Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Ask My Frends -Work / Life Balance

“Ask my friends” continues to be a huge success. Today we have Jennifer Foster who is the Audio / Video Engineer for the sound department at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Jenn is a good friend and a great sound engineer. We have worked together on several productions and I am always impressed with her professionalism and attitude. I throw lots of curve balls to her and she handles them all gracefully and always with a smile which goes along way with not only me but our clients. I asked Jen how working in theatre she balances a work / life balance and why it is important.

“The clock strikes midnight at Sidney Harman Hall. Another show done, and I’m heading home in hopes of engaging in sweet dreams about... that rental event that starts tomorrow at 8am?! And the five projectors that I have to hang from the ceiling in the Forum after that?! Am I going to make it to orchestra rehearsal on time? I don’t know who wants to start their event that early, or who wants projectors hung from the ceiling, but I do know that I continue to work quite a zany schedule while still being able to call that which I have outside the theatre a life all the while trying very hard to maintain my sanity! I’m sure all of us working in the theatre world can fully understand the state of a sleep-deprived prisoner, and while my own sanity comes and goes (as some of my fellow colleagues can confirm), I do somehow manage to keep my life away from the Shakespeare Theatre an actual life.

When I was considering joining the McLean Symphony Orchestra a while back, a fellow theatre friend of mine said to me, “Wow, you’re like a real person!" This made me laugh, of course, but strangely I knew what she meant. How do I do this, you say? How do I balance a crazy work schedule with my personal life without being the next to fly over the cuckoo’s nest? I do owe a lot of my ability to maintain my non-work activities to a great department at work. Without the mutual respect that the five of us in the sound department share, I might not be able to attend Alliance Française events, or run that 8k on St Patty’s Day, or film weddings on Saturdays. We all compromise a little bit to accommodate each others’ personal lives to a certain degree, and we have a boss who is more than happy to see that we are all getting enough time away from work to ensure a more productive group of sound folks. If I have a race I want to run, or a vacation I'd like to take, I can bring it to my boss and we work together to see who’s available to work in my place while I’m out. Similarly, if someone else in the sound department asks for time off, I will step up to take their place while they are out. We work as a team, and are therefore able to properly fulfill our own personal lives.

Now, this is not to say that I get to do everything I would like to do outside of work. There are times when the schedule gets quite hectic and I am not able to get a night off. There are times when events pop up, the schedule changes, and all of a sudden I’m canceling my own plans. It’s in these instances that I am ever grateful to have such considerate groups of individuals outside of my work environment. The people in my amazing young adult group at Messiah UMC are always understanding of group get-togethers or meetings that I have to miss. Likewise, the McLean Symphony conductor has always been accepting of times when I have either had to be late or miss a night of rehearsal. And so the story goes it’s a juggling act, in which I’ve had to become rather skillful.

But why do I do this, you say? Why do I continue such an outrageous balancing act? I suppose the short answer would be that I love it. Despite the craziness of my job, I love the variety of work that I do, the people with whom I work, the atmosphere of the theatre, and the challenge it all presents - hanging projectors and everything! I must admit that I am completely new to the theatre world in my career, and this is the first job that I’ve ever really enjoyed in my career, so I have been motivated to accept the responsibilities it has presented albeit I have to make sacrifices at times. As this is my first theatre job, I have tried hard to maintain my previously “normal” life by continuing the activities that I have enjoyed since the age before I started working crazy nights and early mornings. The good thing about this is that I don’t take my free time for granted. I try to make the most of it while I can. And so, life continues on... I can work in theatre and be a real person all at the same time!”

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Results

I have talked about building your brand a lot and not enough about results. If you are going to make it in this business you have to have results. You have to work hard and do it well. You can have all the Facebook friends in the world, but if you are not good at what you do, it won’t matter.

You need to always be improving in your job and pushing for more and better results. That is what will get you truly noticed. Yes, you want to have a network to reach out to, but then you want key people in that network to be your champions. You want to be able to sell yourself, but how much better is it when people do that for you?

I am running into some huge challenges in my position. I have goals that are unreachable and not enough to split my focus as is required. I am currently looking at my time very carefully and making sure I am putting the time to best possible use and looking at my resources to see where I can pass some things off. I also am looking at my goals and trying to come up with out of the box ideas to help get me closer to the goals. It is kind of a running joke that my co-worker Gen and I are always think way out of the box. I have to say that some of those “way out of the box” ideas have really helped.

