Stage Manager - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 12

The stage manager is the person who assists the director and supervises rehearsals. Assisting the director is done by making sure to have a stage manager's kit in order to help the actors if there are any injuries or emergencies. The kit may also hold helpful items for rehearsals such as books to understand the language of the play if necessary.

The stage manager may have to make a special copy of a script in order to make a prompt book or one might be ordered for the stage manager. The prompt book will definitely contain all the stage directions for the actors and it will also contain the calls for lighting and sound cues. The stage manager is in charge of keeping the prompt book and bringing it to rehearsal in order to remind actors of where they are supposed to be and even to remind the director of the stage directions that he or she gave the actors. The stage manager must be ready to change the stage directions if the director decides that he or she likes different movement, especially if the performance space has changed from the rehearsal space.

It is also likely that the prompt book will contain a diagram of the stage and the set. There may be copies of this on the back of each page and movements may by each character might be marked in a different color for each character. Not all stage managers do this, but some do and it helps to keep everything organized for the production. There may also be charts of what characters are in what scenes so both the stage manager and director know who needs to be at rehearsal. It is the stage manager's responsibility to contact every member that needs to be at rehearsal if they are not there by around 15 minutes before call time, or earlier if specified by the director. Thus, it is important to create a contact sheet that has names and phone numbers in order to contact all people in the production.

The stage manager's kit will include band aids of all sizes, neosporin, perhaps another type of ointment, and if the play is being performed outside, it may even contain bug repellent and sunscreen. It is also likely that the stage manager's kit will contain aspirin, Advil, Pepto Bismol, and Immodium. Then, while it can be embarrassing, it is also likely that the stage manager's kit will include feminine sanitary pads and tampons. It is important that the stage manager be ready for any emergency that might arise with any of the actors.

Once rehearsals are going well and the stage manager has recorded all the blocking and other stage directions that he or she will rehearse replacement casts or understudies. Once rehearsals are completely over and the production begins, the production is completely in the hands of the stage manager. It is no longer the director's responsibility to ensure things go smoothly.

Being that the stage manager creates the script with all of the blocking and stage directions, once a production is over a stage manager may work with a publishing company. The reason for this is to come up with a version of the performance script that others can buy. This is especially true when it comes to new Broadway shows.

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