I wrote about being a child actor…now I want to talk about being an adult stage manager, and what that means to me.
I never thought I’d find myself in the position of stage manager. I know I’ve written before about how I always imagined I’d be on stage for my life, but fell in love with stage managing when I jumped into that role. It was one of those things that I just sort of fell into…and trust me, I went outside of my comfort zone a lot at first. The first time I looked at the rickety wooden ladder up to the booth, my initial thought was What the hell have I gotten myself into? But I sort of came to love that ladder. And being up in the booth. Being the stage manager.
It’s normal for people to change and evolve. And I think I’ve learned that the most with my changing roles in the theatre. I never imagined myself up in the booth. It wasn’t even something in my peripheral. I knew the stage manager was up there, running lights and sounds. And of course I knew what they did for shows. Where would we be without our stage manager calling half…fifteen…five…places! ? But that wasn’t my job. I did what my stage manager called, of course, but it wasn’t something I actually thought about.
My first show that I stage managed was a giant learning experience. I wasn’t just in charge of everything in the booth. It was my job to make sure everything was running smoothly. This included getting in early to make sure dressing rooms were open, props were all ready, the set was ready, and all the extra details about things being in place for the top of the show. I had to make sure actors were getting in and getting everything they needed.
Okay, so maybe I can be a bit bossy. In a way, it made things helpful. People had to listen to me. I’m also very detail oriented, which is definitely a good quality for a stage manager to have. I had never thought to use those skills for that job, though. Again, stage managing was never something I truly processed from my actor days. But suddenly, a lot of things that were naturally a part of my personality were being put to use. I was able to take charge and run a tight ship. It was a lot of concentration, and a lot of me putting 110% into every last thing I did.
Stage managing isn’t easy. It’s a lot to keep in your head. You have to be super on top of things all the time. When I was stage managing, I kept a small notepad, a copy of the script, a pen, and a pencil with me at all times. I was constantly scribbling down notes, and my script had every light and sound cue I needed. It was really the only way I could totally keep track of everything in my head, and everything I needed to take care of on the stage, with the actors, and with anything else I needed. If you’re not on point, everything is going to fall apart.
Now, I’m definitely not saying I did everything perfectly. I’m remembering one rather embarrassing missed sound cue where the actor didn’t catch on quick enough. That also happened to be the night the play was being filmed. Not a good feeling for me…as is obvious by the way I’m writing about it. As a bit of a perfectionist, it still haunts me. The fact of the matter is, no matter how good a stage manager you are, mistakes are still going to happen.
Being a stage manager is sort of taking a director’s baby and making sure you treat it right. Once a show goes up, the stage manager is the one running things. You have to do absolute right by everyone who contributed to getting that show up. And it’s not just the director. You also have to think about the sound and light designers. Anyone who contributed to props and costumes. The stage manager has to tie everything together and keep the show running smoothly through the run of it. It’s a really big job. Some people are meant for it…some people aren’t.
Since my first stage managing gig, I’ve done quite a few more. It’s a title that I wear with great pride. I loved acting as a child and a teenager, but stage managing was such an eye opener when it came to what I love most about being a part of theatre. I never would have thought that this was where I would end up as an adult. I know that when I’m in a place to get back to theatre, I’m definitely going to be stage managing. It’s not my first love of theatre, but it’s definitely my greatest love of theatre.
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