I am happy to be known as an out of the box thinker. (Don’t forget the monkeys.) I will keep pushing to build my network and expand this blog, but I know my real focus is results. That is what will make you stand out above the rest. Having a great network, personal brand, and, most importantly, getting results.

Monday, September 28, 2009

As I Travel

Today I am traveling so I will be catching up on my blog reading. My favorite blog is the Producers Perspective by Ken Davenport. I suggest you it add it to your favorites and stay up to date with Ken.

http://www.theproducersperspective.com/

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Two Weeks Until We March

We are two weeks away from the National Equality March in Washington DC so I wanted to repost this and hope that you all come out for the March. If you can’t make it there are many things happening around the country.

March with Us Posting

I have been waiting for a while to write this post, wondering what the angle was to tie it to theatre. True, the producers of HAIR on Broadway are canceling shows so their cast can come down for the march, but that has been blogged about. Then on Twitter I saw a video Broadway star Sutton Foster had made and I thought, “Perfect.”

The March I am talking about is the National Equality March that will take place in Washington D.C. and all over the nation on October 10th and 11th. This is so important to me. Being a gay man and not having equal rights is more than frustrating. A little more than a year ago I was the best man at my brother's wedding. I was moved by the obvious love and commitment they had for each other. I was so jealous that he had found his soul mate and that they were making that commitment to each other. I don’t want to force anything on a religion, but if a church does (and many do) want to marry a gay or lesbian couple, it should be able to happen. I should have the same rights that my brother has; to marry the person I love no matter what sex they are. On October 11th we will stand and show the nation that we are just as equal. Many minorities have had to fight for their rights, and now it is our turn. I hope you will stand and join our fight for equality.

Enough rambling.

Please watch this 2 minute video.Sutton Foster Video

And if you are in town, there are a lot of great things happening besides the march. There is a great concert at my theatre on the eve of the march titled Music of Hope and Equality . There is also a reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue at the Lincoln Theatre that is FREE presented by Arena Stage on the 12th.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Family

When I was going to high school and I was the stage manager for the first time, my mother wanted me to attend something the same night as I had rehearsal, and I told her I simply couldn’t. Theatre people, like many artists, are so passionate about their work, they often give up so much to make their art. As I went to college my mentor, Peter, always taught us about balance and how important family was. This is why I often talk about a work-life balance on this blog. I am still passionate and sacrifice time with my family and friends sometimes, but I now understand the importance of it.

Last night my grandfather past away. He lived a good life, and I will miss him. If you know you me, once I get past my initial shyness I have a weird but good sense of humor. I owe this to my father and grandfather. In August I saw him and remember laughing at a story he told about when he worked on a turkey farm. I actually recorded these stories the last time I was home and listened to them again last night.

The things I will al
ways remember will be riding around in his pick-up and going to the bank to see my grandmother. She was a teller and would give my brother and me candy. I remember how he would never ride “The Ducks” in Branson because they reminded him of when he served in the military. I will remember that he loved the casinos as much as I did, and I will never forget his smile.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

A New Segment In the Blog Begins

The other evening I was out with my boss and a co-worker, and we were talking about musicals. Go figure. I had taught them some of the tricks of Twitter, but then they were talking about Leonard Bernstein. I had that look on my face of “Who is that?” and my boss asked me if I knew who it was. I knew the name but couldn’t tell you if he was an actor or singer. Yes, I know less about musicals before the 80’s, I admit it.

In a quest to know more about theatre and become a producer, I now have a mission. On Thursdays I will write a short report about a person in theatre. I will compile a list from several people more vers than I and share what I learn with you. I will do this for one year and see how it goes. I will start with Leonard next week and hopefully have a list.

If there is someone you think I should know, please list them below. We are always students, and I love to learn. Let the learning continue . . .

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Ask My Frends - Inspiration for Design

Ask Your Friends Wednesdays is my favorite day because it reconnects me to my most talented friends. Today I pose the question to one of the most talented designers I have worked with. Not only is he a good designer but he is one of the most honest and caring people I know. We always have a blast when we hang out and I look forward to seeing where his designs take us. My question to Michael McClain was, “Where do you go for inspiration once you have been hired to design a show?”

When Jared put forth this question, I thought it would come with an easy answer. However, that belief was quickly proven incorrect. Staring at the blank screen in front of me, the only text was the question provided. I attempted to write and rewrite my first paragraph. How do I find inspiration, what is my inspiration?

I imagine all designers, all artists, start with the same tools, the same resources. The written word. A key word you hear the director use over and over. Mountains of books on history, architecture, fashion and art. Random collections of images from magazines and Google searches. Music that relates to the piece. A day spent in the park. The magic is how one uses these tools, this collection of information to inspire a design.

