The Internet

[KMC]

Technology has always changed the way that humans communicate with each other.  Seemingly, the demand through the past several thousand years has been to achieve the fastest method of communication possible.

In ancient Greece the runners of Marathon acted as Messengers between cities.  The Pony Express delivered messages in the American West as quickly as possible.  The Pony Express was replaced by the telegraph, which was replaced by the telephone.  The telephone evolved into the cell phone, and widespread usage of the internet followed shortly thereafter.  The trend seems irreversible and undoubtedly these have all changed the way we communicate.

Email, instant messaging, and social networking sites like facebook and myspace are changing the way we communicate today, and more people are online than ever.  With that in mind - I'd like to pose several questions to you all! 

Of course - feel free to answer all, or some of these questions, and share any personal experiences that help illustrate yours or someone else's point.  We have a very broad range of experience levels and age on this site which should provide for a very well-rounded discussion from many sides of the industry.  So without further ado...

• In your experience how has the internet changed the way people communicate?
• To what degree do you use the internet during production?  What do you use it for?
• In your experience, what are the benefits of incorporating the internet into stage management?  Also, what are the pitfalls?
• In your opinion, what role should the internet play in stage management?

[sievep]

Well, one of the obvious benefits to the Internet is e-mail, which allows a Stage Manager to distribute notes to a large number of people in different locations.

I think one of it's benefits as well as it's pitfalls is it's impersonal nature.  On the plus side it allows for websites like this, and on the downside there are some people who can't or don't function well with electronic copies of notes, and phone calls must be made.  With one of my recent employers I found it best not to e-mail her at all, as she almost never responded in a timely fashion, and I also know perfectly reasonable people who, if you send them an e-mail to ask a question, think its some kind of political power play and blow things out of proportion . . . .leaving an electronic copy of their tissy fit for later reference.  It's very strange. 

And then, of course, there are those people who just can't get with this new fangled Internet thing .  . .again someone I recently worked with who had no Internet access and really should have, as she was the Props Master in a small market and probably could have ordered some great stuff over the net. 

I didn't touch on every question you posed, but I guess these are just my random musings. . . .

[Jessie_K]

For Production:
At my current job, I send all my reports, schedules etc via email.  I usually will send separate emails to individuals as follow ups.  And then usually have to do a follow up in person a couple times a week.  I find that some people read the emails, so people don't.  Some people only read their "section" of the report.  However, this is not really different from times when I have done hard copy reports.  Some people just don't read.  Even though it is their job to read.

For Cast:
99% of the performers I work with prefer to have the schedule emailed to them.  In fact, I rarely do a rehearsal hotline anymore. 

I have made websites for plays before and posted schedules on the site.  But have stopped doing this because of security issues. 

Matthew Shiner- can you weigh in on this issue?  I have found that when I work with name-actors, they can be super touchy about people knowing where they will be.

For communications in general:
I personally enjoy using email because, as Paul pointed out, it keeps a record of who said what when.

Also, on my current show, some of the actors are bringing in costumes or props that inspire them.  I take pictures of these and email them to the designers.  It is very helpful to be able to send decent photos in a timely matter to designers who are out of state.

[loebtmc]

Working with deaf actors, director and designers, internet is my saving grace! I get to give everyone the same info, there is no chance of misunderstanding, and I get clear responses too.

And I get to separate what I need easily and use cut/paste where appropriate instead of repeating the same info repeatedly on the phone.

[MatthewShiner]

I don't do a web site for a daily call for a variety of reasons

1) Security - yes, named actors don't want that info.   (also, most named actors - we call them and leave their call on the cell phone.)
2) I found the time it took to put the web page up was time consuming.
3) Since I work at a regional theatre, not all of the actors who are "in town" have a laptop to check the web site.

[J]

With the theatre I work for, laptop computers are provided for the rehearsal room. This can be very useful when needing to accomplish a few tasks without distraction. The most useful times are when needing to contact stage door.  They are at a computer all the time and receive emails instantly.  So when the air needs turned on, or if it's getting too cold, shoot stage door an email and they call facilities. if the weather looks bad, send them an email and they'll let you know about alerts.

