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Playbill.com: Question: It's familiar knowledge about how understudies and swings take over when an actor is out sick or on vacation. But what about behind-the-scenes crew? What about the stage manager, the soundboard operator and dressers?
This article is kind of important because I didn't even realize how the show works if some significant participants like the stage manager gets sick. I guess if you are in a small production, getting sick is not really an option. I wonder if dressers or spot ops get the same kind of back up as stage managers. The article did kind of focus mostly on the stage managers. The unfortunate thing is that those Hollywood breakthroughs don't really happen when you are covering a sick co-worker.
This article is relevant for commercial theatre, because of course, Newsies or any other large Broadway musical is going to have a team of people who rotate responsibilities and vacations and so the impact of a sick stage manager or props crew member can be absorbed so that it becomes a non-issue. However, in my experience, regional theatre is a whole different ball game. I was trained as a sub for a stage management team in a large regional theatre. In that instance, there was a stage manager and his assistant, who had been with the show since the beginning. I came in after the show had already been open for two weeks, and I shadowed for a few performances, and then ran the ASM track on my own while the stage manager trained the ASM in calling the show. This was done only because the SM was leaving town for Christmas Day, and there was some worry that he would get stuck at the airport on his way back. The people I was working with explained that training a "back-up" was not usual. This means that in many regional theatres, there is no real understudy for the production crew. For the most part, the 1-2 month run of a regional show is nothing compared to the sometimes years-long run of a Broadway show, and so this usually doesn't present problems. However, on the off-chance that the SM gets sick or has to be absent, there is no real backup. This article makes that a little unclear, since it seems to assume that all theatre works like the large commercial theatres in NY, with a multi-person SM team, and to those not familiar with the theatre word, this is misleading
Although this article raises an interesting question, it seems as though the answer given is the answer people are looking for and not always the way it actually happens. Sure, if you are working in a large commercial or regional theatre, there will probably be a team of several people who can step in for each other when necessary. However, smaller and even average sized companies do not usually have the luxury of a budget that allows for hiring extra people to cover in case of illness or injury. So the answer to who takes over if somebody is seriously sick? Well, hopefully someone can! After all, the show must (and does) go on.
Cat and Kassondra's concerns about someone getting sick in the regional and Small Professional Theatre worlds are well-founded - consider for a moment that if the Equity company is small enough, an Assistant Stage Manager isn't even required under the Equity contract!
This argument went around the Stage Management message boards a little while ago... it seemed that the consensus was a series of questions. 1. Do you really need to leave? A great number of SMs said that even if they were sick, they'd fight it as much as possible to call the show. 2. Do you have a dedicated and trained SM sub who can be called in to call the show? 3. Do you have a dedicated and trained ASM sub (or PA) who can run the deck so the dedicated and trained ASM can call the show? 4. Is your crew well-trained/coordinated enough to execute their scene changes without an ASM, who will be dedicated and trained enough to call the show that night (notice a trend)? 5. Is your prompt book pristine enough and crew well-trained/coordinated enough to execute their cues alone if need be, while you allow a dedicated and trained sub call the show that night? 6. Discuss cancelling the show with the producer(s).
There's really no good way around it - unless you have the infrastructure and the budget for a full SM team, the producers take on a certain risk if the SM is unable to make it through a performance.
In the case of smaller theaters who would not necessarily have a large team with people who can shift around in the event of sickness or absence, I agree with Kassondra that whoever can do it will do it and the show will continue. Regardless of what the structure or plan of the theater is, this notion that someone could be unable to be at a show at anytime for any reason is actually pretty valuable to keep in mind. For managers, remembering this forces them to take extra precautions to make sure that all of their work is clear and easily understandable in the event that someone else would need to randomly pick up where they left off. Also it's always good for managers who are part of a team to pay attention to what everyone else on that team is doing, even if there is no plan in place for an absence. You never really know what to expect, so why not take a few extra steps to be more prepared.
