Getting actors to clean up after themselve

[BCOLL]

Hi,
I have a question, why is it that actors feel it is the techs. job to clean up their messes. I'm talking about laundry, food, and props. I also clan our greenroom bi-weekly yet they mess it up constantly... Does anyone have any advice about how to get them to take responsibility?
-Ben :?

[dvsDave]

My old high school director had a hard and fast rule regarding strike... If you did not participate in strike you would not be cast in the next play.... period... not open to negotation...

And he has never backed down from that rule... it applies to everyone, techies, stagehands, actors/actresses.... everyone

You would need to approach your director about implementing such a policy or another policy better suited to your drama department (should the above measures be too harsh )

[wolf825]

Originally Posted by BCOLL

Hi,
I have a question, why is it that actors feel it is the techs. job to clean up their messes. I'm talking about laundry, food, and props. I also clan our greenroom bi-weekly yet they mess it up constantly... Does anyone have any advice about how to get them to take responsibility?
-Ben :?

hi Ben,
well Actors are cattle...hence the reason they go to cattle calls...they take up space, make messes and walk thru life bumping into things and doing such obvious things they are oblivious to cause they live in their own little worlds and don't see beyond themselves. How to get them to take responsibility--well one thing I tend to do when I have a group of pigs in my theater is to take all their trash and leave it in their dressing rooms and greenrooms with a note that says "Oink OInk..we are old enough to clean up after ourselves and put trash in trash bins", or "your mother is not here to clean up after you--you actually have to do it, or you will be asked to leave". If you start to move all the trash you pick up into the actors dressing rooms they will whine--then you tell them its THEIR trash--why don't you put it in the trash can?? I'm not your mother--don't be a PIG!! Maybe you just need to complain to the director or the person in charge--make them do a clean up of the theater or backstage area..make everyone write their names on their drinks--so you know WHO the trash belongs to so you can return it to them. One thing I have done very often is made the director or stage managers clean up after the actors--and then they make sure they NEVER have to do that again and they talk with the actors about being pigs. Have the student stage manager actually BE a stage manager--manage the cast and manage their behavior as they are supposed to. I don't tolerate trash in my stage area...and I have no problems letting people know that my theater is NOT a hotel--we do not clean up your crap...dump it into trash bins or you'll find it in your costume or dressing room.

good luck on the trash war...but when it comes down to it--be firm and understand its not a personal/friend thing..its professional habit that ALL actors best get used to doing. I've physically walked up to actors who had drinks in their hands and pulled the drinks from their hands and tossed it into the trash in front of them cause I TOLD them 10 times before that NO food or drinik was allowed in that area...and they will learn. Who cares what they think of you--you can either be everyones "friend" or you can have a clean theater..your choice. good luck mate...

-wolf

[ship]

here here! Wolf, we are kindered spirits, but that's pro theater. The best point you post in my opinion is that it's the stage manager and director that have to manage the crew. Get in a battle as a crew member with the cast over who made a mess and is responsible for it's clean up and you are just asking for problems later. Remember, that you as a tech person are a professional even if surrounded by cattle. Where did such an analogy come from anyway even if accurate?

In my opinion, posting signs calling them pigs, or shoveling the trash into any one of say 8 dressing rooms, when the occupents can cite one coke can and say they are not responsible because I drink diet, than get offended is not the way. Rules of no drinks on stage can be enforced but ony by a real life professional in a professional situation when the talent is also supposted to follow house rules if they want a pay check. Lighten up otherwise and follow the chain of command. Don't toss the drink in the trash but ask for it's removal.

It's by far better to let your TD know what's up especially where actor's trashing the stage is concerned, and have the TD pull the ear of the stage manager as he or she gives the stage manager a tour of what trash the actors are leaving behind, while pulling the stage manager around by the ear ring for inspiration. Very effective them such tours. Than the Stage Manager if before the show opens, mentions it to the director, or if during the show, deals with it on their own. Follow the chan of command in general and you will all get along. It's the stage manager's job to run both the crew and talent, and if you have a problem, take it up with them or your big boss the TD to get it solved.

After that, there is a certain amount of general trash that will be your lot in life as a stage hand that you just need to deal with. Tape on the floor, Kleenex someone missed the trash can with, costumes left on the pin rail, either recognize that it was an honest mistaken effor to get in in the trash and an error that amongst many people seems like a lot of mistakes but is not really, or something out of place in your opinion, but perhaps best for the show in the case of the pin rail being a coat rack if that will be most efficient. You know that if you walk by a coke can that's been there an entire day that you could leave it there waiting for the person that drank it to realize they were littering, or just toss it. No it does not give you satusfaction, but on the other hand, it often is just easier to take care of it and be done with it before there is a large amount of them because others saw it and thought it's okay to litter.

