and friends-of-friends.
Additionally, it's extremely quick and painless to create a private group for your cast and crew. Most of your members will already have an account, so they don't need to make one to get into the private group, where it's simple to disseminate information, and gives you another place to post information, to try to quell the "what time? where? who needs to be there?" phone calls.
AND it's easy to get your cast members talking to one another and planning social outings much more privately than you can do on Tumblr.

Oh, and there's the fact that you can keep track of full conversations, instead of Tumblr's annoying trait of making messages disappear once you reply.

I admit, I have used SMblr, but I'd much rather stick to Facebook.

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Introductions / Re: Hello!

« on: Dec 12, 2014, 10:55 pm »

Hi Brianna! Welcome to the forum!

It's always nice to see another Philadelphian on here. I was the SM Fellow at The Wilma for the 2013-2014 season, so I know quite a few of your faculty and staff members.

I hope the boards are helpful for you!

13

Introductions / Re: Looking forward to being a part of this great network!

« on: Dec 12, 2014, 10:51 pm »

Hello and Welcome!! This forum has been very useful to me as a student, stage manager, and teacher, so I'm sure it will be of great use to you! I hope your journey is a fun one!

14

Tools of the Trade / Re: Books Books Books

« on: Dec 12, 2014, 09:56 pm »

Some of my favorites include:

A Sense of Direction by William Ball (I think it's really important to understand directors... or at least to try to understand them)
How to Run a Theatre by Jim Volz
Theatre Management by David M. Conte and Stephen Langley (not so much about Stage Management, but the whole structure of things)
Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers by Duncan Webb
The Empty Space by Peter Brook

And, of course, I highly second (third?) The Backstage Handbook and Technical Theatre for Non-Technical People. The latter is on the homescreen of my Nook for instant access. I'll admit I'm awful at remembering what certain tools, etc. are called, so these two books help me a LOT when I go to send e-mails to TDs, Carpenters, Riggers, etc. to translate from "director-ese" to techie.

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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dress blacks and what is or is not acceptable

« on: Dec 09, 2014, 07:31 pm »

My thought is that you always have the potential to be seen by someone "important." At one theatre I worked at, I had to walk through the audience to get to the Dressing Rooms (and we didn't have a god-mic system to give call times). I always wore my dress blacks (button-down black shirt, nice pants, non-slip dress shoes) but would also wear a colorful tie.

When I moved to being an ASM, I was always in stage blacks, but my SM wore whatever she felt like because she was never seen by the audience.

For me, my appearance is key. I want to make sure I'm presenting myself (and my theatre) in the best way I can, which includes my outfit. Plus, I think it sets a good example for the cast that YOU have some pride in the show, too.

Now, that's not saying I don't throw on my hoodie once I'm in my booth and out of sight...