Messages

61

Stage Management: Other / Re: Summer Opera Jobs

« on: Mar 06, 2008, 11:33 pm »

Summer opera pay varies enormously, and depends on a lot of things: the size of the company, the location (Hawaii can pay less because - duh - they're in Hawaii and you sure do want to go work there), the reputation of the program. Two other major factors are whether housing and/or travel are included for you, and this is something that is entirely negotiable. Really, summer operas should pay comparably to any other opera gig in the main season. Okay, maybe a little less. Ok ok ok, you want a very rough number? I would say $700/week is fair (maybe slightly less for ASMing), and travel and housing should be included. But that number barely counts because it really just depends on so very many factors.

On the other hand, summer opera gigs are highly coveted, because a lot of season staff will try to pick up a summer gig while their main theatre is dark. There are also only so many summer festivals/performances, so they really have their pick of the litter in terms of hiring and even casting.

But if you're working with an excellent program, making contacts, doing great work, enjoying a wonderful city, it might not be a bad thing to take a lower paying gig. Especially in opera - a field where many SMs are always trying to pick up more experience.

One word of caution about summer operas, though: Ask around and do your homework on the company. Know what you're getting into. While some are pure gold and most are wonderfully enjoyable, many are a bit more slap dash and it's the SM who can often pay for it. Sometimes the SM is asked to do everything including: leading the load-in, chauffering singers, organizing receptions, picking up extra concerts/events (maybe or maybe not for additional pay), acting as a fill-in carpenter, and many other trials. The theatre might have great equipment, or you might need to buy your own gaff tape and use your cell phone as a makeshift headset to your ASM. So just ask and be sure you know ahead of time what the deal will be for you. And then have fun!

62

Stage Management: Other / Re: New to Opera questions

« on: Mar 06, 2008, 11:21 pm »

Opera gets a bad rap, what with all the diva reputations.

But there is a difference between a diva and a brat. It sounds like your students are simply the latter.

And I have to say, you really don't see a lot of stuff-of-legend diva fits. Sure, you have to have a thick skin and be somewhat flexible because I will agree that opera people (musicians in general if you ask me!) are tempermental, but it's really not that bad. One day you will meet a real diva, and then you'll realize all the babies you met along the way were nothing compared to the demented-but-talented dervish keeping you from calling the curtain up tonight.

I honestly love opera and all the wonderful people who work in this field. The creativity is endless and constantly inspiring. Nearly everyone respects the SM, often even more than I found in the theatre world. People are good about call boards and religious about call times. People are intelligent, friendly, and dedicated. They are also emotional and occasionally more expressive than you were prepared for. But these artists will never be perfectly behaved, and really, wouldn't that be boring anyway?

63

Stage Management: Other / Re: Il Trittico

« on: Feb 07, 2008, 09:57 am »

Il Trittico is actually three one-act operas in one, all by Puccini. In order, they are: Il Tabarro (The Cloak, sounds like it's spelled), Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica, [sister like a nun], sounds like /Soohr/ Angelica), and Gianni Schicchi (which is a character's name in this opera, sounds like /jee-AHN-nee SKEE-kee/). You can read about the character lists and plot synopses on Google. The tune you'll recognize from this opera is the mega-famous soprano aria "O mio bambino caro" from Schicchi, which you'll see is actually kind of a farcical and manipulative song, not the sweet lovey thing it seems like on all the Opera's Greatest Hits CD's.

I've never done the show, but I do know about it. Trittico is pretty easy as operas go, because it has no dancers or kids, and there is only a small chorus in the first two parts. It is fairly easy on the singers and principal casts are small (for opera!). A director can really show his or her range with Trittico, because Tabarro is very dark and dramatic, Suor is pious and redemptive, and Schicchi is high comedy bordering on slapstick at times. I'll check the run time with SM friends who have done the show, but I think it should be more like 3.5 hours with intermissions (you'll probably take two short ones). The 4 hour time I think comes from a Met video release that also features interviews, etc, on the DVD disc. In fact, maybe you should get the disc, just to familiarize yourself with the operas. You will probably be looking at complete set changes between acts, depending on the flexibility of the design.

If this is your first opera, you'll just need to get used to working with singers and a maestro. Hopefully you'll have a fab SM who will teach you all you need to know. Oh, and always call it a score. Not a script. 

Let me know if you have more specific questions about working opera in general or this one in particular. Toi toi toi!

64

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Taking Notes

« on: Feb 02, 2008, 01:22 pm »

I have a preformatted rehearsal/performance report sheet on top of my clipboard, an open notebook ready to accept all illegible scribbles, and an army of post-it's standing at attention while calling a show. Usually just slapping a post-it on the moment that needs the note is enough to jog my memory later. I also take a moment when writing notes each night to flip through my calling book and see if any fly-by moments had notes, just to prompt my memory while the night is still fresh. I'm flipping the pages to find the post-it's, anyway, so all it requires is a little more active thought in remembering the evening play-by-play.

