Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Are Stage Managers Artists?
Stage Managers Say GO: To say a stage manager is not a collaborative theatre artist because he/she is told what to do is akin to saying an actor isn’t an artist because they’re given their lines by the playwright and told by the director where and how to move.
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11 comments:
I think I have some mixed feelings about this one. I definitely agree that the stage manager must have some kind of innate sense about timing and the ability to mentally organize great amounts of information. I do think much of what stage mangers do though has to do with skills acquired naturally or otherwise. I think that alot of the time people can be taught to be great stage managers. However, I do consider stage managers artists because they are playing a large part, along with other collaborators, in sending a message through an art work, or in other words, a play.
This is a discussion we have at least once a semester in either Stage Management Seminar or in Production Management Workshop. Are managers artists? It depends on who you ask. I, personally, feel very strongly that theatrical managers are artists. I know other people who don't agree with me. It's all in how you look at it. I think Mr. Franklin makes a very strong argument, and it is in fact the same argument that I make whenever this topic arises. Good for him for sticking up for that student who was on the receiving end of that comment.
I agree that a stage manager is definitely an artist. It truly takes talent to be able to effectively lead, communicate, and tend to the desires of each and every theatre collaborator and performer. Just like every other theatre artist, the stage manager must be fully committed in order to carry out a successful performance. However, I believe that a stage manager’s art can also be compared to another occupation which may not be considered art as well for example: a lawyer. Many lawyers may have the natural talent to persuade audiences but, the best lawyers have technique, which allows them to put up a hard case to beat.
A persons art is what ever they chose to create or work on, so yes a stage manager is an artist. I consider myself an artist because I build these great pieces of art no the creative idea behind the art I am creating is not mine but it is art none the less that i get to be hands on with. A stage manager is no different.
Like Jess says, this comes up all the time. If you want to be an artist, call yourself an artist. Congratulations. Make some business cards. And if you don't consider yourself an artist, that's cool too. Ultimately, I think the industry considers managers to be artists. Stage Managers do not have their own union, after all. They all are protected by the same union that protects actors, who are performing artists.
I think that in a grand philosophical sense, yes stage mangers are artists. Every show they manage to organize a cast and crew to put on a kick ass show. This definitely takes a talent that I would never be able to to. Despite this, wouldn't that make any manager an artist. They all facilitate people in order to meet a common goal. The difference is what stage managers do is that they help others make art by ensuring that the directors vision is put forth in every show. That is what makes a stage manager an artist.
I am so glad this has come up. I dont think stage managers are artists in the commonly understood term, but i think what the article discusses is true. The way a stage manager deals with people and lays out a room and handles organization and delivers that organization is an art in its self. I for one am that kind of stage manager. I do produce paper work and its good but its not what I excel at as a stage manager, I enjoy working with people and experiencing interactions with them, and it is that aspect that i am good at. However I do agree that A stage manager is not a typical artist. And this is what kills me about wanting to be a stage manager. Is that I wish I had a say in the creative process and had a voice, which is rarely given to stage managers, and its one that really gets to me.
I'm a stage manager myself, and I actually kind of tend to think that no, in a purely technical definition, stage managers are not artists. Our role in the production is essential, but I don't think that we create art. Our job is not to be an artist. In unconventional structures, where a sm might also be collaborating very closely with the director or the designers, the sm could hold an artistic position in the company. But the basic responsibilities and duties that come with being a stage manager do not, I think, make the sm an artist.
On the other hand, I think that you cannot be a good stage manager without being an artist. In order to collaborate with artists, bring their work to the stage and maintain its integrity, one should have a great deal of artistic knowledge and sensibility.
In short, the job description does not include being an artist, but the right person to fill those job requirements is an artist.
I'm really like what this article had to say about stage managers. I'm not sure what I'm going to declare, but I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be stage management. Managing and coordinating an entire show is definitely an art, and it's definitely not the kind of work that I think I'm capable of. In order to do everything that a manager does, they need a lot of skills in organization and communicating and staying sane. Managing a show involves coordinating every other aspect of the show and making sure that everyone is on the same page; it's way more than just telling people their cues. Theatre is a major collaborative process, and the manager is integral in making sure that the different components of a show can collaborate and integrate smoothly. A person who is able to do that is definitely an artist.
I don't agree at all with this article. I think that the term "artist" can be very openly interpreted. I personally even believe that computer programmers are artists in a certain way. However, a stage-manager, not so much.
I especially think the example with the conductor is totally wrong. I don't think that the person who wrote this article has any idea what a conductor does. Only the performance aspect of a conductor might resemble the job of a stage manager. However, behind the scenes, the conductor decides how the music will be played therefore a conductor is much more similar to a director.
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