I've always wondered about this question and never really knew how to answer it. The rotation idea is really smart and practical, and so is the tier idea. But then what happens with the spots those people left to fill the higher positions? What if there's no assistant? What happens when both the stage manager and the ASM are absent for an extended period of time? Or if 2 people of the stage management team are absent? I'm sure that's all outlined in Equity rules, those are just some other questions that come to mind.
I know its been awhile since I stage managed, but I thought one of the first rules you learn is to never get sick?
Joking aside, this article actually had some interesting bits in it that I hadn't previously learned from others in the business discussing Equity contracts and procedures. I was unaware of the payscale changes, given when a superior manager is absent in some form. Does this apply to acting understudies as well? Does anyone under a theatrical union get pay raises if their duties are changed, regardless of how short a duration this may be?
Really what this shows is that your management team needs to have everything in order to be so comprehensive that it can pass from one person to the next seamlessly--no "code" in your callbook that others might not understand, no hidden procedures that you have only in your head and not on paper. Cheers to those who do this and do it well!
This article reminds me of the number one rule I follow when making my prompt book: If I handed it to someone else, would they be able to call the show. This article does not address all concerns as other individuals brought up, but it brings up one major item that is done in the entertainment industry: try and prepare for the unexpected. This industry is done live, and all you can hope for is a plan and swift action when something goes wrong. As I am sure that many other individuals can attest too, good planning, backups, and a something as simple as a sensible mind can get the trick done.
As Cat and others mentioned when working on smaller productions there may only be an SM, ASM and stage crew. Sometimes the ASM may not even have been trained to call the show, but may have specifically managing the backstage area. As Brian mentioned sometimes, even when you are sick, the stage manager will decide to call the show due to the fact that there will be no one else to do it. I have done this on many occasions, you just have to fight through it. However, is this always the best option? Not really because the SM could get worse during the show. This is where a good cue book is essential, because an ASM who might have been in rehearsals and knows the show to a certain extent would be able to call the show good enough once the book is in good order. However the article more focuses on large scale productions where you have 3/4 SMs on rotations and everyone gets an opportunity to call a show especially if it goes on tour. I do wish that the article also mentioned what happens with smaller budget shows. Also noting that on smaller shows sometimes there aren't even understudies for the actors. It all depends on whether it is a Union based show and the budget for the show.
I had not realized the implications of the salary changes for the producer. This article mentions that offhandedly- the salary changes when subbing are meant to keep it revenue neutral.
I think what Cat and others says about regional theater is very important. My experience in regional theater is similar to hers- there are not usually subs for ASM's or SM's. I've had to rapidly learn (no shadowing) and run an ASM track at a regional theater because the ASM broke her ankle. I had been a production management intern (the ASM was a non-equity position), but became an ASM for three days. It highlights the importance of having at least some understanding of what everyone else is doing on a production. (I should mention that it wasn't a very complicated show).
I agree with all who commented before me about this article not being the case for smaller regional theaters. There isn't a big enough team to just roll through the absence, and often contractual issues get in the way of the asm taking over for the sm, even if just for a night. I worked in a small regional theater a number of years ago where the SM of a show had to leave town for a night. The theater knew in advance, and had to bring in a replacement. The show was so complicated, however, that the non-eq PA ended up calling the show while the replacement ran the PA's track. This was very much against equity rules, and the theater could have gotten into a lot of trouble if the union had found out about it. It was the best solution for the production, though, and everything went pretty smoothly. In a different situation from this summer, I was the person who needed to be replaced. I was running an ASM track for a show and ended up pulling a muscle in my back pretty badly on opening night. Luckily I had created a thorough enough run sheet and had trained the backstage crew well enough that they were able to bring the ATD in to run my minimal track while the rest of the crew ran their tracks on their own. As the SM or ASM on a show, it is your responsibility to make sure that your worst-case scenarios are covered.
I question the statement in the article about board op replacements being trained ahead of time. Are extra union members really brought in to be trained on the board ops' tracks in case the board op needs a sub? Or are they just called in that night to cover the show?
