Stage Management Stage Management is one of the most important jobs when it comes to live productions in theater. These managers work alongside the directors, actors, set designers, and stage crew. They make sure that everyone is on task and on the same page so the show can continue as planned. Stage managers assist the directors in instructing the actors where to stand or how to say certain lines during rehearsals. In smaller productions, stage management can be performed by one person, while in larger productions, it is usually performed by a team of managers consisting of a head stage manager, or Production Stage Manager, and one or more assistant stage managers. In the sixteenth century, before Stage management became a widely used term, …show more content…
First, you must go through at least four years of college and earn a Bachelors in Stage Management. A bachelor's degree program in stage management provides individuals with the necessary skills and experience to work in the field. These types of programs allow students to explore different areas of theater, from costuming to scene design and stage management. A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program in stage management typically consists of academic coursework combined with hands-on theater experience (Study.com 2016). The first year usually covers subjects in general education, production and design. During the last few years of the program, students have the opportunity to participate in the school's stage productions. Graduates may want to consider an internship or assistant stage manager positions to obtain work experience. Schools and independent theaters may offer paid internships to graduates from stage management programs. Internships typically require full-time work for a certain period, from several weeks to months. Assistant stage managers may find work on larger production and help the production stage manager or director with cuing actors, assisting with rehearsals and keeping the production process running …show more content…
Geography and tenure each impact pay for this group, with the former having the largest influence. Most Live Performance Stage Managers like their work and job satisfaction is high. Men are slightly outnumbered by their female counterparts who answered the questionnaire, who make up a slight majority at 51 percent. Although more than a third lack health benefits of any kind, more than half do enjoy medical insurance, and more than two-fifths get dental coverage, too. Live Performance Stage Managers with more experience do not necessarily bring home bigger paychecks. In fact, experience in this field tends to impact compensation minimally. Individuals who have worked for fewer than five years bring in approximately $35K on average. Those in the five-to-ten-year range can expect an average that is only a touch bigger at $38K. On average, Live Performance Stage Managers make $42K following one to two decades on the job. Survey participants who have spent more than 20 years on the job report a predictably higher median income of $52K, demonstrating that compensation is roughly commensurate with experience in the
Most people that work in theatre have a pretty good idea of what a stage manager does during rehearsals - at least, the things that can be seen. We take blocking notes, cue lines, keep track of the time, coordinate presets and scene changes, answer the questions, and solve the problems. Yet, there are so many things a stage manager does, so many balls constantly being juggled, that many elements of the stage manager’s job go unnoticed. So, in honor of the unseen, here is a sampling of some tasks a stage manager completes before rehearsal. Early in our morning, we check our phone.
The specialization and individualized professions in the field of Technical Theatre are relatively new to the stage in comparison to the period of time in which the art of Theatre has grown. Aiding in the development of concentrated professions such as scenic design has been a plethora of talented, skillful, intelligent and highly driven individuals. Among these influential fountains of creativity have been John Lee Beatty, Eugene Lee, Boris Aronson, Ming Cho Lee, Jo Mielziner, Tony Walton, Robin Wager, John Napier, Santo Loquasto, Heidi Landesman, and Julie Taymor along with many more.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder & nbsp; The Stage Manager is a man of many roles. Usually a stage manager is part of the non-acting staff and in complete charge of the bodily aspects of the production. In Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the Stage Manager goes well beyond his usual function in a play and undertakes a large role as a performer. In Our Town, the Stage Manager is a narrator, moderator, philosopher, and actor. Through these roles, the Stage Manager is able to communicate the theme of universality in the play.
They operate, maintain and guard the technical assets of the theatre. This includes supervising the use of lighting, sound, communications equipment, and the use and maintenance of stage facilities. They are also in charge of supervising and assisting with set and stage construction and management. They are also the ones who monitor the condition of equipment such as the lights, sound. Finally, they are the ones who arrange for the repair and replacement within budgetary constraints.