Personally, I have a love of books, preferably with pictures. I tend to spread all my books and any additional library finds around me on the floor. Spines open to images I like, Post-It notes on countless pages to be photo copied. A mess of loose computer paper, which has been following me since my first read, intermixed. Most of my notes are one word scribbles, describing emotions, color, and texture. Some notes are questions I’ve asked myself; Things to research in more depth. Desires and concerns the director may have brought to the table. Doodles I’ve begun to play around with. Relatable music, hopefully a musical soundtrack, playing in the background adds to the creative nest. And then there is me sitting in the middle of all this talking to myself, the egg.

To avoid getting blocked by the pressure of turning this egg, my mind, into some magical, special, poetic master design…I talk to myself. By talking through different ideas out loud, I can then question and challenge whether or not they hold water. At times, working through the collection of chaos can clear a path to something tangible. I can start to see a pattern forming from this kaleidoscope of information. Perhaps I notice that I keep identifying with the color or shade of blue, or that there is a reoccurring use of a certain material. I then have to ask myself, why? Why are these elements speaking to me, and then how does it relate to the play? As I begin to isolate these clues, a world beings to develop. There is almost always an image that becomes the jumping off point. One source that is the catalyst for the rest of my imagination to build upon.

There’s nothing like the moment when things just start clicking and for the first time you have a solid foundation. After twelve years of designing I still recall almost every magic moment of a design. I can remember where I was, what it was that made a light bulb go off. There’s a rush of energy that charges through the body as you search for pen and paper to capture an idea. That moment of clarity is personal for the artist and his work. For better or worse, each design is with me and a part of my story as a designer.

Of course there are plenty of times when nothing seems to come to me. My mind is so blank I can hear the clock in the next room keeping time. That’s when it is time to put everything down and walk away. A forced design is never a good design. I’ll look for inspiration tomorrow.

Even now as I am looking for a solid way to wrap this up, I’m blank. Think I’ll leave this ending open. I’m going to take my advice and walk to the inter-coastal and watch the boats coming in and out of the docks as the sun sets for the day.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Be Aggressive

I was talking to a good friend in New York, and she was in a rut about her career. She decided she wanted to break into Broadway. My response was, "Okay, go and do it."

How can you go from not knowing many people working on Broadway to working on Broadway yourself? I told her to connect with anyone she knows who has ties. Turned out I even had someone for her to meet. I told her to follow up. Have people introduce her or introduce herself and have her connection make the follow up call and talk about how great she was. And fortunately for her, she is one of the best.

This business is about connections. It won’t just land in your lap. As I was talking to her, I thought about my connection. I send out about 15 cards or letters every month. I get about 3 responses a month to those notes. That’s a 20% return rate. Not too good. But that’s three more contacts per month that I get than someone who sends no notes.

And some of those notes that don’t get responses pay off later. The job I have now, for instance. I was at a Technical Cattle Call for DC and noticed a new person in the room. It was the Director of Production from Shakespeare Theatre, and she had to take off before I got the chance to meet her. So I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a connection. I collected all the resumes she missed. Then, the next day, I wrote a note welcoming her to town and included all the resumes she missed. I never heard anything from her, but when I interviewed it was one of the first things we talked about. She thought it was sweet and forgot to send a note.

I don’t think it got me the job, but it made her remember my name and sure didn’t hurt. So when you are looking to change things up or even just looking to improve your network (which you should always be doing), be aggressive and send notes. You never know when it will pay off.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Rights?

The one time I saw my class at CTI get into an uproar was when we were all going around and discussing our current projects and one of the producers in my class didn’t have the rights to a show he had been working on for years and put money into.

Another time, I remember Arena Stage announced The Women of Brewster Place and then pulled it from the season because Gloria Naylor had not signed off on her rights from the book. She later did, and it appeared the following season, but you see where I am going with this.

I had just started to pursue a show for Project Fringe 10 when the authors asked about getting the rights from the book. I felt a little dumb for not asking first off. I thought it was public domain, but it turns out it is not. They now are hiring a lawyer to help them through this matter. This is so important because they have already had other people interested in licensing the show. So this is something that could yield a profit for the authors. Needless to say, I am hoping and praying the rights come through.

If you are working on a show or getting ready to, always make sure the authors and or company have the appropriate rights. It is so important.

