Onstage > Stage Management: Plays & Musicals

MORALE: Birthday cakes

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oldjoedrummond:
Having just spent over $100 of my own money on birthday cakes for actors birthdays that fell during the production, I was wondering if anyone has any clever ways of dealing with this issue. I have been told it's the stage managers responsibility to provide cakes but management doesn't pay for this expense.

jpz:
Hmm... interesting. I can't say I've ever come across a situation where it's SM responsibility to provide b-day cakes. (It is indeed very nice of you to do it, and a nice touch.)  In my experience, either the company has paid for a cake, or cast members have bought cakes for each other.

If you want to continue organizing it (and feel the actors want it to continue), and mgmt won't pay for it, perhaps you could start a "birthday fund"... getting a little bit of money from everyone in the cast.

casper:
Buy one cake for all birthdays during that month or get/make cupcakes/brownies.  There is rarelly any left over and it is much cheaper.  I like the birthday fund as well.

ERK:
AND claim it on your taxes!

loebtmc:
With larger casts, we were always able to get a birthday fund for cakes and cards (which, I might add, are much cheaper and can easily be passed around backstage). In smaller casts, the company always paid for it, and whether we got a cake for the month or individual ones depended on the # of bdays and the length of the run. Of course, I always got birthdays in my emergency info sheet, so I had the master calendar by the first week of reh and could let the office know so they could decide if they wanted to handle it - always gave them first refusal cuz hey, if they want to pay for it, I am happy to let them!

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