Author Topic: Half Hour Call  (Read 24341 times)

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MatthewShiner

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #30 on: Jul 25, 2013, 12:55 am »
I think it's a sense of entitlement . . . because most actors get dressed in the last five minutes . . . it's just a longer break.

I recently worked at a theater where it was the in-house policy that each tech session have a half-hour call (it drove me nuts) - but later learned it was because many of the actors in the in-house company also taught at the local college, and this was often their only break for the day.

As we approach tech, I often will talk to the cast and explain my position on the half-hour call - but often it's just hard to fight the cast if they are expecting that every time they step on stage . . . so, I used it to dry tech ahead, or review scene changes, or work with other designers - sometimes it not worth the fight.

Again, half-hour is "work time", and should be scheduled for the producer's benefit . . . if it only takes 15 minutes to put on your wig and costume, let's start 15 minutes into the call on stage.

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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

RuthNY

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #31 on: Jul 25, 2013, 08:50 am »
I have a feeling, issues regarding "half hour call" will continue to be a recurring theme.  Anyone with variations on this theme, please post. I'll probably continue to revive this thread every couple of years, as I find it to be required (and very interesting) reading!
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BARussell

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #32 on: Jul 28, 2013, 12:35 am »
Our team just dealt with this the other day...waiting for actors who, even though we have announced multiple times before tech and during to get into costume ASAP  and come onstage when ready, they wait aroun,d chat, get dressed in the last two minutes and then cry foul! But honestly this was a two day tech which meant the faster they worked the faster they had a chance to run the show before the only dress rehearsal, even that didn't motivate them...Luckily we ended up always having something useful to do with the actors who did actually get dressed quickly so it didn't feel like wasted time.
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BARussell

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #33 on: Oct 23, 2013, 07:17 pm »
Same theatre, new actors, same problem. A veteran broadway actor tried to discuss this with me, but not being in the union I refused to contribute and told him to talk to his deputy.
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hbelden

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #34 on: Nov 01, 2013, 09:09 pm »
It's rarely a problem for me, but it did come up this year; one of my actors told me that AEA prevented me from giving notes within the half-hour call.  Now, it's true, as a courtesy I try to avoid doing so, but this actor, and the deputy as well, were surprised to discover that there's no AEA rule preventing it. 

These are the kind of notes like "be two steps to your right during scene x, you're out of your light" or "remember, you wear the gloves in scene y but not in scene z".

What really made my deputy accept my position was when I reminded him that I can't call people prior to half-hour without making it a rehearsal call.  When I have to give notes, half-hour is when the actor is on the clock.
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iamchristuffin

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #35 on: Nov 01, 2013, 09:31 pm »
What really made my deputy accept my position was when I reminded him that I can't call people prior to half-hour without making it a rehearsal call.  When I have to give notes, half-hour is when the actor is on the clock.

Going OT here very slightly - what if wigs/makeup/wardrobe took more than 30 minutes? Would there have to be a rehearsal call every night for that person?

OR, is this the situation for tech? Are there different rules for performances?

As someone who is not AEA or American, I'm curious about the provisions for this.

C

MatthewShiner

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Re: Half Hour Call
« Reply #36 on: Nov 01, 2013, 11:02 pm »
Well, there is a hard and fast rule in the contracts about this . . .

In reality, the 30-minute call is the customary call.  We already have accepted examples of calling an actor in earlier (for a fight call) or later (some SMs will call an Act 2 actor at Curtain for example).  There are rules about adding rehearsal hours prior to the half-hour call.

In the case of the LORT contract, I have had it handled in different ways, depending on the reason, the rep, and how it was presented to the actor . . .

1) As long as the breaks prior to the show call, and the time worked didn't extend passed the 3.5 hours for the show - we were fine. 
2) I have the time taken from the available rehearsal hours that week.  So if an actor was called 15 minutes early for 8 shows, which adds up to 2 hours, I was able to rehearse that actor 8 hours instead of ten (or 18 instead of 20 if they were continuing on to another show).
3) It was paid as overtime.

The real answer for a stage manager is if they think an actor is going to be called prior to half-hour, they need to discuss it with general management, and eventually figure out on their contract how the union would address it. 

But, an actor should have to work longer because, for an example, a producer doesn't have enough people to put on wigs.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

 

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