Final Report

As I look back over the past few weeks, I see many new concepts of stage management that I have picked up on, and hopefully can apply to the next show I stage manage. Some of the highlights of my learning experience include my shadowing experience and the book I read. The book, entitled Stage Management -A Guidebook of Practical Techniques by Lawrence Stern, was a great read. It covered everything imaginable on the topic of stage management. It even went as far as demonstrating how to create scene maps, different types of organizational charts, and cueing sheets. As a whole, this book really boosted my organizational skills in stage management by using descriptive and simple strategies. The next aspect of my blog that was most interesting was my live interaction. I thoroughly enjoyed shadowing Thoroughly Modern Millie at Samford University. Rachel Chittum was the stage manager, and I gained immeasurable knowledge due to the fact that she used techniques that are above my level, one's that I hope to use one day. Overall, my experience shadowing Rachel was great, not to mention I scored some pretty awesome contacts!
Through researching for this project, I have gained more knowledge than I ever thought was possible. I learned that there is a new way, and an old way to stage manage; Hewitt is apparently stuck in the dark ages. The new way uses national databases to store stage manager's scripts, while the old way involves photocopying individual pages from the original script. I also learned that organization is a key factor for any stage manager. Without organization, a show cannot go on, because the cast and crew is at the mercy of the stage manager's cues. All in all, I believe that this project provided me the materials needed to succeed and become a successful stage manager.
If I were to go back and do this project over again, I would not do anything different. I gained so much knowledge from this learning experience that I do not believe that any aspect could be improved. My final opinion of the topic is that stage manger's should find what their personal preference of cueing is, and then approach it with nothing else but old fashioned organization. I believe that if a show is organized, being that everyone knows what is going on, the show can be none other than a success. I believe this because the "common denominator" for all my postings was organization. Take for instance my book length critique, the book was strictly written around the principle of organization and its importance. As a whole, I believe all techniques to stage management serve their purpose, but the success of the show lies on top of whether the stage manager is organized.

Live Interaction

This past Friday night, I went to Samford University's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. There, I shadowed their stage manager during the opening performance. The first thing we did when I got there was check to make sure all props and set pieces were in the correct place for the top of the show. After we finished a general tour of the theatre, it was time to do a lengthy mic check which took approximately 25 minutes. At this point, we were about 45 minutes until the places call. We made a quick run up to the booth, where the stage manager called the cues, to make sure everything was in perfect running order. After we checked the booth, we hung out backstage, talking and meeting everyone on the tech crew, and occasionally calling the 30, 15, 10, and 5 minute calls. At this point, we headed up to the booth, where the stage manager and I put on out headset and started cueing the show. Throughout the performance, many mics malfunctioned, a problem an experienced stage manager knows all too well. Besides having to call standby cues and the "go" cues, the stage manager had to constantly troubleshoot mic problem with the sound board engineer. After the performance, we made our way backstage to shift the set to the opening positions.
All in all, my experience shadowing the stage manager of Thoroughly Modern Millie was very educational. I experienced a totally new technique of stage managing that I had previously only read about in stage management books. I also liked the attitude that everyone in the cast and on the crew had towards the stage manager. Everyone seemed to respect and value the stage managers knowledge of the show, something that our theatre hasn't seen in a while at the high school level. As a whole, my experience shadowing Thoroughly Modern Millie was exceptionally valuable, not to mention, the tips I picked up on will help me call the same show next year when we perform it at the high school level!

Book Length Critique

Over the past few weeks, I have read the book, Stage Management -A Guidebook of Practical Techniques by Lawrence Stern. In this book Stern describes stage management down to precise details. The book is laid out in a timeline manner, starting with preproduction responsibilities and characteristics of a good stage manager. Stern says, “A good stage manager must always remain in control of the situation no matter how severe a problem turns out to be" (Stern 9). Stern also states that the stage manager must obtain a copy of the script and thoroughly understand the print before moving on to rehearsals. When a stage manager understands the playwright’s intentions of the production, he or she can make better decisions regarding the success of the show. Next, Sterns stresses the importance of establishing clear rules for the company, along with how to create a master schedule for everyone involved in the production. This will aide in the prevention of many last minute problems. From there, the book goes into great detail about how to run rehearsals and how to call the actual cues. The book ends by several chapters that include key personal traits such as organizational skills and promptness that will aide oneself in obtaining a professional job in a theatre.
Overall, I believe this is a great book that describes the basics, in detail, for an amateur stage manager. I agree with Sterns in that organizational skills are a must for any aspiring stage manager. I also believe that there is a level of professionalism that must be reached in order to be respected and trusted enough by the cast and crew in order for them to take "commands" from a stage manager. I feel that the book could have stressed the need for a good relationship with the crew and company instead of focusing on the details such as making duty rosters.
On the other hand, reading a book about stage management will only get a person so far. Since usually a stage manager starts off his or her career as an assistant stage manager, it is practical to understand that reading a book will not by any means prepare you for the duties you will face backstage. In my opinion, on the job, or for this case, behind the curtain training or observing is absolutely necessary. Without experience in this field of work, one has no idea what work actually goes on behind the scenes in order to make the production a success. As one can see, Stage Management - A Guidebook of Practical Techniques is a great book for someone to read that is interested in stage management, but the only way to improve your skills is to actually go behind the scenes and shadow a professional.