Also, the SM staff has begun to use google talk as a way of communicating to each other in the rehearsal room instead of whispering back and forth. It is used primarily for work related things...but every once in a while other conversations can begin between the SMs...we do our best to keep it in check.

Of course there is the obvious.  Reports sent via email, a lot of designer/department emails instead of phone calls.  The schedule is posted daily in a folder that the entire theatre can see (in the computer network) so it is not sent by email. Hard copies are still distributed of course.

Actors do not give their email addresses and we do not email them for any reason. Most of the time they check the tape for their daily call, but any other communication with them is at rehearsal or on the phone.

Being online can be a great help to a process. When in rehearsal you can get answers much quicker than if you're without internet. Looking up info on wikipedia or google can also help a lot. Of course this goes the opposite way, and I think to some degree those of us with internet in the room fall into the trap from time to time...sometimes we do look at things on the computer that are not work related. That, simply put, is the major pitfall.

[kiwitechgirl]

To what degree do you use the internet during production?  What do you use it for?

I use it pretty extensively.  Rehearsal and production meeting notes are e-mailed out daily, and any non-production issues that happen during shows usually get e-mailed to the person who needs to know  - patron issues to FOH manager etc etc, for example one of my actors had his father pass away last night, I informed the CEO of this via e-mail tonight.  Our timesheets are all electronic now, so they get e-mailed to the admin staff weekly, which cuts down on the paper in the office - tidier, and better for the planet!  It hasn't replaced the hard copy show report for production issues, which gets pinned onto the noticeboard nightly and issues signed off as they're sorted by the relevant department.  Our props department makes huge use of it, sourcing and buying a lot of stuff, as do wardrobe, and it's made research a lot faster and has reduced trips to the library enormously!  The sound department use it to find backing tracks (we do kids' shows which often rewrite the words to popular songs, and need a backing for it) which is faster and cheaper than getting them recorded specially.  I'm also starting to find that Facebook is the communication method of choice for some people - not me personally, but a director I work with often uses it.

In your experience, what are the benefits of incorporating the internet into stage management?  Also, what are the pitfalls?

The internet has made the distribution of information much easier - one e-mail can send information to a very large group of people all at once, saving time.  But, while it is instant communication, there's no way of guaranteeing the person will see it instantly.  With a phone call or face-to-face conversation, you know the information has been imparted right there and then.  With e-mail, it's often the start of the person's next working day before they read it.  I don't ever use e-mail for vital problems.

[Jessie_K]

Today during tech, my sound designer made great use of the internet.

The director and he had gone through and figured out the music to use for underscore, transitions etc.  But as usual, inspiration hits during tech. The director would ask for sound in a new place or a different song and the designer was able to download instantly from iTunes and immediately use it.  No more waiting two days to go buy a CD!

[Sarah]

For Cast:
99% of the performers I work with prefer to have the schedule emailed to them.  In fact, I rarely do a rehearsal hotline anymore.

 

I think I'll try that next season. I view with the utmost displeasure recording the hotline after two days of 10/12s. Funny how telecommunications is being supplanted by electronic versions of information management.

I'm trying a website for the summer show for which I'm working, and I will password protect the site so that only the company members (which is comprised in part by 40 kids and their parents) can access the information.

Here's a link to a previous topic concerning IM programs in rehearsal. Here is another link to a topic about effective communications as it relates to technology and here is a link to a thread about rehearsal reports with regard to time management and the way we communicate through rehearsal reports. I love it that we are revisiting this topic again. Thanks Kevin!

I love it that the Internet has allowed many of our distribution lists to become nearly paperless, but as kiwitechgirl points out, there's no guarantee that just because you send out a report means the recipient will read and/or acknowledge it. This is an effect of the speed at which we are able to disseminate information; we are not able to follow up at the same rate. How-fast-do-you-want-it is a symptom of the capitalist consumer mindset.

It's evident that our interpersonal communications systems are evolving, and continue to evolve, because of current technologies; I think SMs should endeavor to use the Internet, and any other attendant technologies at their disposal, to increase efficiency, when applicable. For instance, a stage manager is in the rehearsal room and the director wants to add a sound cue of breaking glass that will motivate the actor's next movement. Is it stepping over the line or on the sound designer's toes if the SM goes to any one of the myriad sound effect web sites and downloads a free .wav file of breaking glass to play over the rehearsal hall sound system, through which the SM's laptop is connected? Or is the SM being efficient?

