Stage Manager
Some of these criteria taken from Linda Apperson
The stage manager of a performance has the following
responsibilities.
1) The stage manager is responsible for making sure
everything relating to a particular production happens when and how
it is supposed to happen.
2) They convey information about time and place (of
rehearsals, photo calls, fittings, performances, etc.) to company members.
3) They make sure rehearsals start on time and that breaks
end on time.
4) They call the cast together before a performance for
notes.
5) They make sure technical crews know how much time they
have before the house opens or rehearsal starts (especially during
technical rehearsals).
6) They call 1/2 hour, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, and places
before curtain to the performers and crew.
7) They call light, set, and sound cues during the
performance.
8) They take blocking during rehearsals (recording
the actor's moves in a script, using standard blocking code: US for
upstage, DS for downstage, C for center, X or cross, V for sit, ^ for
stand, and so forth).
9) They keep rehearsals running smoothly when performers
are off book (no longer using their scripts) by giving them lines as
needed.
10) They set up rehearsal props or set pieces so
that the rehearsal space is ready.
11) They organize set changes, knowing exactly what gets
moved, when and who is moving it.
12) They make sure the set is ready and props are
set before the house opens at performances.
13) They are hired by either the director or producer and
report directly to the director or assistant director.
14) They are usually paid based on a salary.
The Stage manager needs to be organized, reliable,
efficient, diplomatic, and assertive (without being bossy). The stage
manager is a hub, gathering information and dispensing it to the parties
that need it. Once a show opens, the stage manager should be the
person in charge. The stage manager is also a diplomat, garnering
cooperation from performers and crew, giving notes when necessary, and
keeping order backstage. The person in charge of the production needs a
stage manager to keep things running smoothly and to keep from burning out
while trying to do everything. Being a stage manager is a wonderful
opportunity to learn a great deal about theatre and working with others.
It is a job that engenders growth, appreciation of the need for
collaboration between everyone involved in a production, and understanding
of the effort it takes to create theatre.
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