Stern, Lawrence. Stage Management - A Guidebook of Practical Techniques. 3rd ed. Newton, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1987. 1-324. Print.

Small Print Source - 5

This article summarizes the key responsibilities upheld by a stage manager in community theatre. The article says that the five key responsibilities a stage manager has control over are: “scheduling and running rehearsals, communicating the directors’ wishes to designers and crafts people, coordinating the work of the stage crew, calling cues and possibly actors’ entrances during performance, and overseeing the entire show each time it is performed” (AACT 1). The article also says that the stage manager is responsible for ensuring that proper set pieces are completed on a timely schedule, and also ensuring that all props are in place so that actors are prepared for using them in the actual performance. Overall, the stage manager is constantly keeping record of all lighting levels, sound (microphone) levels, and blocking diagrams.
I believe this is a great article that clearly lays out what a typical stage manager does on a typical day. It shows that the stage manager takes on other responsibilities other that just calling the cues on the day of the performances. I agree that in community theatre, sometimes funds are short, therefore resulting in the stage manager doubling and tripling responsibilities in order to have a successful show. As one can see, stage management can be a hectic and demanding occupation.

"Stage Manager." American Association of Community Theatre. AACT, 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2010. .

A Backstage Tour on Broadway

This video is of a backstage tour of The Lion King on Broadway in New York, New York. The woman show us around backstage, including the dressing room areas, stage management offices, and the hair/wig dressing area. Throughout the video, we learn all the different aspects that go into the final performance that usually go unnoticed. These include the extensive hair and makeup time that is needed to make the characters look realistic. The basic message of the video is that "if it weren't for everybody's effort, the show couldn't happen".
I agree that everyone working behind the scenes must work collaboratively together, so that the show may be a success. Like the woman in the video states, many workers such as the hair and makeup people double as company assistants. This means that they must assist with quick changes and other types of fast changes in the wing areas of the stage. I believe that if the whole crew does not work together, then the show will not be a total success.


"Backstage Tour of The Lion King with Kissy Simmons - Part 1 ." Youtube. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .

Cueing: Pencil and Notebook Vs. Laptop

In this blog thread, several people are posting their viewpoints of whether a stage manager should be allowed to have his/her laptop out during rehearsals. Most people say that the "clicking of the keys would be a distraction to the actors merely 3 feet away from the stage manager" (1). One person disagrees and states that being able to write the rehearsal report as you go along with rehearsal is an advantage, cutting down on the time usually spent after the rehearsal typing a rehearsal report and distributing it to cast and crew.
I believe that it would be beneficial to have a laptop during the rehearsal time. The obvious advantages would be that it would save the stage manager time and that rehearsal reports would be sent out faster. Another advantage to laptops is that the stage manager could change any prop shift charts, scene shift charts, and costume shift charts as soon as changes occur, instead of writing down the problem and fixing it later. It would also cut down on paper costs to reprint shift charts for the cast and crew. As a whole, I believe that the shift (no pun intended) to using laptops in rehearsal will benefit the stage manager.


"Laptop Vs. Pencil and Script/Notepad." Stage Manager's Network. SMNetwork, 19 Mar 2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .

A Stage Manager's Job

This website breaks down every responsibility that a stage manager should complete at specific points in the rehearsal process. It is broken down into sections entitled: Prior to Auditions, Auditions, Prior to Each Rehearsal, During Each Rehearsal, Following Each Rehearsal, Prior to Tech Rehearsal, During Tech Rehearsal, Prior to Each Performance, and During Each Performance. These are the major stepping stones to reaching the final destination, which is the actual performance. It also goes into depth, explaining, "If you should have to stop a performance, calmly announce to the audience that a problem has occured backstage" (Stage Managers-- Their Responsibilities and Duties 1).

Although I hope I never have to bring a performance to a hault, it is a true reality. I like how this particular website breaks down the responsibilities of a stage manager into realistic "landmarks" that every stage manager finds themselves at during some point of the rehearsal process. I believe that by looking at all the responsibilities in an organized way, it takes some of the pressure of the eternal question of a stage manager: "What should I be doing now?". As a whole, I think this is a great website to illustrate the duties of a stage manager during the rehearsal process.

"Stage Management." Theatre UAB. University of Alabama at Birmingham, n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. .