Friday, September 18, 2009

March with Us

I have been waiting for a while to write this post, wondering what the angle was to tie it to theatre. True, the producers of HAIR on Broadway are canceling shows so their cast can come down for the march, but that has been blogged about. Then on Twitter I saw a video Broadway star Sutton Foster had made and I thought, “Perfect.”

The March I am talking about is the National Equality March that will take place in Washington D.C. and all over the nation on October 10th and 11th. This is so important to me. Being a gay man and not having equal rights is more than frustrating. A little more than a year ago I was the best man at my brother's wedding. I was moved by the obvious love and commitment they had for each other. I was so jealous that he had found his soul mate and that they were making that commitment to each other. I don’t want to force anything on a religion, but if a church does (and many do) want to marry a gay or lesbian couple, it should be able to happen. I should have the same rights that my brother has; to marry the person I love no matter what sex they are. On October 11th we will stand and show the nation that we are just as equal. Many minorities have had to fight for their rights, and now it is our turn. I hope you will stand and join our fight for equality.

Enough rambling. Please watch this 2 minute video.

Sutton Foster Video

And if you are in town, there are a lot of great things happening besides the march. There is a great concert at my theatre on the eve of the march titled Music of Hope and Equality . There is also a reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue at the Lincoln Theatre that is FREE presented by Arena Stage on the 12th.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thank You

I always tell people to send thank you notes so I wanted to send one to all of you. I have made to 100 posts and I want to thank all the readers. I want to thank all the guest bloggers for writing a post for me and last but not least, Clayton Smith who edits all my posts and guest posts.

Thank You!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Ask My Frends - Development Today

We are doing a repeat today but if you missed it the first time this is one of the best posts and it comes from Lara Smith. Lara is the Development Director at Dad’s Garage, and I have to say I keep getting more and more impressed with my friends. Lara is not only a fellow Webster University Grad but a fellow Missourian. I asked Lara, “With all the talk about the economy, how are small companies doing in the Devo area? What trends are you seeing, and how are you changing your plan to deal with the changing trends?”

"In order to give you a context for my answers, let me tell you a little about the incredible theatre where I work. Dad’s Garage Theatre Company is located in Atlanta, GA, and we like to refer to ourselves as the gateway drug to theatre. What we mean by that is we’re introducing new and nontraditional audiences in an age where many theatres are struggling with building this very audience. Not only that, but we’re cultivating new and established talent. We produce improv year-round (every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) as well as a full season of shows in our two spaces. This translates to roughly three-hundred performances of twenty some odd scripted works and improv formats, twenty-five classes, private workshops and performances, as well as numerous special events. Dad’s Garage has been operating in the black and will finish this fiscal year (ending July 31st) that way as well.

First off, I would venture to say that the organizations most affected by the economy are the big guys. Most small to mid-sized organizations didn’t lose any money in the crash and were already operating with lean budgets. That isn’t to say that some aren’t feeling the crunch, but it’s more of a trickle down. Many are predicting that the same will happen with foundations. While foundation giving wasn’t hugely impacted this year, the idea is that they’ll have less money during their next budget cycle.

Small to mid-size theatres across the country have been experiencing success with special events as long as they are being made worthwhile. Theatres are getting smarter about the events they throw, what the ticket price includes, and what they’re spending. Our biggest annual fundraiser is BaconFest—250 pounds of bacon, 5 kegs of beer, a silent auction, an improv performance, bands, carnival games...well, you get the picture. Theatres are getting to know their audiences and throwing parties that people want to attend. Nobody wants to hang out on a sinking ship. They want to go to the biggest, most awesome, ridiculous party you can throw. Whatever that means for you.

The biggest impact of the economy has been on individual contributions. Regardless of the economy, people give to people. Therefore, more and more theatres are spending time making sure they’re keeping their friends, fans, and families close. This means honesty, transparency, and a willingness to over-communicate. Donors want to know how the places they are passionate about are coping and what their plans are for sustainability.

Just as organizations are reacting to the changing times, so too are granting organizations. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund recently reworked their funding priorities. In the past, the two had been more focused on project support. They recognized the need in the community, and both turned around to offer general operating support grants for the current fiscal year to nonprofit organizations. They awarded these grants to organizations that had built up the infrastructure to not only survive, but thrive in this economy with additional capital.

Each organization is reacting differently to changing trends. We’re interacting with our audience online instead of via mail. As an organization anchored in improv, we’re making everything more interactive with our patrons. We’re building deeper relationships and creating audiences that are truly invested in our product. In my mind, being in development just means selling someone on an idea. If you have an individual in love with your idea, who understands its necessity and the impact it has on the world, then the economy won’t stop them from giving. It all begins with the product.