The Restoration in England was an era ripe for the development of new ideas in the arts. The return of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II marked the end of eighteen years of almost dictatorial control by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan parliament. Cromwell had campaigned actively to halt all theatrical activity. In the end, however, his laws were actually responsible for helping move England forward in theatrical history. Actors, under Cromwell's laws, were to be apprehended a rogues if they were caught "in the act" so to speak of performing their trade. Some left their careers and sought employment elsewhere. Most, however, remained undaunted by parliament's threats. Productions continued quietly in tennis courts, inns and private houses. Officials were bribed to keep silent their knowledge of violations. The theater in England had moved indoors as it had already done in France and Italy. Although the reasons for the move were different, the end result was the same. Up until this time plays had always been performed outdoors in the early afternoon. Performances traditionally relied on sunlight, natural scenery, and minimal set pieces that could be easily transported from one location to another. Indoor productions required something much more elaborate. The preliminary concepts of scenic design and lighting design began to form in England in the late 1650's. During the Restoration, as controls were lifted, technical theater began to flourish. Many early examples of modern stage techniques were born between 1660 and 1800, making the Restoration a significant era in the history of scenic design and lighting for the theater. The art of scenic design did not begin in England. As early as 1570 the Italians were giving elaborate opera performances in the ducal courts using perspective scenes and various types of stage machinery. The French mimicked the design ideas of the Italian's and gave them a name, la scene a l'italienne. (Southern 221) Although Cromwell had banned public theater, opera was still considered a lawful art form. In England, just prior to the Restoration, John Webb designed the scenery for William D'avenant's 'opera' production of The Siege of Rhodes.
(Internet Broadway Database 2017, under Production Staff). Part of the role of stage manager is the administration of the stage management budge (Pallin 2000, 16). Organisation is required to keep the budget on track and to keep record of all transactions. Recording is an essential part of the stage manager’s role, noting transitions and scenography changes to express the vision of the director (ibid). Without this crucial skill, the production would be chaotic and unrefined. Organisation in relation to the stage manager role incorporates “…thinking ahead, anticipating…” (Fazio 2017, 11). For productions like Hello, Dolly! the stage manager must organise for understudies and be ready at a moment’s notice to figure out solutions to any production problems. As stage manager, Zaccardi is responsible for preserving the quality of the show as it continues its Broadway run (Music Jobs 2018, 1). This requires the stage manager to, as necessary, organise further rehearsals as well as to make sure that all changes and corrections are incorporated fluidly (Kincman 2017, 1-2). Organisation is required to make sure that all changes are kept up to date and that rehearsals do not conflict with production scheduling. Zaccardi would also have used his organisational skills for the management of cast and
In the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603) and the Jacobean Era (1603-1625), there was a fondness for spectacle and pageantry. At court, trumpets and drums resounded to announce mealtimes; in town, these instruments were used by theatre troupes to herald upcoming performances (Renaissance & Baroque Society of Pittsburgh, 2003, and Folkerth, 2002). Music, then, is applied boldly and lavishly in everyday life and in drama, an imitation of life.
Lazarus, Joan. "On the Verge of Change: New Directions in Secondary Theatre Education." Applied Theatre Research 3.2 (July 2015): 149-161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/atr.3.2.149_1.
Jason, Phillip K. "The Afterpiece: Origins and Early Development," in Restoration and 18th Century Theatre Research, 1 (1986), 53-62.
Roles & Responsibilities Director The director is a crucial part of any play, film, or television show. The director leads everyone involved. They are the one who overseas, in this case, the play. The director ensures that the performance is complete and of high quality.
The most important part of the audition was to have a stage manager or other production personnel station in the lobby or
The Stage Manager and the Assistant Stage Manager must have prompt books to follow along backstage and to warn crew about upcoming cues and scene changes. All leadership must have a cue sheet on hand in order to answer any questions that other members of the crew (or cast), might have. Along with cue sheets, headsets are an absolute must when it comes to behind-the-scenes work. They maximize the amount of communication that the crew can have with the directors and the stage manager. It allows decisions to be
Then, there is technical theatre. This area of theatre is my favorite and the goal for my future. Technicians are the ones who create the world for the actors or somehow manage everything behind the scenes. Before I explain the multiple fields and areas of technical theatre, I must stress how important this side of theatre is overall. When it comes down to getting a degree in technical theatre or pursuing it, people tend to view it as a purely practical occupation and experience based. Take a look at it in comparison to performance; in a graduate thesis by Christian J. Hershey in 2015, he took a survey of college courses offered for theatre education for a technical focused theatre degree rather than those offered for a performance focused
Theatre-In-Education The theatre education industry/movement has seen some rapid changes since its initial developments and establishment in the 1960’s. However its origins mainly lie in the early years of the last century. It was the initial establishment of companies such as Bertha Waddell’s in Scotland and Esme Church’s in the north of England that thoroughly established the main roots of TIE.
The medieval age also saw some of the greatest contributions to theater. The biggest influence on later theater was the changing of the language used in the plays from Latin to the vernacular. This was crucial in spreading drama as it allowed the lower classes to understand the performances and contributed to the expansion of theater across Europe in the R...