Spotlight: Stage Manager

We're back again with another spotlight! This time we examine one of the most crucial roles in a theatrical production, the stage manager. Once again we will be hearing from a guest writer, Sarah Terman who has been a stage manager with several of Lyric's shows.

We beg your indulgence for the use of
an often overused meme, but it seemed
appropriate

Hi, I'm Sarah Terman, and Justin's letting me sneak on here and talk about my favorite job in theater: stage management.  Stage management is hard to describe adequately because the exact responsibilities of a stage manager vary a lot from company to company.  However, everywhere I've worked, the stage manager's primary mission is the same: to facilitate the rehearsal process and the performances of the show, taking pressure off the directors, the designers, and the performers so they can work their creative magic without getting bogged down in mundane details.  To this end, the stage manager usually is in charge of a large array of diverse tasks.  Here's a rundown of some of the more interesting ones.

During the rehearsal period, I attend every staging rehearsal.  It's my job to write down all the blocking as the director gives it to the actors.  This has three purposes: first, it allows the director to get into a the flow of the scene, without having to stop their artistic process frequently to write down what they've decided.  Most directors do come in to a rehearsal knowing what they want a scene to look like, but they may change their mind when they see it staged, or they may decide to incorporate something cool that the actors came up with on the spot.  I write all that down, so that later, when they're trying to remember what got changed, there's a written record to look at.  Second, if an actor can't attend one of the rehearsals, they can always come to see me to get the notes for the material they missed.  And finally, if an actor finds that their own notes are confusing, they come to me for clarification.  It's thus my goal to have detailed descriptions of where every person is standing and what they are doing at all times.  With 30+ people on the stage in large chorus scenes, this can be quite a handful!  I draw a lot of little diagrams to help keep everything straight.

The other big task I have during rehearsals is the rehearsal notes.  After every staging rehearsal, I write up an email report for the production staff, which contains anything that came up during the rehearsal that people need to know about.  For example, if a set piece breaks during rehearsal - and yes, it happens! - I'll include a note explaining what broke and how.  That way, our build crew knows to come fix it, and hopefully, they'll also find a way to keep it from happening again.  Or if the director decides that a character should pull a notebook from his pocket, I'll of course need to let the props manager know we need a notebook.  I will also need to let the costume shop know that actor will need a pocket to keep the notebook in.  Every part of the show is connected, and even small changes may affect multiple departments.  Keeping everyone informed of all developments is a big part of what I do.

Once we move into the theater, my job changes.  Again, I have a lot of things to handle, but two of the most important are coordinating everyone's preparations for opening curtain, and actually calling the show.  Before each performance, I track which actors have arrived at the theater, and once it gets past a certain time, I or my assistants call the stragglers to make sure they're en route and that they will arrive before they have to go on stage. (There have been some close calls in the past.) I also periodically remind the actors how long it is until curtain - there are relatively few clocks in our dressing room area, and knowing how long they have helps the actors time their preparations.  When there is a little more than half an hour left before curtain, I consult with the run crew, the light board operator, and the supertitles operator, making sure all of them are prepared for the audience to enter the theater.  Then, ideally at exactly half an hour before curtain, I let the house manager know that he or she can open the lobby doors and let the audience be seated.  Once the house manager tells me that they have stopped seating, I start the show.

During the performance itself, I coordinate all the technical aspects - this is known as "calling the show.".  This is probably my favorite part of the job.  From my vantage point in the lighting booth, I watch the performance and cue the crew over the headset.  I tell the lights when to change, I tell the curtain when to open and close, and I sometimes tell the set crew when to shift the scene, if it's something that needs to be carefully timed.  There's also occasionally troubleshooting to be done - if an actor misses an entrance, I send my assistants to find them, or if a prop doesn't make it onstage when it's supposed to, I'll try to find a way for another actor to bring it out before it's needed.  I also monitor the costumes for signs of imminent malfunction, and pass word backstage when safety pins might be urgently needed in the wings.  But mostly I get to enjoy the show like everyone else on the audience side of the curtain.

Stage management is not for everyone.  It's less creative than most of the other positions in the production, and sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming.  But I've found that it brings me into contact with every aspect of the production like no other job I've tried.  It's a great way to watch the entire artistic process unfold, and a great way to meet a lot of very cool people.  I find stage management to be a very rewarding job, and I'm immensely proud of all the shows that I have helped along.

*As a personal note from the producer; we owe a great deal of thanks to our stage managers, they do an outstanding job and many a production would fall off rail very quickly without the tireless work of our stage managers*

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