People want a definite answer of what is working right now, and the truth is there are a lot of things. The biggest question someone in development has to be able to answer is, "What would the world be missing if my organization ceased to exist?” If you can answer that question and answer it well, you will always have donors. There are a lot of answers to that question, and organizations have donors who give for every one of those reasons.

The name of the game is mass customization. Personalization. But this has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with the changing face of the world. Investment Philanthropy. Donors want to know exactly what impact their money is having and are probably giving for a very specific reason. (This logic is the same reason that traditional subscription packages are falling to the wayside for flex passes. People don’t want to see a whole season—they want to see very specific shows for personal reasons.)

So: how are small to mid-sized theatres doing? Depends on who you talk to. Surely you’ve seen one of the many “give us money or we can’t survive” emails that have gone out over the past few months. But our ticket sales are actually up. Our contributed income is projected to come in at goal. Every organization is facing different waters.

What are the trends? Keep your friends and fans closer and more informed than you ever have before. One of the big successes we’ve seen this year is letting people know exactly what we can get with their money. Yup--$53 buys us bathroom supplies for one month. We have a younger audience, so we’re utilizing a lot more technology than anything else, but this won’t work for every organization. It’s all about the audience. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is great for building a deeper relationship with patrons, but only if they’re using it.


How are my plans changing? Every day. Truly. That’s the great thing about working at a small organization and one of the reasons we are weathering this economy so well. We’re nimble enough to react to the environment but stable enough to make decisions with sustainability in mind. You have to keep an open mind, know when to take risks, and take responsibility for your actions. In those ways (and a lot of others), nonprofit management is improv in practice."

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Ad Evolution

Artwork is such an important part of advertising a show. When I worked at Arena Stage they had artists hired to draw and design a poster for every show. I loved the variety and loved that it was from different artists and not just a graphic designer who threw something together. I am not picking on graphic designers, but often the season designs look the same and don’t define every show as its own.

I ran across this link in the New York Times about the design and creation of the Ragtime poster and thought it was interesting to see the different stages of design and hear the creative director from the ad agency discuss how they got to the final poster.

In my office I have a poster of the 07-08 Broadway season and love how different the images are. When I look up at it, a couple of them pop out to me. Enjoy the video and tell me what your favorite show poster is.


NY Times Article

Monday, September 14, 2009

Closing? Not with a reputation like that.

Avenue Q closed last evening on Broadway, but at that performance the producers announced that they would move the show to off-Broadway at New World Stage.

Genius!

The show is losing attendance and cannot make the nut it needs to run on Broadway. But it is a more off-Broadway show anyway, and after 6 years and recouping, it has such a reputation that it can move to off-Broadway. Variety reported it is the first Broadway show to transfer to off-Broadway.

I personally think this is a great move. They have the sets, costumes, and puppets and have recouped the cost, so why not keep it running! My hats are off to the producers, and may they have a long run off-Broadway.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Today We Remember

Today we remember those lives lost on September 11, 2001. I have put a tribute video below that I found on YouTube. The video is graphic with live video from that day.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Oh, Human Resources

I must say, I love having a real department dedicated to Human Recourses. This is the first time I have been at a non-profit that had that. Some had part-time HR employees, but never two full-time people. And they do a great job.

This week the blog and website policy was revealed. I get a little touchy about this because it is free speech, though I do understand the necessity of the policy. Not everyone has a blog as serious as mine and might slip, and Lord knows I could slip up too. So here is a line that will not appear on every page or with every posting, but I will say it once for all to read so that should I ever slip up, it is in there.

These are my personal views and not those of the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

I have said it before and am still so surprised by the content I see out there on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. This could all come back to bite you at some point, and you should be careful. A friend put it this way, “Just imagine everything you post is going on the front page of the New York Times.”

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Ask My Frends - Going Back To School

Today we have a person who recently came back into my life and I can’t wait to hang out more often. Jennifer Hopkins and I both attended Webster University in St. Louis which is where I fell in love with her sweet personality and passion for the art. We haven’t seen each other since college but she was recently accepted to the Academy of Classical Acting here in Washington, DC. Many of us think should we go back to school? I have noticed a large number of my friends are returning to school so my question to Jenn is, “Why, after 5 years, have I made the decision to return to my studies at a graduate level acting program?”

