Messages

76

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: How to keep kids *quietly* busy at rehearsal when they're not needed onstage?

« on: Sep 18, 2006, 05:52 pm »

For the past 4 summers I've worked with a group that has a cast of 40-60 kids ages 11-19.  We have all of them in rehearsal for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, whether we're using them or not.  We make a lot of the control the kids' resposibility.  We put the onus on them.  A lot bring books, ipods, laptops, etc.  If they have a longer span when they're not needed, we have a green room where they can talk. 

I find that the more responsibility you give them, the more they can take.   

77

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: What do you want to tell Actors???

« on: Sep 14, 2006, 04:49 pm »

If I've posted a sign-in sheet, you should sign in when you arrive.  If I had the time to hunt everyone down I wouldn't have posted the sheet.

78

Tools of the Trade / Re: What is Gaffer Tape?

« on: Sep 12, 2006, 06:40 pm »

A few years ago I got into a car accident that ripped my front bumper half-way off--the day before Christmas Eve.  My insurance company would only pay for repairs if I waited until after the holidays (less days of renting me a car while the mechanics took days off), so I gaffed my bumper back on.  It got me through LA traffic and two weeks of rain storms without a single slip.  Truly the greatest tool in the world.

79

SMNetwork Archives / Re: Stage managers do make coffee

« on: Sep 12, 2006, 03:49 pm »

Carissa's site is still up at http://www.geocities.com/dollariquestnet/SMhandbook.html

I still reference it all the time.

80

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: What DO we Do?

« on: Aug 21, 2006, 02:25 am »

This is a bit of a funny argument for me, because I came to this issue from the other side.  Back when I was in high school we also had the AD/SM split, but I actually worked as the AD not the SM.  In our school the AD did what's basically the rehearsal tasks of an SM (blocking, scheduling, etc.) while the SM dealt with all tech issues from set building to lighting and costumes.  The SM and I were good friends and worked really well together--like Meg said, you just need to be in constant communication.  We had most of our classes together, so it was easy for us, but every day we'd let the other know what had happened on either side the afternoon before so we both always knew what was up and could pass that info on to whoever needed to know (TD, director, cast, crew).  Communication is key.

Oddly enough, it was that experience as an AD that led me into becoming a stage manager in college.   

81

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Dealing with stress

« on: Jun 18, 2006, 10:42 pm »

Take time for yourself.  Whether it's waking up 20 minutes early to have a quiet, unrushed breakfast, or taking a walk around the block during a break, it will help you keep your head together and stay sane.  When we're stressed we tend to forget ourselves and rush from one task to another.  Any time you can even take 5 or 10 minutes to yourself will help.

82

The Green Room / Food

« on: Jun 03, 2006, 12:58 am »

I'm a huge fan of fruit leather and almonds.  Fruit leather (for those who've never had it) is basically individually wrapped strips of dried fruit. Since you have a wrapper, you don't get sticky fingers.  Almonds are also great protein boosts when you need them.  I also like to make wraps instead of sandwiches--less bready stuff to slow you down--just by wrapping some veggies with a little grated cheese and maybe a little dressing in a tortilla.  If you wrap that up in saran wrap or foil it stays really tidy and stays fresh in an insulated bag (I'd stick in an ice pack if there was meat).  The dried fruit, nuts, granola bars are also really good to have on hand if there are any diabetics or people with other blood sugar issues around--my fruit leather has saved the day more than once.

Other than that: water, water, water.  I know many SMs swear by coffee, but it raises your heart beat and stress level (being a stimulant), and I know just SMing already does that for me.

83

Tools of the Trade / What goes inside a SM Kit?

« on: Jun 02, 2006, 02:47 am »

For regular days I don't carry an official "kit."  My bag is always stocked with pencils, eraser, bandaids, throat lozenges, pens, notebook, mag light--but so is the purse I carry every day.  What I've found useful for performance (and especially the pre-performance craziness) is that I wear a makeup artists apron.  This snaps around my waist and has an amazing number of small pockets where I stash hairbands and bobby pins, band aids, safety pins, mints, throat strips, hair brush, sharpies, flashlight, powder,etc.  I started using it when I was running the backstage on a show, and it's been invaluable.  Now, when actors need some small thing I don't even have to walk over to my kit, just grab whatever off my waist.

