I am back!

It has been so long since I have blogged I feel a little weird getting back into it. Since I have been gone, I have been working on two projects. One is a Fringe Show and the other a real live commercial project for next Christmas. Although the Christmas project hit a big bump today I hope it will pan out.

I don’t even know where to start.

Hmm. I think I will just share the “Obama musical” with you first and really pick up some hot topics tomorrow. (Please watch it all so you can hear how catchy “Yes We Can” is.)

THE BLOG IS BACK!

I will be posting again starting Monday, Marh 1! Check back then!

Top Ten List

Well, in case you missed it, I put together a list of the 10 Most Powerful People in DCTheatre . Which, by the way, has resulted in a lot of new readers to the blog. The day the list was released I got about 20 calls and emails with comments and questions, so I thought I would address them here. And next time, please leave the comments in the comments section. That’s what it's for, and it will start a discussion.

First off, I did not create the list. Well, I did, but I did through a fair amount of votes from many DC insiders. Secondly, I didn’t want to sway the votes. People thought the Helen Hayes Awards were over represented. Well, maybe they and the people behind them have more pull than we think. But in any case, I did not want to combine any of the names. No one did on their votes, and I didn’t see it as my job to sway them by making that decision.

I think the most interesting part of this list will come next year. Who will be named? Will the Helen Hayes be combined? Who will fill those gaps? Will there be more votes for people who weren’t named just because they weren’t? Will Eric still be in the top three?

Welcome to all the new readers, and I look forward to your comments as the year goes on.

Think About It

I often see things in the day to day routine of my job that make think, “Why do we do it that way?” Then I go on to think that it is not my responsibility, and I let it go instead of taking any kind of action. There was a lady at my old theatre who was infamous for calling facility operations about every light bulb that was out in the lobby or theatre. Everyone would make fun of her because she was so such a busybody. Looking back on it I wondered why no one ever asked why there were so many lights out in the lobby. They should also be asking whose job is it to check those, or maybe why we didn’t have a better system in place.

The fact of the matter is people often do enough to get by and don’t want to interfere with other peoples' jobs when sometimes maybe they should.

For instance, look at this sign. Someone had to hang these signs up. I have no doubt they were told to do it, and instead of questioning whoever hired them to put this up, they just did it. Surely they were smart enough to say, “This doesn’t make sense,” but instead they just hung them and walked away. It wasn’t their job to fix it, but just to hang them.

Think about where you work and what things are not working. We should be asking what is working and what is not and how can we fix the stuff that isn’t. Instead of making fun of the lady calling about the out lights everywhere, maybe look at why there are so many lights out and figure out how to fix that problem. Just saying "It isn’t my job to do that" leads to more and more problems. If you make things easier for customers you improve their experience. What are some problems you see every day that you just walk by because it is someone else’s responsibility?

What I Learned at the Summit – Part 2

“They Call It A Job For A Reason.” This is what the Publisher of the Washington Blade said in a workshop as she referred to our generation and our attitude toward work. I was the youngest person in the room and I wanted to stand up and say, “Excuse me?” But I knew that she was partly- well maybe more than partly- right. I don’t think I am as lazy as some but I do think our generation expects to have things handed to them. They expect to have Facebook time at work. They expect to have weekends off and not stay late.

I'm not saying that I have never been guilty of wanting to skip out early. But then again, I think of all the times we put so much time and energy into a company to just be let down. Take Arena Stage for instance; I worked so many hours and put in so much extra time because I loved the job but more importantly because I truly cared about the company and my work there. Was it life or death if I didn’t finish the budget reports on time? No. But I personally just couldn’t let them sit undone. And then the company hit on hard times and I was laid off. I was even more heartbreaking because I had tried so hard while I was there. Many days when I was sick I would come in only so I would not let the team down.

My point is that while we should care about our work and try our best, there is a point that you have to reach a work-life balance. Don’t expect your boss to make your job easy. Expect him to challenge you, test you and most importantly, make you a better employee and person. Put in the hours without sacrificing your sanity.

Lynne Brown, the Publisher of the Blade, said she could host a whole panel on “our generation” and our work ethic. When I sat next to her later in the day I asked her about that and said I would love to be a part of that panel. Are we lazy? Or are we just smarter about work / life balance? I am really curious to hear your thoughts.

Learning from each other

This week in an all-staff meeting, the Development Department got up and explained to the company what they do. They each took a segment of their job and spoke about it to the whole company.

How often have you been sitting around and talking about work and saying, “Why do they need so many devo people? Or lights people? Or whatever?” We often take for granted the departments we work with less. When you don’t interact with them, it may seen like there are just too many in xyz department.

Each staff meeting we will have another department talk about what they do. I just thought it was a good idea to keep in mind how important every part of the organization is.