“You could say I wasn’t getting to where I wanted to be artistically and felt that I needed more schooling in the illustrious ways of acting on stage. But this might be too pretty a picture. You could say that no one goes to get their Master’s degree if they don’t intend to teach one day (as my best friend so accused) but this would be…an unfortunate assumption. You could say I needed to reformat the hard drive of Me: That so-called vessel of my character work and the tool which allows me to do what I love. Above all, this would be closer to the truth. I once heard a (relatively) wise man say that actors wanted to be told the truth. I do. And I need to be told some truths right now.

I returned from a tour this January and immediately began to re-access the avenue in which I was pursuing a performance career. With a musical theater BFA that I have never used in the 5 years I’ve lived in New York since undergrad, which is to say I have not been a part of one musical since college, I knew something needed to change. Have I been going about this in the wrong way? Or am I simply not truly “musical theater” material? Every singing audition felt like a knife twisting in my gut. I would shower myself with excuses and reasons not to walk out my door to that MT audition. The same excuses every actor conjures when facing something that tests their nerve or lacks personal inspiration. So – here we have it – 2009 and a new president telling me, “Yes we can!” so heck, I suppose I must Do. I discovered The Academy for Classical Acting through George Washington University and the Shakespeare Theater Company of DC by a few fortuitous strokes of my keyboard, and the audition date was set. No question. Over the last three summers I have been employed (quite luckily) as a teacher of Shakespeare at various programs for 15-18 year olds in England and France. The sudden impulse to immerse myself in iambic pentameter as a student was powerful and doubtless.

I auditioned on February 28th. The audition, the people, the atmosphere felt overwhelmingly like home, and I left feeling successful in what I’d set out to accomplish. Sometimes, as an actor, that is simply all you can ask for. Within 5 minutes I was stopped by a phone message on my way to buy a celebratory latte. My dad had been in a near-fatal car accident, hit by a drunk driver that Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. Everything changed – and “To be or not to be” became quickly replaced with nothing but prayers. I immediately flew to my hometown and no thoughts of my own future really prevailed. It was three weeks, countless tears, broken bones, and a big leap in the right direction of my father’s health later that I received a phone call as I sat by his hospital bedside. [Freakin’] A, I was actually accepted to ACA. I tell you honestly and without self-indulgence that, aside from my father’s improving health, it is the only grand thing that has happened to me this year.

After months of taking care of my favorite person (Daddy) and teaching students over the summer, I find myself immersed in daily activity that is selfishly about Me. My own alignment is important. My voice. My stretch. My intent. I have no delusions of being an axis, but it is a beautiful thing to remind yourself, actor or not, that Your health matters. We spend so much time as performers trying to please directors and those who cast, as people we have others to take care of and to appease. I’m here in DC now to speak the speech I long to speak. To retrain myself out of bad habits, both metaphorically and realistically. My apartment in New York is empty and will soon be the stage of someone else’s life, whilst mine continues on this new adventure. I believe everyone is entitled to a period of time when they are allowed to focus in and take care of themselves. I can’t wait to see what it does to me this year amongst a group of talented fellow students and leaders of this profession as my instructors.”

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Show Must Go On

That was the title of a NY Times article that discussed the seasons of many theatres in New Jersey, but they also cited the budget problems many theatres are facing. In the article, the first three theatres said they had made staff reductions.

Yes, the show must go on, and many theatres are doing what they can. Each theatre is trying to find a way to make it through. We, as was reported by the Washington Post, took a week furlough (a temporary leave of absence from employment without pay). Which was not so bad, but I am feeling the effects now. But at least there was not a staff reduction. I have been there and seen the affects it has on the staff.

Budgets are so tight it makes you forget the wonderful times when you had the money. I remember a couple of years ago, before things were tight and our office went to have a Christmas lunch, and we made a little field trip out of it by taking the bus across the city. It was a nice meal, which the theatre picked up. Just that little act made a huge difference on our office. I remember thinking to myself, “When you are the boss, don’t forget to treat your employees,” because I saw how much the mood and productivity picked up.

Now we are in tough times, and I think we forget to have fun. I always thought Arena Stage tried to make sure there were fun things to do throughout the year. It was usually headed up by Alison in the executive office, but even when they didn’t have money they were doing something fun to keep the “kids” happy. I write this because I want you to think of something special you can do for your staff, even if it's for free. Maybe let them take a half day on Friday because they have worked so hard through this summer. Whatever it is doesn’t have to cost money, but never forget the importance of your staff's morale.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Happy Labor Day Weekend

I hope you all have a great Labor Day Weekend! Push through today and here is a little video to help get you through. See you all next week!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Ask My Frends - At the Ballet Part II

Part II from Brianna Harnden yesterday. I didn’t mention how much I love this girl. She is so bright and funny. When I think of the days that Neff Theatricals becomes a reality I have a couple people that I MUST have on my team and Brianna is defiantly at the top of the list. As you can tell by yesterday’s post she is much more than a talented Stage Manager. Here is the second half of her post.

