{"id":128,"date":"2012-06-13T21:08:29","date_gmt":"2012-06-14T04:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=128"},"modified":"2012-06-13T21:26:22","modified_gmt":"2012-06-14T04:26:22","slug":"overstaffing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/?p=128","title":{"rendered":"Overstaffing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A further note; more or less in the context of last week\u2019s conversation on Angst Alleviation<\/strong>\u2026this time, with respect to talent and show.<\/p>\n

When writing scripts and shows and, subsequently, staffing those shows for stage direction, I make it a practice to have someone at every exterior and interior entrance, every exit, every green room, dressing area or hallway corner, everywhere I plan to send, store or stage talent.<\/p>\n

If at all possible, I keep that person on headset, if only for the one time in the show that s\/he needs to communicate with me or I must reach out to that position to communicate a change, learn where a missing member of the cast might be, light or put out a fire, revise the show in the fly, or other direction.<\/p>\n

Each of those individuals, long before the rehearsals begin, has participated in the production talk-through\u2019s of the script and knows not only their own job, but also the jobs of those that precede, surround and follow theirs, along with the ramifications of mistakes, missteps or \u201cActs of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, they know the show.<\/p>\n

They also serve an often overlooked and quite valuable purpose: that being the answering of the nearly-unasked, sometimes whispered \/ sometimes shouted question…of being on-the-spot to circumvent second-guessing and \u201cindependent decision-making\u201d on the part of those who don\u2019t have that part. In other words, this is Staffing to Keep Things Smooth and Calm and to Handle Things Effectively and Seamlessly when Things Go Wrong.<\/p>\n

So, take a production that\u2019s been talked through and planned amongst the tech and crew; now, add the talent (or speaker, or any person who moves from one part of the stage to another, on or off), and here are two, possible scenari…<\/p>\n

First, Scenario 1<\/span>:<\/p>\n

Director<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cAlice, Darling; walk over to that doorway, would you, and wait \u2018til we call you for your entrance?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/em><\/strong> walks over to the doorway. Touches it, opens it, looks around to see if there are any other doorways, calls out to the Director,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong> (Anxiously. Gripping the doorknob)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cTHIS doorway\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Director<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYep; that one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

(Pointing to the door she is holding with her other hand<\/em>), \u201cThis one, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Thank you, Alice.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, then, Scenario 2<\/span>:<\/p>\n

Director<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cAlice, Darling; walk over to that doorway, would you, and wait \u2018til we call you for your entrance?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/em><\/strong> walks over to the doorway, where she is met by Thomas, standing by the door.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>: (Anxiously, to Thomas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Doorway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYep. Right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks!\u201d<\/p>\n

I think this makes my point. Alice is immediately at ease; and can ask any extra or extraneous questions of Thomas-the-stage-crew-guy without having to interrupt the Director or anyone else. The oblique benefit to this is that she has \u201csomeone who knows\u201d right there, with her, while she awaits her cue or direction.<\/p>\n

This makes for an exceptionally more relaxed, responsive and productive team; for both crew and cast. (Allow me to posit, here, that I am not \u201cdissin\u2019\u201d the Talent. Their job is the character and performance and knowing their stage direction; offstage, out of their purview, it is only natural that they may be insecure about their perceptions of what has been asked and nervous about simply being where they are supposed to be. Staffing in this way assures confidence and concomitant confidence.<\/p>\n

I love alliteration.<\/p>\n

I am fortunate in that many of my projects are of a level that holds some mystique or glamour, qualities that entice intern-level staffing that is often happy to work for food, the experience and a place to sleep. While I wouldn\u2019t take undue or unfair advantage of kids like that; it is also a great opportunity for them to offer themselves to intern and for me to scout future paid crew members. I think everyone wins, in these situations, and it starts a lot of young people on the road to their own network- and experience-building pathways.<\/p>\n

The cost of supporting these positions is minimal, especially when held against the resulting calmness on set and during the show. Especially now, with wireless ClearCom increasingly affordable; supporting this staffing tool is incalculably valuable.<\/p>\n

Subtextually, staffing to this degree shows the talent that they are being considered valuable. This pays off, immensely.<\/p>\n

———————————————–<\/p>\n

Writing this reminds me of when I produced the 40th Anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations at San Francisco\u2019s Herbst Theater, where the original charter was signed.<\/p>\n

There were six of the original signers, still living, and we brought them to the ceremony as Respected VIP Guests; to be presented, onstage at a Major Moment.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t actually remember why<\/em> we put them where we put them to await their cue; it must have had something to do with the speed at which they could walk and the distance from the stage to the actual Green Room. In any event, I had them sequestered and seated, backstage, behind a drape, in the dark, waiting for my stage managers to come and escort them onto the stage.<\/p>\n

As the ceremony began, my Right Hand Guy, John T., came to me and said, \u201cKile, come here; you\u2019ve got to take a look at this\u2026\u201d Turning off my headset, I walked back with John, behind the onstage set, and saw The Six, each sitting in the dark, head bowed, hands in laps, awaiting one of the team to come and get them.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook how they trust you,\u201d he said, \u201cthink who these people are and look how they trust you!\u201d<\/p>\n

I have never forgotten that image and what it meant to them and to me; and the commitment to keeping my companies at ease remains paramount in my priorities in everything I do.<\/p>\n

Thanks, John.<\/p>\n

In closing, a short, bonus \u201couttake\u201d from Scenario 2, above<\/span>:<\/p>\n

Alice<\/em><\/strong> walks over to the doorway, where she is met by Thomas, standing by the door.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>: (Anxiously, to Thomas)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Doorway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYep. Right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks\u2026 Um, what\u2019s your name\u2026? I haven\u2019t seen you before\u2026\u201d \u201cAre you new\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Thomas. This is my first production with Kile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, wow; New in Town; perhaps you would like for me to give you a tour of my favorite City, sometime?\u201d What are you doing after rehearsal, Thomas\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cut to Director\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A further note; more or less in the context of last week\u2019s conversation on Angst Alleviation\u2026this time, with respect to talent and show. When writing scripts and shows and, subsequently, staffing those shows for stage direction, I make it a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2oSuI-24","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions\/132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imho.kileozier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}