Stage Manager Observation Paper During this semester, I had the great pleasure in observing two extremely well done shows which were lead by a few very incredible stage managers. I witnessed with awe the hard work, effort, and dedication these people put into their shows, and grew inspired to understand their work at a greater level. The first of the two shows I observed was The Dark Heart of Poe, produced by LitLive Theatre Co. The stage manager, Kaelia Franklin-Winterstein, wore a number hats for this production; she was the official stage manager, a production manager, and a producer. For the sake of this paper, and her own sanity, we will stick to her role as the stage manager. The second performance I so gratefully got to see was Something …show more content…
Kaelia’s work on this show involved many learning curves. Her job forced her to think outside the box, use creative solutions, and ultimately stretch herself to her limits. Being apart of a small company such as this, Kaelia had very little to work with. Through observing her, I learned how to prioritize the importance of needs vs wants, and how to find creative solutions to fairly difficult problems. (I also learned to never use a real, full bottle of wine on stage. Ever. No matter how much your actors beg you to. Don’t do it. Period.) After experiencing our talk back with Matt and his two ASMs, one of the biggest things I learned from their perspective was the importance of reputation. Once your name is exposed in the world of theatre, your reputation can make or break you. Matt mentioned that people will never remember you on your best day, but will always remember you on your worst. This resonated with me, because being a stage manager takes a great deal of self awareness. This is something I hope to take with me no matter what realm of theatre I become apart of. As long as I’m aware of myself, my work can carry me
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 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 an actor. Through these roles the Stage Manager is able to communicate the theme of universality in the play. The main role of the Stage Manager is that of narrator and moderator. He keeps the play moving by capsule summations and subtle hints about the future. "I’ve married over two-hundred couples in my day. Do I believe in it? I don’t know? M….marries N….millions of them. The cottage, the go-cart, the Sunday-afternoon drives in the Ford, the first rheumatism, the grandchildren, the second rheumatism, the deathbed, the reading of the will-once in a thousand times it’s interesting"(699). Here the Stage Manager is giving insight about George and Emily’s future. He is hinting about their life and fate to come. "Goin’ to be a great engineer, Joe was. But the war broke out and he died in France. All that education for nothing" (673). The incidents discussed about are great events in George, Emily, and Joe’s lives. The Stage Manage emphasizes that the short things in these people’s lives are overlooked. There isn’t realization that it is the small parts of their lives that make a difference. His role as narrator differs from most narration. The Stage Manager’s narration shows casualness. The casualness connects the Stage Manager to the audience. "Presently the STAGE MANAGER, hat on and pipe in mouth…he has finished setting the stage and leaning against the right proscenium pillar watches the late arrivals in the audience."(671) The informality is evident since he smokes a pipe, wears a hat, and leans formally against the proscenium pillar. He also greets and dismisses the audience at the beginning and end of each act. The stage manager interrupts daily conversation on the street. The Stage Manager enters and leaves the dialog at will. He is also giving the foresight of death in the play. His informality in dress, manners, and speech, connects the theme, universality, of the production to the audience.
The audience is an important factor to determine the success of a spectacle. It is known that there is no spectacle without audience. The musical theater presentations are known for their number of people, which according to the Broadway League (n.d.), the 2013 season reached attendance of 11.57 million. However, the number of spectators has been decreased in comparison with the peak of popularity for musicals in the last century. The first reason for that is that the spectators of musical theater presentations were a more specific group such as wealthy and intellectual people that used to go to this type of presentation, and this pattern has been consistent until now, as it can be seen in the price of a Broadway spectacle that is very expensive. Second, the spectators have to go where the spectacles are set up, which makes the live presenta...
On March 1, 2001, I had the great opportunity to see a very unique Off-Broadway variety show named De La Guarda, written, directed, and designed by Pichon Baldinu and Diqui James. The theatre presenting this show is the Daryl Roth Theatre, which is located at 20 Union Square East, just a few blocks from Baruch College. There were many interesting moments in the show that one would be definitely surprised if he had no prior knowledge about the show. What makes this show the most interesting is that it is not traditional theatre whatsoever. Everything is changed, including the area where it is performed. There is no real plot, but there are many artistic scenes throughout the show. Although there is no real plot, the performers present a wide range of emotions from one part of the show to the next that makes the audience members crave for the next emotion. It is a definite attention getter and everything including in the show, such as props and the performers themselves, makes the audience a part of the show.
Theatre Journal 57.4 (2005): 598-600. Print.
When studying musical theater, or any type of theater, you cannot just expect to start at Wicked, without understanding how shows of that magnitude came to be. We look at musical theater today, and sit in the theater seats, in awe at the spectacle that we were so fortunate to get orchestra tickets to. Yet, when studying, we need to begin somewhere. This episode is that somewhere. It highlights an individual crucial to the creation of the modern day production. Through his work, other directors and producers have been able to bring their ideas to the stage. Florenz Ziegfeld is an inspiration to any student, artist, or anyone with a passion for musical theater. Miles Krueger said, “The history of Musical Theater is divided into two eras- everything before Showboat and everything
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.
Performing- The performing stage is where everyone is clearly aware on what they’re doing and the purpose of what they’re doing. Everyone is able to share their ideas with others. Confidence is showed among the team members as their able to communicate to other team members without help or assistance from the leader. They can take charge of their own ideas. The team focus on achieving their goals .Although the team can disagreement with...
(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
As I was seating and waiting for the performance to begin I was looking at the stage area and was very impressed to the detail they put into the set. The set was a small area with about five tables, 4 bar stools, and wood panel walls. I noticed their [there] where [were] three actors on stage: the waitress, the cook, and a customer reading a newspaper and eating his omelet. The lighting was art deco design with fluorescent round balls that hung below the ceiling.
In the play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, the Stage Manager is an important, but also confusing character. This character is shown to be almost omniscient and is also displayed as almost god-like character. He inserts himself into the play by talking directly to the characters and also becoming some of the characters such as the minister and the owner of the drugstore. He is portrayed as very wise especially when talking about the character’s deaths and when talking to the people in the afterlife. The Stage Manager is meant to be limited omniscient god-like character. This is shown through the way he knows of the characters deaths, the way he plays with time, and the way he interacts with characters both dead and alive.
The performance I attended this semester was a theatrical play called The Cradle Will Rock. It was held at Columbus State Community College and performed by the students at Columbus State Community College. The play had the contributions of the humanities and communications department to help bring the contemporary opera-like play about. The performance was about strike on steel production in the 1930’s. The play mentions how people want better conditions and goes through each character’s association with Mister Mister and how he pays them off to be a part of a group that didn’t have the best intentions. The play was thought out well and was a great performance, due to the set design, the actors playing the part, and even the performance space.
Thom, P (1992), For an Audience: A Philosophy of the Performing Arts (Arts and Their Philosophies), Temple University Press
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...