Thursday, March 21, 2013
The Data Crunchers of Theatre
Stage Directions: Good stage managers don’t just collect information, they manage it
An organized stage manager … Isn’t that redundant? Organizational skills are a prerequisite to becoming a good stage manager. But why are stage managers known for organization above all other managers?
In a business sense, stage managers are the ultimate transactional leaders, the perfect project managers. They are not asked to transform a company, but they are expected to replicate a project flawlessly, even with substitute team members. Daily. And if you are in rehearsal, the source material for that flawless replication changes hourly. Who else but a stage manager would be expected to know the exact layout of a cluttered desk or a formal dining table as it progresses by the minute?
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2 comments:
All stage managers are the same. But seriously, they all are very similar (or at least the ones I met), because only good stage managers get jobs, and to be a good stage manager, you need all the qualities they talk about in the article. Organization especially, it's so important. From watching managers, I can say that the most amazing thing is watching them take my lighting cues and the directors cues and telling the tech. supervisor where we are and telling the actors where to go from. They can only do that with extreme organization.
I found that this article was not much help for getting myself organized. The writer seemed more interested in selling his products (the sound pen and the props thing) then actually writing about tips on how you can be a better organizer. I also thought that the description of the stage manager knowing a messy pile was a terrible description. I always thought that stage manager would organize that pile so if need be other people could also fine the information easily.
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