Stage Managing: What You’re Really Signing Up For

As a former (now happily retired) Stage Manager, I learned that doing this job is like a crash course in Theater-every aspect of a show goes through the Stage Manager. As an SM, you’ll either be charged with turning an idea into reality by setting it in motion, or take the blame for anything that goes wrong-the complete opposite sides of the theater spectrum.  It's not an easy or comfy job-I commend anyone who makes a life in the theater as a Stage Manager. Theater stories claim most people can't last over 10 years; I made it through 7.

A stage managing job is a good preamble to any other theater job, as well as a way to get into a theater company's radar or to connect with other artists.  WARNING: It is an utterly thankless job by most standards-with the nice consolation prize of making more money than the lead actors. I'm not writing this to discourage you (although if the following list scares you-RUN!), but rather to give you a real-life understanding of how much work it takes and just how much is under your domain. Nothing more important than this: if you are a good Stage Manager and it is your backup, be prepared to have your friends and colleagues see you as just that-no matter how good you are at acting, writing, dancing, directing, etc. Harsh realities become too frequent as a Stage Manager...so building a skin for that helps, too. 

The following list are some of the specific duties that you may encounter as a Stage Manager.  Master hat-wearer of the Theater, SM's are managers, producers, directors, babysitters, doctors, technicians, and most of all: problem solvers. 

• Scheduling rehearsals while working with talent and designer schedules
• All communication between Director and production
• Keeping time during rehearsal and making time for required breaks
• Organization and preservation of ALL documents related to the show
• Keeping the script up-to-date and distribution of all changes
• All communication between talent and production
• Writing down ALL of the blocking and stage directions
• Set-up and strike every day of rehearsal and show
• Working with Equity and Producers to accommodate talent
• Calling/Running the show from a booth or backstage

If you are capable of all of these things, please do the theater a favor-put on a headset and go stage manage a show! There are never enough quality Stage Managers, and as an actor, I always appreciate my SM's until they can't take it anymore!  Being on the other side has taught me how it feels, and I try my best to make my crew know they are appreciated and acknowledged. The crew is essential to the running of a show and the MORALE-something overlooked by most when asking why a show isn't working.

Despite my break-up with the headset, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Stage Manager. There's nothing quite like that power of knowing everything and being the go-to person with all of the solutions.  Stage Managing just wasn't my passion-but I hope it can be yours! 

Spring '07: Maurya Scanlon, Elise Toscano and I on our first NYU tech as crew members for
Angels in America: Millenium Approaches at the
Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Theater Directing: How To Get Started

For a long time, I didn't know what a Director did or why they were so important.  Even as a Drama major, I thought that actors did all of the work and directors got all of the credit.  I was proven wrong when I decided to step on the other side of the curtain and direct my first show-a personal victory! A complete labor of love (no one got paid a cent), Seminar by Theresa Rebeck was the first piece of theater that I made happen mostly on my own, orchestrating everything from the casting to the marketing. Since then, it became clear to me that the Director is essential to the success of any show, opining on the smallest detail to the biggest spectacle. 

As an actor, the move to director can go two ways: as you step off the stage, all you want to do is be back on it OR you use your intuitive actor training to quickly learn how to turn craft into direction. After all, isn't theater just the search for truth?

There are a few ways to get started on your journey, each successful in its own way, but none exactly formulaic.  Success is a combination of the right contacts, home base support, good text, talented actors, and marketing yourself accurately. All it takes to start is to WANT to be a director. Desire is fundamental if you want to be a good director. 

From there, virtually any backstage theater job is a good way to hit the ground running.  Surround yourself with the knowledge of what happens backstage and what it takes to actually take a show from the page to opening night.  Specific jobs that will expedite your course: Assistant Director, Stage Manager, Producer, Dramaturg, Stage Crew, Designer, and ACTOR. As an actor, you make connections every day with directors-study them! Ask to be their apprentice, assistant direct them, share plays you are interested in directing with them, or ask them if they know of anyone who needs a director! The best contacts are usually right under your nose, but your fear or thoughtlessness will deter you. 

Or you can do what I have found to be most successful: make your own theater.  You find a play you love, actors you want to exhibit, a space that can be used, and bill yourself as the Director.  You can make your career anything you want-only YOU can force you to work on your passion.  So, get up, discover a play, and start your journey!