Stage Directions: I’ve noticed a trend lately that has made me think; recently the “spotlight” has begun to shine backstage.
Notably the September 11th, 2015, Ham4ham in which stage manager, Jason Bassett, called the Ten Dual Commandments while the company danced and the video gone viral of Carrie Havel (Associate Director of Grease: Live!) calling the camera shots for the song Greased Lightning. I know that there are actors who stage manage and even stage managers who act, but I am not one of them. It fascinates and terrifies me to see the up-swing in public acknowledgement of the backstage artists.
9 comments:
I really have to disagree with the author of this article because personally I love that the backstage crew is being highlighted, especially in the case of stage managers. I remember when I first told my parents that I was going to be a stage manager at my high school were confused about the specifics of the job. In fact, when I tell most of family what I'm studying they don't even know what a stage manager is. This kind of exposure helps to educate people, and I think that it also will increase people's interest in pursuing the technical side of theatre. When first saw the Ham4Ham with the stage manager calling the cues for Ten Duel Commandments I freaked out. It was so awesome to see one of my favorite shows acknowledging their management team, and it was really cool to see that side of the show. I can understand why the author would be uncomfortable being brought into the public from a usually private job, but I think it's more important to focus on the positives. More than ever people that work in all areas technical theatre are getting the recognition that they deserve, and I think that's worth celebrating.
I really like how stage managers are getting recognized more on social media. Yes people often think that stage managers should be invisible and run everything magically without getting any credit. I think it is important to get recognized and appreciated for all the work that stage managers do everyday to make every production run smoothly. As a young stage manager it made me very happy to see the Ham4Ham where Jason Basset called the cues for The Ten Dual Commandments because it showed that people appreciate the work we do and think it is interesting and cool. I also really loved the video of Carrie Havel calling the camera shots for Greased Lighting, especially because I used to do television production in high school. International Stage Managers Day is one of my favorite days because it reminds me that the work I am doing is important and it matters to other people.
Well who ever the author of this article is an idiot. I am so glad that Stage Managers, and people who aren't actors are starting to get the recognition they deserve. When the ham4ham "love for the techies day" video came out so many people around me at school, and at home were really excited about it. It gives people a clear view of what people who work backstage do, and often even people who work in theater don't completely understand what being a stage manager means. I reposted that video of the woman from grease live calling the show, and my best friend, who studies musical theater at University of Michigan texted me and was so surprised by the amount of work involved in what the woman was doing. I couldn't help but laugh while reading this article because it implied that by recognizing stage managers we are somehow discrediting everyone else. Well the facts still remain that the stage manager of Hamilton doesn't make that much money, and when people leave the show they don't ask for his autograph, even thought he has done just as much work as the actors. So, I think the theater community can handle as little more SM love, I'm pretty sure we deserve it.
I think that this article needs to be taken with a grain of salt because it does contain a lot of good points and may be initially received as pessimistic by the previous comments. One of the things that I really appreciated in this article and connected with was when they wrote, “I take a lot of pride in being invisible due to the efficacy of my team. That isn’t to say that I want to be ignored and forgotten”. This is a lot of my feelings on this subject. I am one of those people that believes that for the most part it is the masses that enjoy and consume theatre and events and that if we are noticed something has gone wrong. A thank you is nice every once and while but just like the person who delivers your mail everyday, I do not need a verbal, personal thank you that often. It is my job. A lot of people will disagree and I see their point, that our position does not always get attention from the public, however most of the casts I’ve worked with have been very appreciative of my work and have gone out of their way to do so.
This article represents, for me, a very negative stereotype of the technical theatre community that I personally feel tends to make us look bad. While, yes, there is a common stereotype that stage managers have no desire to perform and would cringe at the thought, I feel as though it's not cool or interesting to be the kind of person that would rely on their career to back up their insecurities about being "in the spotlight". While yes, there are very legitimate desires to lead a private life, I feel as though everyone should have a very base level of people skills to be able to handle themselves in front of a crowd without ending up looking like a total dork, which is somewhat what I saw from the Hamilton Ham4Ham that was referred to in the article. It's okay to speak up! You should be proud of the hard work you do, especially when you have an audience that is ready and willing to thank you for it.
While I do agree that as a member of the production team I like to fit in seamlessly, with every thing I do uplifting the show without drawing attention to how it is being uplifted, I mean that for during the show. If an audience is thinking about the stage manager or any member of the production team during the show I feel that to at least some extent they are disconnected. That being said, after the show, which is when the grease live video calling video was released, I totally understand wanting to know how it all happened. Kind of take pride in that even, because it means they don’t know, and that they are inclined to find out. You know, every one wants to know how the magician pulled off the trick. It’s the same thing, I take it as a compliment myself. Everyone deserves some recognition- just at the right time.
I do not really agree with author of this article, but I definitely understand what he is saying. I love that there is a lot more attention being given to what goes on backstage lately, mostly because most people have literally no idea what happens backstage at all. There are a whole lot of people who have no clue what the hell a stage manager is, much less what they do. I do not care about getting attention or recognition, it would just be nice to not always have to explain exactly what stage management entails when I make small talk with distant cousins at Thanksgiving dinner. With the more public acknowledgment of stage managers and everyone else, it is becoming slightly easier. I think overall, production work is getting a lot more attention lately. Last week, there was that Buzzfeed article about how hard it is to build a set. People are slowly but surely realizing/learning how much work goes into theatre.
I think that it is great that stage managers and other backstage technicians are getting acknowledged for all of their hard work behind the curtain. However, I think that this article brings up many interesting points about why this could “ruin the magic”. One point that the author makes is that a lot of this fascination of behind the scenes is people’s desire to feel like they have “insider” information, which I think is partly correct. Whenever I tell people about the field I am going into, the first thing most people want to know is if I know how everything is done for a show. When I say yes, they think that it is really cool to know things that others don’t. I think that this is part of the reason of the interest in tech theatre. I’m not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I agree with the author in how it is a part of the cause. I disagree with the author in other aspects; I feel that it is important for stage managers to be highlighted and respected for all of the things that they contribute to the theatre.
When I first glanced over the previous comments before reading this article I thought it was going to be much more objectionable to me than it was, because I do like the recent trend of people getting a chance to see the inner working of the backstage, if for no other reason than helping people understand what I do. But I think the author makes a couple really good points. I agree that during a show an audience member should not be thinking about the production team because it would pull them out of being immersed in the world, but if afterwards they are curious about how it all happens I don’t mind collectively being a magician who is giving away our secret. Mostly because it is changing some people’s mistaken perception of a certain hierarchy within theater. There is this stereotype that anyone who works backstage in theater is just a failed actor or director. More specifically that designers are just failed actors and directors and technicians are just failed designers. The new spotlight backstage can help eliminate this stereotype which has been on its way out anyway. It sheds light on the fact that all jobs in theater are important and there are people that are equally passionate about all of them.
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