"... Kat mentioned that the lifestyle of an opera stage manager is somewhat nomadic. Because one stage manager can probably do all of the shows in the whole season, it can be tricky to get a position, but once you are in, you are likely to stay for years. Ballet stage managers will probably find the easiest time of settling down and staying in one town. Of course, there is the occasional tour to Russia or China, but those are with your own company and are more like a holiday than anything (yet another reason I am in love with ballet).

I do also want to comment on how lovely dancers are to work with. Whenever I tell someone I’ve moved into ballet, they ask a question related to the “diva” attitude stereotypically associated with dancers. I have seen nothing but the opposite. These artists have been in intense physical training for probably 80 percent of their lives, and they are trained to listen to their directors and stage managers. As with any artist, if you show the dancers that you are there to protect them and do whatever you can to help them dance at their highest quality, they will clear the stage when you ask them to. I have never gotten any lip or encountered anyone thinking they are entitled to better treatment than another dancer, which I can not say of any of my experiences in regional theatre. And how can you not respect a dancer? I will gladly work all hours of the day perfecting my cue calling because I know they are always working harder than I am.

I am lucky to have found my passion in the world of ballet. For any stage manager starting out in the world, no matter the genre, the most important advice I can give you is to do the things that scare you; take those big chances. Yes, you may fall flat on your face. But if you prepare, and if you’re good, it really is the only way to get ahead. When I was on my first internship with a major ballet company, I didn’t take the big chance that was staring at me. The stage manager was training the ASM to call Giselle. I would come into the office everyday and he would be studying the tapes, the massive score open on his lap, and I thought, “I could do that too.” I could almost feel that if I asked, I may be allowed to actually call a Tuesday Matinee. But I didn’t ask, because I was terrified I would mess it up. So I missed out on a big opportunity to learn, even if I never got to call a real show.

Also, find a company with people that you love. We have committed ourselves to doing something we love instead of something expected. If you find yourself not getting along with co-workers to an unhealthy degree, maybe you aren’t in the right place. I think this was also part of the problem on that first ballet internship. Still, I fell in love with stage managing dance, and I was lucky enough to find a home with The Washington Ballet, for whom I now assistant stage manage for occasionally. My first job with them was last winter, working on their whimsical production of The Nutcracker. From day one, I knew it was going to be fantastic, and the camaraderie and respect everyone in the company has for one another was immediately apparent. Because I felt so safe, I was willing to take the risk of asking to learn to call the show (even though it still terrified me), and thanks to my amazing stage manager, by the end of the run, I was calling 4 out of 8 shows per week. I simply adored it.

In short, there is nothing in the world quite like ballet. If you haven’t seen a proper ballet, go put it on your to-do list right now. If you’re timid, go see something newly choreographed and modern; the things these dancers can do will stun you. But go see a classic and you will see an art form that truly encompasses all that we are capable of as humans."





Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Ask My Frends - At the Ballet Part I

A couple of weeks ago we heard from a stage manager about the differences between Opera and Theatre and so I thought it would be interesting to hear the differences between Dance and Theatre. For that I have asked my dear friend Brianna Harnden. I actually help recruit Bri for Webster University and then hired her as an intern at Arena Stage where she went on to become a full-time staff member. Her true passion is with dance and Ballet and she has worked on several productions with the Washington Ballet. As you will see Bri is a tremendous writer although a little wordy for a blog so this will be broken into two days.

“From the audience, it is lush and perfect in the theatre before a ballet. The seats are the same thick velvet as the house curtain, and a little thrill runs through the air as the lights dim and the theater vibrates with the sound of a full, live orchestra tuning to A. From backstage, you are temporarily blinded by the abundant side-lighting required for dance. The dancers take their places, shedding their warm-up clothes and, with simply the straightening of a spine, transform their bodies into highly skilled, taut pieces of art in seconds. It goes dark onstage, and the curtain rises.


There is nothing more amazing and beautiful than watching ballet - except watching it from backstage. From the wings, you can see the dancers breathe. You can hear them mutter through frozen smiles at their partners before a particularly difficult lift. And my goodness do they sweat! The audience can see none of this, and to them it looks effortless. As a stage manager of ballet, I love that I get to see the secrets of this magical world, and be a small part of it.

