Actors Hold: An Analysis of the Director/Stage Manager Relationship in Professional and Educationai Theatre
Abstract
Since a young age I have been interested in theatre. At first, I was only drawn to the
spotlight on stage. It wasn't until my position as assistant stage manager on the play Angels in
America: Millennium Approaches, did I started leaning away from performance and moving
toward stage management. I have always been interested in theatre and student government so
stage management seemed to be an appropriate fit since it unified both. During my sophomore
and junior year at Kalamazoo College, I stage managed three shows, two being student directed
and the other being the production The Cripple of Inshmaan with guest director, Kevin Dodd.
This furthered my pursuit of stage management but I didn't know how to turn this interest into a
senior individualized project. During my junior year, I started talking to fellow students about
their stage managing experiences. I was amazed how vastly different they were depending on the
director of the production. After reflecting on my own stage management experiences, I noticed
that I have worked differently with each director. I had to adapt how I ran rehearsals and
production aspects to fit with each director. I also had a different relationship with them
depending on whether they were a student, guest director, or a member of the Kalamazoo
College Theatre Arts Department.
In February of 2010, I was accepted for an internship focusing on stage management and
theatre management at the Finborough Theatre in London. I wanted to integrate my new
internship with my senior individualized project but couldn't manage a theme that would
culminate my interests of the last three years. Then I remembered my long conversations with
stage mangers and my own experiences, and realized the director/stage manager relationship was
an aspect of theatre that has not been explored. This relationship is central to the creative
process, the production of the play itself, and would make an interesting SIP.
In examining this subject, I wish to explore not only the relationship between stage
managers and directors but also how to become a better director and stage manager. Kalamazoo
College does not offer a stage management class so the only way to learn how to stage-manage is
learning by doing. He or she is taught how to stage-manage while being an assistant stage
manager; the older generation of stage managers teachers the new the skills it takes to become
successful. The issue with this system is the lack of formal education on how to take blocking,
write a prompt book, and take notes. The fact is some student stage managers make better
teachers than others. When researching for this project, I hope to become a better stage manager
and learn what is expected from me in the professional theatre world.
I am exploring this relationship and writing this SIP because, if any student wishes to
pursue a career in stage management or directing, this other person will become your number
one asset. Knowing how to adapt to every director will make a stage manager people will want to
work with and knowing how to properly use a stage manager will make a director accomplish
tasks in half the time. Below I explore the relationship between the director and stage manager in
professional and educational theatre.
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