11 comments:
This article is kind of important because I didn't even realize how the show works if some significant participants like the stage manager gets sick. I guess if you are in a small production, getting sick is not really an option. I wonder if dressers or spot ops get the same kind of back up as stage managers. The article did kind of focus mostly on the stage managers. The unfortunate thing is that those Hollywood breakthroughs don't really happen when you are covering a sick co-worker.
This article is relevant for commercial theatre, because of course, Newsies or any other large Broadway musical is going to have a team of people who rotate responsibilities and vacations and so the impact of a sick stage manager or props crew member can be absorbed so that it becomes a non-issue. However, in my experience, regional theatre is a whole different ball game.
I was trained as a sub for a stage management team in a large regional theatre. In that instance, there was a stage manager and his assistant, who had been with the show since the beginning. I came in after the show had already been open for two weeks, and I shadowed for a few performances, and then ran the ASM track on my own while the stage manager trained the ASM in calling the show. This was done only because the SM was leaving town for Christmas Day, and there was some worry that he would get stuck at the airport on his way back. The people I was working with explained that training a "back-up" was not usual.
This means that in many regional theatres, there is no real understudy for the production crew. For the most part, the 1-2 month run of a regional show is nothing compared to the sometimes years-long run of a Broadway show, and so this usually doesn't present problems. However, on the off-chance that the SM gets sick or has to be absent, there is no real backup.
This article makes that a little unclear, since it seems to assume that all theatre works like the large commercial theatres in NY, with a multi-person SM team, and to those not familiar with the theatre word, this is misleading
Although this article raises an interesting question, it seems as though the answer given is the answer people are looking for and not always the way it actually happens.
Sure, if you are working in a large commercial or regional theatre, there will probably be a team of several people who can step in for each other when necessary. However, smaller and even average sized companies do not usually have the luxury of a budget that allows for hiring extra people to cover in case of illness or injury. So the answer to who takes over if somebody is seriously sick? Well, hopefully someone can! After all, the show must (and does) go on.
Cat and Kassondra's concerns about someone getting sick in the regional and Small Professional Theatre worlds are well-founded - consider for a moment that if the Equity company is small enough, an Assistant Stage Manager isn't even required under the Equity contract!
This argument went around the Stage Management message boards a little while ago... it seemed that the consensus was a series of questions.
1. Do you really need to leave? A great number of SMs said that even if they were sick, they'd fight it as much as possible to call the show.
2. Do you have a dedicated and trained SM sub who can be called in to call the show?
3. Do you have a dedicated and trained ASM sub (or PA) who can run the deck so the dedicated and trained ASM can call the show?
4. Is your crew well-trained/coordinated enough to execute their scene changes without an ASM, who will be dedicated and trained enough to call the show that night (notice a trend)?
5. Is your prompt book pristine enough and crew well-trained/coordinated enough to execute their cues alone if need be, while you allow a dedicated and trained sub call the show that night?
6. Discuss cancelling the show with the producer(s).
There's really no good way around it - unless you have the infrastructure and the budget for a full SM team, the producers take on a certain risk if the SM is unable to make it through a performance.
In the case of smaller theaters who would not necessarily have a large team with people who can shift around in the event of sickness or absence, I agree with Kassondra that whoever can do it will do it and the show will continue. Regardless of what the structure or plan of the theater is, this notion that someone could be unable to be at a show at anytime for any reason is actually pretty valuable to keep in mind. For managers, remembering this forces them to take extra precautions to make sure that all of their work is clear and easily understandable in the event that someone else would need to randomly pick up where they left off. Also it's always good for managers who are part of a team to pay attention to what everyone else on that team is doing, even if there is no plan in place for an absence. You never really know what to expect, so why not take a few extra steps to be more prepared.