65

Employment / Re: resume format

« on: Jan 21, 2008, 06:37 pm »

The question of whether to include the year or not simply comes down to the information you choose to communicate.

If you include years on your resume, you can demonstrate some positive things:
- you've worked professional shows for several years; you're serious about this being a theatre professional.
- you've worked consistently (several shows a year, with little "down time" between shows); you can and do make your living this way.
- you were a resident with a company for several seasons; you are reliable, and people generally don't mind being with you for months at a time.

Dates can share neutral info, and you should be ready to speak to any of these points:
- you have worked musicals (for example) in the past, but not in many years;
- you have taken a bit of a break from the theatre business, either currently or at some point; or
- you don't work often - only a handful of shows every few years.

Or dates can communicate not-so-good information:
- you're either very young or very old (shouldn't be a hiring consideration, I know, but protect yourself if you think this info could make someone think a certain way about you or your ability);
- you're fresh out of school with very little professional/non-academic shows under your belt;
- you only do 1 show or less a year;
- you had to leave a show, or you tend to over-commit yourself (if you show months, or it's clear you have more shows in 1 year than any mortal could handle).

So think about how someone who doesn't know you might look at your resume, and imagine any judgments - positive or negative - they might make about you from what they read on your resume page. You want your resume to be 100% truthful, while presenting your skills and experience in the best possible way. For some individuals, it might be very strong to present dates; For others, it might be very damaging. In some other cases, it simply might just not look well on the page (the aesthetic of a neat, clean page counts for a lot, so cut where you can!). Do what is ultimately best for you.

66

Employment / Re: Two sided resume?

« on: Jan 10, 2008, 09:28 am »

Your resume should be one standard page, single sided.
Sorry, but there is really no way to get around this standard.

Do not use A4 paper in America to sneak in an extra .7 inches, and certainly not legal size paper.
Do not use super small type in order to smash more words on the page.
Do not make it double-sided and call it still "one sheet."
Do no put lines sideways or lay it out like a newspaper with text over every square inch in order to list every show you've ever thought about working.

Just cut it down until it's one page.
I know it's hard, but it's what you have to do.

67

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: gas mileage reimbursment

« on: Jan 03, 2008, 05:53 pm »

You are asking about a tax write-off, I understand, and not an actual reimbursement from they company, yes?

To do this, first you need to start considering yourself a sole proprietor company: "Jane Smith, Stage Manager". You don't need to acutally incorporate or get an EIN or anything fancy. But you do need to start completing additional tax paperwork: the 1040 Schedule C (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sc.pdf). Lines 9 and 44 deal with mileage, and you basically enter your totals and then multiply by $0.485 for your total reimbursement (see 1040-Sch. C instructions: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040sc.pdf). You need to keep your mileage record notebook in case the auditors come knocking one day. When you complete the Schedule C, you also need to account for all your income, and not just expenses you hope to write off, which means that the government is now reaching in your pocket to collect their taxes on your independent contractor gigs. But of course, you were paying on that already, weren't you, even if you didn't fill out the separate Schedule C??   

While you're itemizing deductions on the Schedule C, you should also start tracking - in writing:
- supplies bought;   
- postage for resumes, etc. mailed out;   
- accountant fees for services related to the completion of this form; and
- insurance and healthcare costs (if you're 100% freelance with no other jobs that provide medical or insurance coverage).

The $0.14 "non-profit mileage" rate has to do with volunteer or charity work, not strictly miles driven in association with work for a non-profit business/theatre. You should check with your accountant, but I have always claimed the $0.485 for business mileage, whether my theatrical employer was a 501(c)(3) or not, and my accountants and laywers have agreed that this was correct. 

68

Employment / Re: Summer Internships For Fashion/Concert Tours/Industrials/Cruises...?

« on: Dec 27, 2007, 10:10 am »

I my experience with the genres you're asking about: fashion/industrial/cruises/tours, there aren't a lot of internships - just jobs. You either do these gigs or you don't. There is not that training position for newbies still learning. Maybe this is because they are so fast-paced and on demanding schedules, there is not time to train or care for an intern. But maybe it's just the way it is. If you really are interested in getting into projects like these, just go for it! Try to find an entry-level job and rock it. Know that people will not hold your hand through the production.

You might also consider event work (at gala/event companies, where you'll do a bit of loading in/out, setup, and maybe some SM-style execution of entrances and lights/sound, all usually in non-theatre venues) or concerts. Summer is a great time to jump on a local concert or even a small music tour (concert tours - as opposed to show tours - might be closer to roadie work, but it's still good experience). If you can find a municipal or city concert/festival in a local park, for example, these gigs usually pay extremely well!