84

Tools of the Trade / Condom reference??

« on: May 24, 2006, 07:05 pm »

I work at an arts high school and recently approached the school accountant to see if the county office will pay for the condoms next year as an "instructional material."  After she turned bright red, I explained the purpose for mics and promised I'd write something out if the county office needed more information.

She still hasn't gotten back to me.

85

Employment / Opinions on Producers

« on: May 24, 2006, 06:55 pm »

Congratulations on getting away from an awful job.  

Now that you're fired (for what? doing your job?) you can write a scathing email to the company (and I'd include the director, designers, higher ups) explaining to them what a stage manager does.  They won't be able to hold on to any decent SM if they keep treating them the way they treated you (and for $100/week--that barely pays for gas nowadays!).  A SM is supposed to be near the top of the heirarchy of the theatre, and you don't deserve to be treated as any less.  As for the "secretary" line--my day job is in an office and I still refuse to let anyone call me a secratary.  

Just remember it's a job you're well rid of.  You will find better.

86

Employment / Fired from an SM Job

« on: May 24, 2006, 03:33 am »

I ran into a slightly different situation.  I had stage managed with a company for the last five years.  Three years ago we moved to a new theatre and doubled the SM team--both were full SMs, but one of us called the show and the other ran rehearsals and backstage.  We did one production annually--an educational show we repeated with most of the same cast.  We have often incorporated high school students in the production, this year using kids from the local arts high school, where I also work.  

This year I had been scheduled to SM again, in fact, I had been told that this year I would be doing it all alone.  I had talked to the director/producer, whom I had worked with for all 5 years, many times about prepping for the show.  Leading up to the time we were supposed to start rehearsal I had asked him multiple times for the revised script (it changes a bit every year) and an official start date and he kept "forgetting."  He can be a little distracted, so I wasn't surprised, though I was a bit frustrated.  Then, one of the actors (I'm friends with most of them) mentioned that they'd been doing a few rehearsals and asked why I hadn't been there.  At that point I confronted the director and asked him why I hadn't been informed about the changed schedule.  He told me,rather sheepishly, that the show didn't have as much money in the budget this year and that he couldn't afford a stage manager, especially since he could use some of the tech students from the high school to stage manage for free.

So, at this point I was annoyed, but I understood.  The show has always had money troubles.  I talked to my friends in the cast and they all said things were much less organized, but everyone knew about the money problems (it's a very open group).

Things got weird after the show opened.  I had planned to see the show, just to let everyone know I still supported them.  Before going, I was talking to one of the students teching the show and he mentioned something about the other stage manager.  I was confused, since supposedly there was no money for a stage management staff, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions.  I went to see the show a few days later, and, lo and behold, the other stage manager was running the show.

Now, the two of us are friendly (not friends, but we work well together), and I certainly don't begrudge her the job.  What has upset me about this whole experience isn't that the producer decided to hire another person--that's his right--but that he had neither the personal nor the professional honesty (we have both been friends and worked together for five years) to tell me.  I probably would have been mad but there were no contracts signed yet (usually done on the first day of rehearsal) and I would have eventually understood.

I'm sorry if I've ranted a bit, but this only happened a few months ago and I still haven't really figured out how to, or if, I should confront the producer.  It's a little different from being fired during a production, but it feels a lot the same.

87

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Prop tracking for a large show

« on: Apr 27, 2006, 02:25 am »

I also like to use prop tables, but I double check the boxes on the table by having a check list for each table.  I (or my prop master) check off each prop before and after each performance, so if anything goes missing there's a limited time frame in which it could have disappeared.  It makes missing props easier to track.  Also, if we have some dark days or if my show doesn't have sole access to the space, I like to have a lidded plastic bin to coordinate with each table.  This way I can put things in storage and when I take them back out I don't have to sort everything again.