Dropping off CVs at stage door?

[monkeh]

Hi everyone

 

Post panto I've been doing the inevitable catching up on sleep and looking for work - one of my friends suggested dropping CVs into theatres to try to get work (I'm a stage manager in London). Do you think this would work (or is there anywhere this really wouldn't work) or are there other places to try? Just wanted to get some feedback as I've never tried this approach before!

 

S

[AndyJones]

Doubt it would work. It's more likely to be handed to the wrong person and bounced around and eventually binned. The more sensible approach would be to find out the technical manager of each theatre and address it to them. I believe there is a book that has every theatre and address and various other details? (the white book?) This is just a gut feeling, I have never tried it either!

 

HTH

 

AndyJones

[Big Jay]

Doubt it would work. It's more likely to be handed to the wrong person and bounced around and eventually binned.

AndyJones

 

From personal experience, it does, the white light hire guide has a list of all the big theatres across the UK with stage door number, give them a ring and I'm sure they will be able to guide you in the right direction.

 

Good Luck

Toshi

[Jram]

On a tangent, is there a proscribed etiquette when phoning a previous (and self-employed) boss to see if he has any work currently going?

[Nick S]

I guess that would entirely depend on how s/he became your prior employer?

[paulears]

If you are a stage manager in London, then you'd know how excellent/awful stage door efficiency can be - I guess if you called in, asked for the TMs name and then addressed it before leaving, it could work - but like others, contacts are the usual way. Stage Management is awkward because nobody has assistants and pretty well you work on your own - so taking a chance on an unknown ASM, DSM or whatever is a scary thought. Much better to have a recommendation from somebody you trust. Cold-calling for a stage crew vacancy might work, but stage management - not sure I'd take someone who dropped off a cv.

[Bobbsy]

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said so far but there's one other point worth making:

 

Quite often it will be the case that the person manning the stage door will be one of the few people employed by the theatre itself. As an SM, there's a pretty good chance that you want to be employed by the production company that has rented the theatre. This would mean that you're counting on the efficiency and enthusiasm of the door man to get your CV to the right person...i.e. don't count on it.

 

Obviously there are some exceptions to this but, as a method of finding work, I suspect this could be a lot of traipsing around for little benefit.

 

Bob

[Joe Bleasdale]

I would also try the white light reference book it has loads of useful information in it. In my oppinion an essential book to have!

 

hth

joe

[Jram]

I guess that would entirely depend on how s/he became your prior employer?

 

In this specific case, I've two. One was the props master on a film I got on through having a friend in the art department, the other I worked alongside at a theatre, we were both employed as casual staff but I know he's usually (successfully) self-employed.

[Guest lightnix]

...is there a proscribed etiquette when phoning a previous (and self-employed) boss to see if he has any work currently going?...

You mean a forbidden one? ;)

 

Clicky...

[Suzette]

As others have said - get yourself a copy of "Contacts", "The British Theatre Directory" or "The White Book".

Write to producing managements rather than theatres - do some research before writing, find out who employs stage-management within the company.

Join the SMA (Stage Management Association) and have your name added to the freelist of staff looking for work.

Network - make use of whatever contacts you may have in the industry and let them know you are looking for work.