Vote for Comment of the Week

Here are this week's contenders, votes due by the end of the day Thursday...

Student #1 has left a new comment on your post "Carnegie Hall Opening Gala Canceled Because of Sta...":

I agree with what people have said so far about the Union stepping into something thats not really their place. I don't really see why the stagehands need to be a part of the educational wing unless their is some sort of technical entertainment aspect. Although I will say 400K seems perfectly fair for these guys. If you read the comments posted with the article this is actually a quite heated debate. There are many people trying to argue that the work a stagehand does is easy and anyone can do it therefore, they are way overpaid. Personally I took HUGE offense to those comments and I think anyone involved in our industry should! In my eyes that would be like telling a doctor who has gone through years of med school that their job is easy and anyone can do it. The reality is the work done on stage typically is complex and has the potential to kill someone if it's done wrong. I certainly would not want to sit under a fully rigged truss at a concert that could potentially come crashing down because someone did not know how to engineer it properly. The people who do this kind of work have either been heavily trained from within, or gone to school such as CMU. The bottom line is that is worth something, because these are the people with the skills necessary to successfully and safely execute live entertainment. 

Student #2 has left a new comment on your post "How Do I Get My “Big Break” In This Business?":

This thought hits me every once in a while; it's kind of ridiculous to me how little a college education means in some professions. Not that training and knowledge are not important, just that training and knowledge alone do not get you any closer to an audition than the kid who moves to LA straight out of high school (i.e. Aaron Paul). It's about who you know, who knows you, who likes you, who the people who like you know, etc etc but MOST importantly, it's your communication skills that set you apart. The willingness and ability to sit, for example, in a sound studio for hours on days on months and mix, chat, and learn.

Last year, Stephen Schwartz held a small seminar for playwriting students at CMU, and one of the most memorable things he said was that ALL of his friends -composers, playwrights, directors- had physical copies of their work on them at all times. CDs, scripts, flash drives, anything, in case someone or anyone came up and asked. Even if someone mentioned that they enjoyed one of their older projects, they'd counter with "here's my newest one, give it a look!" It takes a certain energy and confidence to constantly promote yourself and your work. And no matter how many business or audition classes you take, the essence of that energy can't be taught.  

Student #3 has left a new comment on your post "'Naked and scared' no more: Haunted house cancels ...":

I love this idea! The concept and realization of lack of clothing is not only a self confidence thing but a security thing as well. People who are willing to wear less generally have a greater sense of security and their bodies well being. If you are willing to wear less you are putting less in-between you and the outside world, whether it is good or bad. So the idea of putting people naked in a haunted house is a great idea on how to reduce layers of security and intensify the experience. I have a great sense of security and self esteem and am able to wear little to no clothing where ever I am, however, I would be terrified to do so in this haunted house. I have never dealt well with horror and the idea of reducing my ability to defend it is truly terrifying. I do believe that if I could tour through this haunted house without my clothing on it would increase my general security afterwards. I am disappointed to see the park taking back their initial, to remain in legal safety I think this is a unique idea that if it went to fruition would bring a great deal of business. Maybe next year they will follow through. 

Student #4 has left a new comment on your post "Unteaching":

I also completely agree with this article. Two of my favorite teachers in high school (History and Art) taught some of the basic facts we had to learn, but the rest of the class was discussion. The teachers asked us for our opinions and questioned our reasoning. What was great was that there was no answer. The teachers made us argue with ourselves to come up with an eventual answer. Sometimes, it was fun, because there would be no answer. There would be no right or wrong. Last year, I had the same pleasurable experience in my Roots of Rock n Roll course. Our teacher introduced us to new (or old and forgotten) music and then proceeded to discuss what we heard. We looked at the roots and deeper meanings of the songs, and he asked for our opinions. Sometimes, I thought he was studying our answers to try and understand humans. Then I realized, that I began to study everyone's answers. I began to understand a little more about human nature, how we perceive people, and how we behave towards one another. I think this is more important than anything you learn in a book.  

Student #5 has left a new comment on your post "Interning is the new normal. But will it lead to j...":

The number of people that come out of college that find full time employment across the board is down significantly and part of the problem is the number of internship programs that are in the system. What would have been a entry level paid and benefited position 25-30 years ago has been turned into internships. People with qualifications are no longer looking for jobs they are looking for internships which pay less if at all and they are drowning in student loan debt. This is ridiculous we are looking for an internship that may lead to a job while buried in debt and there are no guarantees that this gamble will pay off. There are no longer companies that look out for and invest in their employees and they also abuse intern labor while dangling the prize of an entry level position in front of them. People coming out of school should not be looking for an internship they should be looking for a job that they can turn into a career so that they can build their life outside of work. Overqualified people are taking intern work because they have no other option which then limits the possibility of the internship being useful to the people that are taking those internships. If you want labor do not do it on the backs of interns make them entry level employees with real benefits and offset the cost from the bottom line and from executive compensation. People are not line items on a budget they are assets that need to be invested in and retained. Offices will work with greater efficiency if they have greater continuity in the personnel and if those people feel that they are valued and part of a team. People need some attachment and ownership of a company or product in order to be invested in making that company or product better. Value the human component of your workforce and they will work harder and more efficiently for you.