Stage management is a specialised discipline within the theatre that serves as the linchpin for the successful execution of a production. The role is multifaceted, encompassing organisational, technical, and interpersonal responsibilities that facilitate the smooth functioning of the rehearsal process and the live performance. The stage manager acts as a conduit between the various departments—such as the directorial team, the design departments, and the performers—ensuring that each component is synchronised and aligned with the overall vision of the production.
Stage Manager Duties and Responsibilities
- Get Into Theatre: Highlights the role of a stage manager in coordinating various teams in a theatre production.
- HowlRound Theatre Commons: Discusses the complexities of stage managing in immersive, site-specific, and participatory theatre, with insights from Sophia Lana Cohen Smith.
- MTC Backstage: Offers an in-depth look at the stage manager’s role in theatrical productions.
- APATA: Celebrates the versatility and transferability of skills gained in stage management to other professional arenas.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Provides a comprehensive resource on all aspects of a stage manager’s duties.
- Stage Management Association: Formally defines stage management, detailing key roles and responsibilities for academic or beginner understanding.
- Get Into Theatre: Highlights the role of a stage manager in coordinating various teams in a theatre production.
- HowlRound Theatre Commons: Discusses the complexities being a stage manager in immersive, site-specific, and participatory theatre, with insights from Sophia Lana Cohen Smith.
- MTC Backstage: Offers an in-depth look at the stage manager’s role in theatrical productions.
- APATA: Celebrates the versatility and transferability of skills gained in stage management to other professional arenas.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Provides a comprehensive resource on all aspects of a stage manager’s duties.
- Stage Management Association: Formally defines stage management, detailing key roles and responsibilities for academic or beginner understanding.
- Berklee College of Music: Provides an in-depth analysis of the stage manager’s role in theatre, music concerts, and dance, covering responsibilities and required skills.
- IE Insights: Explores the critical role of stage management in theatre, comparing it to corporate management and its broader organisational relevance.
- Good Universities Guide: Offers a career guide on stage management, detailing educational paths, earnings, and job prospects.
- Stage Whispers: Describes stage managers as essential to the cohesion of a production, ensuring seamless operation from rehearsals to performances.
- Indeed: Focuses on essential skills for stage management, providing a detailed list of competencies needed in the field.
- Theatrefolk: Discusses the stage manager’s role in facilitating rehearsals and performances, highlighting collaboration with directors and artistic teams.
- AACT: Highlights the stage manager’s critical role, particularly in supporting the director during rehearsals, and outlines key responsibilities and skills.
- Barnstormers Stage Management Guide: Provides a comprehensive guide on stage management, covering everything from auditions to performances for varying experience levels.
- Longwood University Stage Manager Contract: Details a formal contract from Longwood University outlining the obligations and roles of stage managers in their productions.
- Workable: Offers a template for a stage manager job description, encompassing skills and responsibilities throughout the theatre production process.
- ETSU Honors Thesis on Stage Management: Presents an academic study from East Tennessee State University on the history, evolution, and current practices of stage management.
Stage Management Terms
- Theatre Crafts Glossary: Provides a detailed list of technical theatre terms specifically related to stage management, serving as a resource for students and professionals.
Stage Manager Handbooks
- ETBU Theatre Handbook: Offers a complete guide for theatre students at East Texas Baptist University, with a focus on stage management expectations and procedures.
- PFW Theatre Stage Manager Manual: Provides a detailed stage management guide specific to the Theatre Department at Purdue University Fort Wayne, outlining roles and responsibilities for students and faculty.
- Stage Management Handbook by WVU: A comprehensive guide from West Virginia University covering all aspects of stage management, from pre-production to post-production.
- Kent State University’s Stage Management Handbook: Provides foundational knowledge of stage management, including roles, responsibilities, and skills, for educational and professional use.
- University of Washington Stage Management Manual: Offers a detailed guide on stage management specific to the University of Washington’s Drama Department.
- WHS Theatre Stage Management Handbook: A practical stage management guide from WHS Theatre featuring templates, checklists, and instructions.
- Langham Theatre Stage Management Handbook 2019: A practical stage management guide from WHS Theatre featuring templates, checklists, and instructions.
- University of Idaho Stage Management Handbook: A complete guide to stage management, covering all phases from pre-production to post-production, for both aspiring and experienced stage managers.
- UWL Stage Management Handbook 2021: Provides a modern view on stage management with updated protocols and practices suitable for students and professionals at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
- IUSB Stage Management Handbook 2016-2017: A specific guide for stage management at Indiana University South Bend’s Theatre and Dance Department, outlining departmental expectations and procedures.
- Davidson College Theatre Department Stage Management Handbook (direct PDF download): Comprehensive coverage of all stage management aspects, from pre-production to performances, for the Davidson College Theatre Department.
- Langham Theatre Stage Management Handbook 2012: A detailed guide for stage managers in community theatre, covering all stages from auditions to closing night.
- University of Idaho Stage Management Handbook: A complete guide to stage management, covering all phases from pre-production to post-production, for both aspiring and experienced stage managers.
- UWL Stage Management Handbook 2021: Provides a modern view on stage management with updated protocols and practices, suitable for students and professionals at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
- IUSB Stage Management Handbook 2016-2017: A specific guide for stage management at Indiana University South Bend’s Theatre and Dance Department, outlining departmental expectations and procedures.
- Davidson College Theatre Department Stage Management Handbook (direct PDF download): Comprehensive coverage of all stage management aspects, from pre-production to performances, for the Davidson College Theatre Department.
Stage Management Forms and Templates
- UWL Stage Management Forms Library: A collection of downloadable stage management templates from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, including audition forms and rehearsal schedules.
- University of Iowa Theatre Forms and Paperwork: Offers various stage management forms and paperwork templates, useful for organizational purposes in stage management.
- Dramatics Preproduction Checklist: Offers a general pre-production framework for stage managers, covering a wide range of tasks and considerations.
- Routledge Rehearsals Textbook: An academic textbook focusing on the rehearsal process, providing both theoretical and practical stage management knowledge.
- USITT Stage Management Resources: A curated list of stage management resources and articles for education and professional development from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
- TheatreCrafts: Calls and Cans: Specializes in stage management communication, particularly in using “calls” and headsets, offering technical guidance.
- Patrick Lee Johnson’s Stage Management Paperwork: Features a variety of customizable stage management paperwork templates and examples.
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