I've always wondered about this question and never really knew how to answer it. The rotation idea is really smart and practical, and so is the tier idea. But then what happens with the spots those people left to fill the higher positions? What if there's no assistant? What happens when both the stage manager and the ASM are absent for an extended period of time? Or if 2 people of the stage management team are absent? I'm sure that's all outlined in Equity rules, those are just some other questions that come to mind.
I know its been awhile since I stage managed, but I thought one of the first rules you learn is to never get sick?
Joking aside, this article actually had some interesting bits in it that I hadn't previously learned from others in the business discussing Equity contracts and procedures. I was unaware of the payscale changes, given when a superior manager is absent in some form. Does this apply to acting understudies as well? Does anyone under a theatrical union get pay raises if their duties are changed, regardless of how short a duration this may be?
Really what this shows is that your management team needs to have everything in order to be so comprehensive that it can pass from one person to the next seamlessly--no "code" in your callbook that others might not understand, no hidden procedures that you have only in your head and not on paper. Cheers to those who do this and do it well!
This article reminds me of the number one rule I follow when making my prompt book: If I handed it to someone else, would they be able to call the show. This article does not address all concerns as other individuals brought up, but it brings up one major item that is done in the entertainment industry: try and prepare for the unexpected. This industry is done live, and all you can hope for is a plan and swift action when something goes wrong. As I am sure that many other individuals can attest too, good planning, backups, and a something as simple as a sensible mind can get the trick done.
As Cat and others mentioned when working on smaller productions there may only be an SM, ASM and stage crew. Sometimes the ASM may not even have been trained to call the show, but may have specifically managing the backstage area.
As Brian mentioned sometimes, even when you are sick, the stage manager will decide to call the show due to the fact that there will be no one else to do it. I have done this on many occasions, you just have to fight through it. However, is this always the best option? Not really because the SM could get worse during the show. This is where a good cue book is essential, because an ASM who might have been in rehearsals and knows the show to a certain extent would be able to call the show good enough once the book is in good order.
However the article more focuses on large scale productions where you have 3/4 SMs on rotations and everyone gets an opportunity to call a show especially if it goes on tour. I do wish that the article also mentioned what happens with smaller budget shows. Also noting that on smaller shows sometimes there aren't even understudies for the actors. It all depends on whether it is a Union based show and the budget for the show.
I had not realized the implications of the salary changes for the producer. This article mentions that offhandedly- the salary changes when subbing are meant to keep it revenue neutral.
I think what Cat and others says about regional theater is very important. My experience in regional theater is similar to hers- there are not usually subs for ASM's or SM's. I've had to rapidly learn (no shadowing) and run an ASM track at a regional theater because the ASM broke her ankle. I had been a production management intern (the ASM was a non-equity position), but became an ASM for three days. It highlights the importance of having at least some understanding of what everyone else is doing on a production. (I should mention that it wasn't a very complicated show).
I agree with all who commented before me about this article not being the case for smaller regional theaters. There isn't a big enough team to just roll through the absence, and often contractual issues get in the way of the asm taking over for the sm, even if just for a night. I worked in a small regional theater a number of years ago where the SM of a show had to leave town for a night. The theater knew in advance, and had to bring in a replacement. The show was so complicated, however, that the non-eq PA ended up calling the show while the replacement ran the PA's track. This was very much against equity rules, and the theater could have gotten into a lot of trouble if the union had found out about it. It was the best solution for the production, though, and everything went pretty smoothly. In a different situation from this summer, I was the person who needed to be replaced. I was running an ASM track for a show and ended up pulling a muscle in my back pretty badly on opening night. Luckily I had created a thorough enough run sheet and had trained the backstage crew well enough that they were able to bring the ATD in to run my minimal track while the rest of the crew ran their tracks on their own. As the SM or ASM on a show, it is your responsibility to make sure that your worst-case scenarios are covered.
I question the statement in the article about board op replacements being trained ahead of time. Are extra union members really brought in to be trained on the board ops' tracks in case the board op needs a sub? Or are they just called in that night to cover the show?
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