EMMA BILSKI

Stage Managers typically provide practical and organizational support to the director, actors, designers, stage crew, and technicians throughout the production process. Stage Management is about 50% data organization and about 50% personality and time management.

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The data organization side of Stage Management transfers pretty directly to a wide variety of non-theatre related positions. We create a vast assortment of paperwork that follows the 5 C’s: clear, complete, consistent, correct, and concise, and is visually pleasing and easily distributed (both digitally and physically) to ensure that all members of the team are on the same page at all times. Some examples of this paperwork include daily calls (a document that is distributed to the cast on a daily basis that explains the breakdown of the day), character/scene breakdowns (a document that takes the script and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable chunks) and calendars and contact sheets. This paperwork aids in what is perhaps a Stage Manager's most important job: making things run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

 

The people management side of stage management is a little harder to explain in concrete terms but is really just as transferable as the data organization side. Every day we communicate with the director, actors, designers and technicians, and the broader theatre management in some form. We see many of these people in person every day; thus an ability to read a room based on verbal communication and body language is key to creating a positive dynamic in the team. Some of these people, however, like designers and technicians, we’re lucky to see once a week in person. Therefore, written communication is key. We make sure that these people get all of the information they need in a timely manner and communicate with a positive tone. We also manage and prioritize the schedules, personalities, and needs of large groups of people, and handle sensitive information with care and respect on a day-to-day basis. Stage managers must also remain calm in stressful situations and act with confidence and authority.

 

Finally, there are some aspects of stage management that don’t really fit into either category: we must have the ability to solve problems in an unrelenting, persevering way. If you can’t find a solution, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done; it just means that you’re not looking at it from the right angle. We must also have an excellent work ethic. When you finish something, you say, “that’s done, what else can I do?” Stage Managers wear a lot of hats. We’re the organizers, facilitators, mediators, and the point-person for productions of all sizes and varieties. A job like this requires a creative, detail-oriented, dependable, multitasker, who is able to juggle all of this information while delegating effectively, to build a positive and supportive environment for the creation of a production.