Just some thoughts. I'm management of sorts but still pick up the occasional paper towel on the washroom floor if I can't jack up the person walking out the door that missed the basket. And usually that missed trash is an honest forgot about it or missed the basket type situation thus nothing to really get upstet over.

[ship]

One other quick soultion I use that most of you probably wont' be able to is a sort of analogy.
I tap the person missing the butt can with their cigarette on the shoulder and mention that when I was a Sarge, I used to have people under me in stripes I caught tossing a cigarette butt on the deck to pick up 10 butts for every one they tossed on the deck. (By the way, I did not tap them on the shoulder right away, I waited until they were done making litter.)

The idea is that with such an analogy I told the litter bugs, even if we were not in the military, and I at least in theory don't have stripes on my sleeve, because they are mature and professional, they most frequently used my analogy as a very good example of a very fair punishment for missing the can that even a civilian could use in prooving it was an honest mistake. It's good fair punishment for such an oversite, and 90% of the time such people that litter will follow the military punishment even if only sugguested. They than realize that by picking up other people's butts, they will remember to be extra careful about littering that way themselves.

Very diplomatic, the people such things are told to are shamed into cleaning up after themselves, and think better of you for not going to the boss or trying to force your will.

Perhaps such a policy of those cought littering can be held back to clean up will help keep the place clean.

[wolf825]

Another thought Ship, when you mentioned the sarge thing about picking up 10 butts--when I worked for Mickey's world, they had garbage collection down to a science..and a gestapo enforcement. Disney spent a lot of $$ doing reserach and psychological profiling of people to discover that your average person will walk approximately 18 feet before dropping a piece of garbage. Therefore--if you ever notice when walking around any of the parks, there is a trash recepticle every 20 feet. additionally--as techs and "cast" members, we were obligated to pick up any trash we saw to help keep the park clean. we were encouraged to do so...we were given merits if a supervisor saw us and felt the magic that day to write us up a merit / excellence of service award card(actually a big perk if you ever got one--it went into your file too)...and just as sneeky--they also have people who drop trash and take note if a cast member walks past a piece of trash and does not pick it up...and they let you know and remind you of your cast member duty's in the trash pick-up department.

While I was poking a lot of fun at the signs and trash pile in a dressing room--I do do that to some groups of no-pro's who have attitude and feel my theater is a hotel they can trash. Ship is 110% right--chain of command is your best bet--and I would encourage you to drag the SM, director or TD around with your complaints and show them (and I have made my SM's clean up after actors--the actors never leave a mess again).. Sure--you will always have to pick up a few things here and there--but the idea is to minimize the jaitorial service you have to provide. Until you are in my shoes and have your own theater and can treat people as you feel/know they deserve to be treated<g>...or if you have a professional company you don't have to worry about such things. But then again I get a lot of "home grown no-pro theater groups" who stick gum to the back of my leg curtains and I get to yell at people about rules and how they will be tossed out without refunds etc...most TD's who are hired pro's for these groups get equally livid at the amature actors and this kind of unprofessional BS.. I've had a few TD's stop their rehearsal until someone owned up to the gum or trash or broken rule...then berated them about being a pig with no manners--made them cry at embarrassment...but they never did that again. Someone has to be the bad guy--and in theater if you are crew or actor--its the TD and the SM who is responsible for keeping things in order.


-wolf

[wemeck]

It is really the job of the director, stage manager, and costume people to stay on top of this. Our costume people are quite gestapo about enforcing clean ups and costume organization. The directors weigh in as well, and seriously take issue when the actors miss entrances.

[SachemStageCrew]

We have a simliar problem at my high school. Since my high school only have juniors and seniors, alot of them have car and want to be food before rehersal. Now I'm ok with this because I do it to. But the actors leave the bags and such everywhere. I gave them a few chances... then i threatened to take that away. There wouldnt be allowed to get food anymore... since then they have been better.

As for set strike, my director also says "if you dont show up, you cant do the next show" but he NEVER enforces it. So all of the seniors dont show up unless they hafta give in costumes because they know it "doesnt matter". Last year we had no power in the school and 18 4x8 platforms to unscrew with 2 cordless drills. There was other things the actors could have done... but they left and went to the beach within one hour.... the crew was there for 7 hours striking.

But as I think some ppl say, It has alot to do with you director and stage manager. I was the stage manager but I was still their age and younger than some. You just hafta have some discipline.