We have touched on the facility concerns from a macro - design perspective. We are now going to evaluate the jobs and the requirements of running a facility and managing audiences.
While Facility Management, per se, does not have a theatre specific union. It does have a support association: http://www.ifma.org/. Additionally, theatre managers (think rental/touring houses dedicated to that use) are members of APTAM: http://www.atpam.com/. Check out each organization and compare their membership and interests.
Here is an interesting video (UK based but still relevant) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpRjmFnwmQk
What did you find out from her explanation that eluded you in the text?
Check out Center Stage and Round House Theatre (both nonprofit producing theatres that also rent their spaces). What do you find out about policies? fees? etc?
http://www.centerstage.org/Visit/Lobbies-and-Theaters.aspx
http://www.roundhousetheatre.org/about-us/facility-use/
The IFMA and ATPAM are both organizations that provide for their members in various ways. These are some main points I got from reading their websites:
ReplyDeleteIFMA
-Community of working partners
-Works with community
-16 industry-sepecific and interest-specific councils, not just theatre
-Represents many countries outside of the US as well as in.
-Relatively low membership fee.
ATPAM
-Specifically theatre
-Smaller community but just as important and focused on the well being of its members.
-Provides benefits to members including paid vacation, 401k planning, and on job security.
-Affiliated with may other unions, organizations, and associations.
In Jill Bright's video, she very clearly explained the jobs required while bing a house manager. She mentioned that basically everything needs to be reported that happened during a show, in one way or another, good and bad. She also mentioned that people skills play a very large role in being a house manager. You have to be able to interact with people of ALL ages, because everyone is coming through the doors.
Center Stage and Round House Theatre are both theatres that rent their spaces. I was already aware that Center Stage rented their spaces for a fee, but was kind of amazed to find out that Center Stage also has apartments for rent and equipment, scenery, costumes, etc, that are all available for performances. As for Round House, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the rental fees for the different rooms and facilities were relatively inexpensive and very affordable. This allows for a wide range of people to be able to use these spaces to their advantage.
It was very interesting to find out all the exciting jobs, Jill Bright’s deals with as a house manager. She stated that she deals with people of all kinds and” you have to be able to interact with everyone as they come through the door”. Jill’s job consists of making a report of the shows progress and events that could have occurred during the show, the good and bad.
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the Center Stage and Round House theatres websites, I discovered that not only do both theatres rent.. The Round House theatre rents many rooms. While Center stage not only spaces but equipment, costumes and apartments available for performances. Both Theatres try to make affordable prices.
After reading the IFMA and the ATPAM organizations websites, I discovered below in which these organizations provide for their members.
ATPAM
- specializes in “stage entertainment” in the U.S.
-Community’s big and small have similar focus.
- Many personal membership benefits including Provides including Job security, paid vacation, 401k planning and “Cost of Living Adjustment increases”.
-Allies with many associations, unions and organizations, including “Unions” for the Performing Arts.
IFMA
- IFMA is big with working with the community and consists of a Community of working partners.
- They go beyond “stage entertainment” in the U.S.A and other countries as well. 16 industry-specific and interest-specific councils, not just theatre
-membership fee required.
The IFMA and ATPAM both provide for their members. However, it is apparent just by visiting the website that the IFMA is more established, providing a constitution which lists its mission in article II.
ReplyDelete“IFMA is a member-centric association that exists to guide and develop facility management professionals by providing exceptional services, products, resources and opportunities.”
It’s goal is to lead the advancement of facility management by:
•Support a community that fosters vitality, momentum and impact for the facility management professional.
•Anticipate and prioritize the resources to enhance effective delivery of products and services.
•Inspire passion for the facility management.
•Sustain IFMA’s financial integrity to achieve and fulfill our mission.
However, ATPAM, though not being as well established provides for their members which is much more than the IFMA; press agents, publicity and marketing specialists, company managers and house and facilities managers. They provide members with news about various unions, world news, and theatres.
In the video, we get to see how Jill Bright worked her way up to house manager and that other than being organized and reliable, one must also love to do the job and make other people feel happy at the theatre.
Check out Center Stage and Round House Theatre (both nonprofit producing theatres that also rent their spaces). What do you find out about policies? fees? etc?
Both Center Stage and Round House theatre rent spaces. They both state the different venues in their facilities as well as its copacities. However, only Round House Theatre states their different hourly fees online. In center Stage one can rent out their lobbies as well as their bars to anyone interested while it is not listed in Round House Theatre.
I wanted to start off by saying I love Jill Brights accent (: As far as the video, she basically explained what a house manager does. She made it quite clear that a house manager was different from a theater manager as far as the duties that they perform. She stated that a theater manger is in charge of the whole building where as the house manager is in charge of patrons visiting the theater. It is also clear that Jill loves her job. When ask what she loved about her job she replied that she loves making people happy, which is very important as a house manager.
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>World Wife associaton
>Meet and talk with professionals locally and globally.
>Broaden skills and knowledge in all FM-related areas.
>Earn your Certified Facility Manager credential and more.