The week before last one of our mutual friends wrote to you about the world of opera. Today I’m going to give you a little peek into the world of the ballet, and hopefully give you a feel for what it’s like to stage manage dance.

Like Kat and Jared, I was trained to stage manage for regional theatre. The basic organizational and communication skills you need to be an effective stage manager are the same across all fields of live entertainment, but there are many interesting deviations between forms. Ballet is an even more intense version of opera, I think. Gone are the days of feeding actors lines. Gone are the days of sitting behind a table in the rehearsal hall going through one page of script over and over, constantly erasing your blocking notes until the page resembles crumpled newspaper. Ballet is all tech and performance, quick and dirty work for a stage manager.

Let’s start from the beginning of a stage manager’s work on any one particular ballet. The first major difference is that they often work alone. In larger companies, they are likely to have one assistant, but 90% of the responsibility of the team still falls on the stage manager. Usually they begin working on a show 2 to 3 weeks before it goes into tech. This work is done usually in front of their TV at home, because the great majority of ballets are in true repertoire - meaning the ballet in question was choreographed, designed, rehearsed, perfected, and archived as many as 173 years ago. (Obviously in the case of those ballets, only the choreography is that old; the sets and costumes are newer.) The stage manager learns the choreography and music by watching a VHS or DVD of the piece from the last time it was recorded. Sometimes, if that particular company hasn’t done the ballet before, the tape and all set pieces and costumes will be sent from another company. Larger companies with fancy equipment have DVDs that actually include a feed of the stage manager calling the show, making the job of learning the show even easier. Still, without an extensive knowledge of how to read and (this is important) feel music, calling the hundreds of cues involved in a full-length classical ballet can be daunting.

A week or so before the big opening night, a team goes down to the warehouse and pulls out all of the set pieces and costumes and shines them up a bit. The dancers have been in the studio for a few weeks learning their parts by watching videos or learning from Ballet Masters, who are generally former principal dancers who know the choreography to many ballets in immense detail. Because these Masters deal with the pressings of play and pause on the stereo, the stage manager generally only has to attend one or two rehearsals in the studios. I like to lurk around more often because I find it fascinating, but most of the learning is done off of the archival tapes.

Another major difference: you don’t have to touch or check a single prop. You are there to call cues. That is all. Your assistant doesn’t even have to touch or check a single prop. Of course, as stage managers and perfectionists it is hard, and you’ll find us subtly glancing about the stage to make sure that the prop handlers have set the fake rat in the fireplace, tail facing downstage. To be honest, the job of an ASM in Ballet is not very difficult: they are basically there to patrol the stage and deal with any crises that pop up that the stage manager won’t be able to handle because she is in the midst of a huge cueing sequence. The assistant makes sure the proud moms of tiny ballerinas don’t sneak backstage to take pictures and get in the way of huge rolling staircases. They sit with the little girl who threw up on the stage left wall until her Dad comes to pick her up (glamorous, I know). They keep an eye on the Stage Manager’s water bottle and box of tissues. Keep the Dancers happy. Count to make sure there are 8 white butterflies and 8 blue butterflies at the top of Act Two, which is extremely difficult when the butterflies are actually dancers strolling about in the wings, never standing still, and constantly returning to the dressing rooms to get hairpins. Oh, and they all look exactly the same for about two weeks, with the identical costumes, makeup, and bunned hair.

The stage manager guides the team through the technical rehearsals, obviously working the most closely with the lighting designer. This process is very similar to it’s regional theatre counterpart, so I won’t go into too much detail. It’s like stage managing a huge musical with no lyrics. And once you settle into the run, which can be three or four weeks for a show like the Nutcracker or three or four nights for what we call a “series” piece (usually consisting of three shorter, more recently choreographed dances), it is just like the run of a big musical."

More to come tomorrow. . .

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Spider-Man Musical meets the Mouse?

So if you haven’t been watching the news lately, Disney has just bought Marvel Comics.

This adds yet another twist in the web Spider-Man is building on Broadway. So far Disney has not commented about getting involved in the musical, and sources, which are still pretty sketchy themselves, say that it's over anyway. Could this buyout save the musical? After all, Peter Schneider is one of few people who work well with Julie Taymor.

I hope, just so I can see this musical, that Disney Theatricals does come in and pull rank. I doubt they will unless they are invited, but I hope they do. They have the expertise and money to make this musical come alive and possibly make money. What I would give to be in on those talks.

As I have said before, this is going to be a show to watch.