[J]

99% of the performers I work with prefer to have the schedule emailed to them.  In fact, I rarely do a rehearsal hotline anymore. 

Here's my big concern with having schedules only done by email....

Everyone one has a phone (or is given one by the theatre while in town) but not everyone has a computer.  That's problem number one.  For those that do have computers and email, there is no safety net if the email doesn't get to them.  It can get lost in cyberspace, get sent to their spam folder, etc. etc, and then you're either dealing with actors who just said "screw it, I guess I don't rehearse tomorrow" or getting calls late at night/early in the morning asking "when do I come in?"  Email fails all the time.  We've all sent emails to find they haven't been received or been asked if an email has been received by us with no knowledge of it whatsoever.

Having the responsibility lie on the actor to check the schedule on a hotline is much safer than relying on an email sent to them.  sometimes I send the schedule as an email along with putting it on the voicemail, but I don't think sending it by email alone is a safe bet.

Just my opinion.

[Mac Calder]

One must remember that Email is just one more way of communicating, and no matter how you communicate, to guarantee reception, you NEED to get confirmation from the receiver. Over the phone, that is easy - you talk to the receiver. If you are not going to get confirmation, you need to make the data available in multiple places.

For me, that means I write a rehearsal schedule in PDF format, I email it, and I upload it to a web directory with basic password protection. I also have copies available on me at rehearsals, and I have a fax list, for those who like faxes. If I have a hotline phone available, then I will keep something on there too. Whilst I have not had to do much of that sort of stuff in the last year and a half, the technologies being developed have only made that sort of thing easier.

The bonus with the internet is that it increases availability of information. I can publish something online and my cast can access it seconds later. That and it is also a fairly reliable system - I have lost fewer emails to my junk folder and the 'ether' than I have lost snail mail through the local postal service. However it does shift the onus onto us in some peoples mind - which is wrong. Actors should still be responsible for ensuring that they get the information. It getting lost in the Junk folder, or not reaching them is not an adequate excuse IMO. They still have your phone number after all.

[Sarah]

Having the responsibility lie on the actor to check the schedule on a hotline is much safer than relying on an email sent to them.

I completely agree with that; maybe there's a way to compromise. Maybe information can be included on the production calendar that states the schedule will be e-mailed during tech. Hm. I dunno. It's a thought.

[J]

Maybe it's just me, but during tech, the schedules are pretty easy....usually everyone is called all day.  Also, I know it's a bummer to have to record a schedule after a long day of tech, but we are stage managers, and we do get paid more than the actors, and that's our job, to work a little bit longer than they do. Plus, there is the tech week pay bump to help out with those late nights.

[Jessie_K]

Here's my big concern with having schedules only done by email....

Everyone one has a phone (or is given one by the theatre while in town) but not everyone has a computer.  That's problem number one.  For those that do have computers and email, there is no safety net if the email doesn't get to them.  It can get lost in cyberspace, get sent to their spam folder, etc. etc, and then you're either dealing with actors who just said "screw it, I guess I don't rehearse tomorrow" or getting calls late at night/early in the morning asking "when do I come in?"  Email fails all the time.  We've all sent emails to find they haven't been received or been asked if an email has been received by us with no knowledge of it whatsoever.

Having the responsibility lie on the actor to check the schedule on a hotline is much safer than relying on an email sent to them.  sometimes I send the schedule as an email along with putting it on the voicemail, but I don't think sending it by email alone is a safe bet.

Just my opinion.

I feel the need to add that I ALWAYS clarify with the cast what their preferred method is.  If a single person says that email is NOT the preference, I provide alternatives for ALL.  But it has been 14 months since anyone has indicated that email is not their number 1 choice. 

I don't lead them to email.  I ask what they prefer.  They say email.  So I email.

[Jessie_K]

More:  I also post hard copies on call board and rehearsal room door. 

I am not solely relying on email.  EVER.  I am not advocating doing that.