For any of these gigs, you'll work very hard, under constant tension and time pressure, possibly outdoors in the summer sun, for long hours, for several days without rest. But, hey, that's part of the fun, right? 

69

Employment / Re: Resume Question

« on: Dec 27, 2007, 09:59 am »

I wouldn't say a hyperlink helps or hurts the presentation of your email address. It's entirely a matter of style.

Personally, I like a clean look without the hyperlink and it's blue text in underline. But I'm a hard-copy person; when I go to email you, I'll retype your email from the printed resume. I know it would be easier to <control> click the email hyperlink, but I guess I just insist on doing it the hard way.

But I certainly do agree with Matthew that the resume gets scanned first, and only the candidate's experience looks qualifying will I read the cover letter.

70

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Do you have a preferred type of show?

« on: Dec 04, 2007, 10:36 pm »

I like opera, and plays are always where my heart will really live.

But actually, for the adrenaline rush, I love big gala events or tour one-offs. Something where you have half a rehearsal, multiple followspots, patchwork run sheets, VIPs, and a balloon drop. Total fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. Calling the over-and-out on those monsters brings a frantic satisfaction like no regular shows I've done.

71

Tools of the Trade / Re: What Type Of Drill Is Best?

« on: Nov 29, 2007, 07:42 pm »

I have a Dewalt 18v, and I love my husband forever for giving it to me as a Christmas present a few years ago.

72

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Onstage Hangings

« on: Nov 26, 2007, 07:40 am »

First, I heartily echo all the SMs who have emphatically said that hanging needs to be done by a professional rigging company or not at all.

Having done "The Beggar's Opera", I think you should remind your director that the hanging effect in this show is not realistic and is not intended to be realistic. It is theatrical in the highest order. I mean, the guy comes back to life while still in the noose! So find a theatrical solution. Ask the actor to (gasp!) - act. Use lights. Use the reactions of the other characters onstage. The script suggests a dummy because the dummy is not supposed to look real - it's supposed to look silly. And so it will. Be creative, and be safe.

And whatever creative solution you use, you absolutely should not use a real noose for the scene, but use one that is rigged for failsafe safety. In a situation like this, you must take steps at every point to protect the safety of the performers. This really is a life or death question.

73

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Preshow (turn off your cellphone) announcements

« on: Nov 18, 2007, 10:57 am »

A different DC theater uses a classic guilt trip announcement to get people to turn off their cell phones. The announcement starts like a normal one... "please turn them off..." etc and then says something like "really, you don't want to be the one whose phone rings in the middle of the show, do you? Everyone will look at you. I know you think your phone is already off, but what if it isn't? That would be so embarrassing..." etc. At the beginning, the patrons ignore the speech like always. Then the chuckle as it goes on a bit. Then everyone reaches for their phone to seriously check that it's turned off. Ah, the power of negative reinforcement - guilt and embarrassment. Gets 'em every time. The announcement is a little long and silly for my taste, but it seems to work pretty well.

74

Employment / Re: How much payment should I ask for?

« on: Nov 15, 2007, 08:32 am »

I'm not sure about the Denver theatres' pay, but I assume that you're talking about all non-union houses here. In that case, you might expect far lower pay than you're suggesting. Most gigs will pay you a flat rate, not an hourly rate. As you discovered, you'll see hourly rates for things like professional tours, which also happen to pay pretty well as far as gigs go. If you're being paid a flat rate, you'll get paid at the end of the run, so you won't have any cash flow through rehearsals - plan for this!

At many small community theatres, you might not get paid at all, but you'll get experience and networking opportunities. (This is how most of us start!) At small semi-professional theatres, you could expect anything from $200-$500 per production - and this includes rehearsals and all performances. This rate can vary quite a lot depending on the theatre's budget. More established theatres (with larger budgets) could pay significantly more per show, but still you will probably get a flat fee per production, not an hourly rate, and again the rate will vary a lot. Opera tends to pay well (and has a shorter rehearsal period), so you should definitely look into Central City Opera and Opera Colorado if you can read music.

I hope this somewhat basic answer is a bit helpful to you! Perhaps some SMs more familiar with the going rates in the Denver area will chime in with tips...

75

Tools of the Trade / Re: Box Office Software

« on: Nov 04, 2007, 09:09 am »

Tessitura is close to being the bar-none for larger theaters. It also tracks donors and giving as well as ticket buyers. It is a large, powerful program that is really great. But I wouldn't recommend getting it unless the theater is ready to put the staff through training to use the system well, and ready to hire at least 1 full-time staff to support the IT side of the system.