HAIR

We are now four days away from the National Equality March. Broadway is taking a huge interest in this march, and it is exciting for our industry to get so involved. Broadway raises millions of dollars every year for everything from AIDS to Animal Rights. Now they are getting involved in the fight for equal rights. The producers of the Tony Winner musical HAIR are taking the biggest involvement in letting their cast have the day off so they can go to Washington. It is estimated that it will cost them between $100,000 and $150,000 to close on Sunday, October 11th.

As you have seen in my videos of Sutton Foster, they are not the only ones getting involved. Producer David Stone, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as some Broadway casts, have raised money to send over 20 buses from New York City to Washington D.C.

The producers of HAIR are not only taking a risk, but they are also making head lines in all the major industry papers, including a great article last week in the New York Times.

I think it was a very smart move for the show about taking a stand for what’s right to show their own commitment to that idea by canceling their show, even though it means a loss for them. I think in the end it will more than make up for it in the press. I know I personally will see it the next time I am in NYC.

Top of the list!

Okay, in truth it’s just a list of business and theatrical blogs put together by Ken Davenport , but right now I am at the top of that list. I am pretty sure he just puts new people at the top of the list, so I plan on riding this high for as long as it lasts. Ken’s blog is a pretty big deal in the producing world, and I have been trying to get more traffic to my blog. My numbers go up and down, depending on what I write and where I post it.

Ken just asked that I add him to my blog role, which I did. The test will be to see if traffic picks up. In the first month of the blog I averaged 113 hits per week, and now I average 139 per week. My goal is to have it reach around 300 per week in one year.

We will see if I can keep this up and if people are still interested. Writing a blog is NOT as easy as I thought it was going to be. Fist off, you have to have enough things to write about, which is why I have Ask My Friends Wednesdays so that I can take one day off, but even then I have to line people up and make sure there is good content for them to write about. Then I have to make sure I write the night before so that I can send it off to Clayton, my godsend who edits these blogs. Go back to the first week, and you can see why I need someone to edit. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and hope you all enjoy reading them. I have gotten some really nice notes about the blog and hope to keep it up.

That said, I love writing the blog and encourage others to do the same. Some of my friends have better ideas and things to talk about, and I try to get them to write a blog. Pick a topic and just go. If you do start a blog, let me know and let’s compare how we do it, and who knows...maybe I can put you on my blog role.

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!”

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.

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."

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

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.”

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.

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."

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. . .

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.

Theatre Thursdays

It is #theatrethursday or Theatre Thursday. If you twitter you should try and twitter about your favorite show or theatre on Thursdays.

Here is one of my favorites.

Ask My Friends - Living in NYC

Today we meet yet another fellow Nixian, Jessica Palmer. Jessica and I not only went to the same high school but we also both went to Webster University. She is such a sweet person and her talent and passion make her rise above many others. I asked Jessica to talk about living in NYC and what its like when you are just getting started.

“A few things I have learned since moving to NYC (2 years ago).

Time is of the essence, it reveals itself to you as an enemy or a best friend. Through prosperous and difficult times in the city I have learned that for myself I have to create my own every day STRUCTURE. Structure may come from a day job, a writing group you participate in, or a yoga class you take a few nights a week.You must create a life for yourself in the city in which you feel connected to the community that includes not only the theatre community but also communities such as those bozo yuppie types perusing used bookstores on the Upper West Side. There's plenty of room for you and your 5 roommates to join their book clubs!

Someone once spoke to my college acting class and said, "Be a TONKA truck." I interpreted that as "Do not limit yourself and your talent to any 'agreements.' “Yes, you have to absorb what you've read in college theatre textbooks, in books you've read about getting agents and so forth. However, absorb it, then stuff that information in the back of your closet with your poncho and break the rules, run people over. Who says you have to work "there" before working "here"?

Meet new people (then record their contact information in a database!), read lots of plays by getting a FREE library card, and go ahead... splurge on an AC unit for your apt. Augusts in NYC are brutal!

You may go through times where you lose a sense of your purpose, forget why you moved to the city in the first place. You have to put yourself first and take the time to regain your passion and ravenous need to be in the theatre. It's a holy place. But, it does not need tender loving care. It needs to have the door busted open by some hungry, crazed artist demanding to take it to the heavy side layer.”

Goals

I have been at my new job at the Harman Center for 7 months now.

When I came into the job I set 3 month, 6 month and long term goals. I did that after being employed here for a week. It is now time to review my goals. I know I have checked off most of them but some I still haven’t reached. Now that I have been here for over 6 months I need to go threw and look at the goals I set and revise and add to them.

I challenge you all to set goals. Even if you think they might be too far out there. Set them and reach for the stars.