>Works with the community
ATPAM
>Membership grants access to a wide array of industry resources and service organizations
>Works with several unions and assosiations
>Great benefits such as paid vacation and on job security.
It was great learning about Jill Bright since I am a member of the box office/front-of-house staff here in the Center for the Arts (along with Megan and Cara). It is a very stressful job and a large responsibility to ensure the safety and comfort of patrons in a large venue. It is great to see how rewarding this position is to her.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other organizations and unions mentioned, I mainly focused on ATPAM, since that was the union I researched for my paper. From my understanding IFMA is more of a support community and is dedicated to the advancement of facility management while ATPAM is meant to protect facility/theatre managers and press agent’s rights. That is the main difference I found between the two, IFMA is based on the advancement of the facilities management network while ATPAM protects the rights of their members. They both have two very different functions but are similar since they serve the similar audiences.
I look forward to learning more about this topic in class on Thursday.
Good basic analysis for everyone so far. I do think understanding that IFMA is a support association not a union is a critical piece of the puzzle.
DeleteNicki -- what about Round House and Center Stage? Where else can you rent a space for theatre or what other activities can you do in these spaces?
Funny, when I first looked at the Round House website I wondered why anyone would want to rent just the Lobby. Is there a new avant-garde theatre movement, which does not enter the actual theatre space? Then, I visited the CentreStage website and this question was answered for me. CentreStage advertises its space not necessarily as theatre space but as space with multi-functional capabilities. Want to host a fancy party or dinner? Host it at CentreStage! They even list the amount of people who could sit at tables in some spaces. Also, in my opinion, the CentreStage website is superior in showing exactly what is available and what will be accessible to you when you rent the space in terms of floor plans and pictures. Round House does include a floor plan, but CentreStage’s details win out here. What is better about the Round House website is the clear presentation of flat rates for its spaces. This fits clearly with their intention of making these spaces accessible to a wide range of performance organizations.
ReplyDeleteSean makes a good point in observing the more extensive nature of the IFMA website in comparison to the APTAM website. Curiously, what the APTAM website features the most of, and quite prominently, are the instances its members are mentioned in the press or media. I’m being a bit facetious here, of course. You would expect press agents to be good press agents for press agents.
Apart from that, it is clear that APTAM functions as a union representing professionals, whereas the Facilities Management union has an interest in education as well as including members at all experience levels. They do this by including membership levels, from college students all the way to full-fledged working professionals. There are education plans listed on the IFMA as well. They are clearly interested in more than just being a negotiating wing they APTAM seems to be. Part of this is likely that APTAM is part of a larger union, IATSE. They promote this extensively (again, go figure) as being a major drawing point of their union.
Jill Bright’s video, more than anything, illustrated the personality and character one needs to be a successful House Manager. Being able to talk to people and communicate with them in an efficient way is important. If anyone has a bad experience in the theatre, it seems to be the house manager and staff who bear the brunt of the criticism, or at least must handle its reception. I wish she had discussed more about the special accommodations she would have to make depending on who is coming to the house that day. She mentioned it briefly and I would have liked for her to discuss what the differences would be if the theatre was receiving handicapped people, a large group of children, or Pippa Middleton. Each situation must have its challenges and protocol.
Hello all. I am super late to respone to this post, but better late than never huh?
ReplyDeleteI think that it was really interesting to see what jobs are out there in this industry and the job duties. The video with Jill Bright have me a clear insight on specific jobs such as house manager. Jill discussed her duties as a house manager and it is well appreciated to know what duties are expected from that job.
After viewin both Center Stage and Round House theatre website, I learned a lot; more then what I knew before. The Websites included information about how they rent their spaces and Round House theatre even states the cost and frees. Center Stage and The Round House theatre both rent their spaces but it was interesting to find out that Center Stage also rent out equitment, Scenery, Costumes and more. I think that is a huge advantage.
IFPAM is an association that basically develope facility management professionals. This association provide their members with services, products, resources and opportunitues according to their website.
ATP is an less established association. The assocition provides their members with press agents, publicity, marketing specialist, company managers and more. Both associations ahve a solid system that I believe works well for their members.
Hawa -- actually ATPAM is a fairly well established union that represents press agents, company managers and theatre managers. You might take a moment to go back to review the information for clarity for future?
ReplyDeleteBest,
BAC
IFMA (International Facility Management Association)is an association instead of a union, that is a leader for management professionals. Membership includes:
ReplyDelete-Professional Member
-Associate Member
-Young professional Member
-Student Member
-Retired Member
-and a Corporate Sustaining Member
APTAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers) is an association that is apart of the IATSE union dealing with press agents,publicity, managers, stagehands, etc.
I found Jill Bright's interview very interesting because i work in the box office at Towson and when we are in charge of the theater for the night we are the house manager and she had to work her way up into this title after working in the box office, working in admin and then house manager.
When it comes to Roundhouse and Center Stage they both rent out professional performance spaces with lots of rehearsal room, close to populated areas that are rich in art, both claim to have respectful helpful staffs.