Thursday, February 20, 2020
Shepherding the Show: A Day in the Life of Hamilton’s Stage Manager
Playbill: By the time Hamilton’s Amber White takes her perch in the stage manager’s booth at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, an entire theatrical engine has been hard at work, ready to cross its final hurdle: show time. As students are returning to campus to pursue their theatrical studies and Playbill celebrates Back to School week, White gives an in-depth look at the technical side of running a show on Broadway, taking us through what it takes to raise the curtain on Great White Way.
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Super fascinating article about a day in the life of a stage manager on broadway. There are two things that stood out to me in the article, the ability to keep the show exactly the same every night, and making sure everyone is creatively fulfilled. Running a show every night and twice on Saturday’s for so many years must be a constant struggle, something that we haven’t experienced here in the school of drama because we run a show for a maximum of two or three weekends. I’m sure that little problems arise every night and making sure they are proactively fixed sounds like both a difficult and interesting job. The other thing that they have that we do not is many stage managers. A stage manager is the central brain that all information goes to and then is disseminated from, so having three stage managers sound tough because they would all have to effectively communicate all information, which is tough to do with any accuracy.
I did a fair amount of stage managing in high school and I remember being stressed during the heated period between normal rehearsals and when the madness began. I can't imagine doing that while balancing motherhood so shortly after giving birth. I know good multitasking and time management are essential to being an effective and efficient stage manager, but that level of multitasking is insane. To think that White juggled a bouncing baby and a show with as much name recognition for its excellence as Hamilton is truly inspirational. Besides that, it's interesting to see the things White is faced with because Hamilton is such a long-running show. I can't imagine if show week meant 8 shows every week of the year for years. Asking themselves the question of "Is what we are doing today as purposeful as it was [before]?" is such a necessary thing to ensure that everyone is still performing and creating the original magic.
I thought that this was an extremely interesting and well written article about what happens before a show. I say that in that way as I liked how much they acknowledge people other than the stage manager. Obviously, as you can tell from the tittle of the article, this was mainly about the stage manger, however they did note that without the entire cast and crew, the show would not go on. I found it interesting to think about what it would be like to call a show six to seven times a week for years without getting both bored and complacent. This is something that definitely takes a lot of skill and discipline that I do not have. Last, to be able to multitask so well without making very many mistakes in such a high stake environment is extremely difficult. I very much envy what Amber White ad what she is able to accomplish on a daily basis.
This is a fantastic article that offers insight into the life of a stage manager on Broadway. I have mad respect for stage managers and this reinforces it. I admire the sense of duty that White has to calling the show. ““Calling the show is when you feel really connected to the show itself and the performances. You are part of the experience that 1,400 people have been waiting to see!” It really shows how she puts her heart into what she’s doing and this definitely shows through the performance. I think people often don’t know how much an SM does for a show. As mentioned in the article, they coordinate schedules, write up post-show notes, etc.. They are the pillar of the show. Now this brings me into wondering why the crew doesn’t get credited in professional theater. The actors come on stage, take a bow, and receive applause. It’s only a high school thing for the actors to thank the crew on stage. Why do we not acknowledge the people working backstage?
First things first, I think it is the most fitting thing that she was once a finance major, and now she is the stage manager for a musical about Alexander Hamilton. Life really loves going around in circles. I really admire her story of how she got to where she is now. She vowed to never be comfortable, which is a goal I always try to have for myself. Even after being on run crew for Into the Woods for a few days, I have already learned so much, and I resonate with her statement, “You learn so much by trying new things. You make mistakes, you watch other people make mistakes, you watch other people solve mistakes.” I have gained so much more awareness for what goes on backstage in a production by making mistakes and witnessing the ones around me. Also, I am working alongside so many incredible people, and I hope to continue to work with them in the industry. That is how Amber White got all of her incredible jobs, which is the way industries, not just in theater, work.
I really loved reading this article. I do not know if this article is published by the same people who conducted a similar “day in the life” esq interview with the spotlight operator for Hamilton. One thing I liked about that article, is that there was a video following him around, but this one was a photo essay. The images matched well with the text of the article. One thing they mentioned in the article that I wish they had an image of was her call book featuring over 1,300 lighting and turntable cues. I find that number astonishing and completely understandable. I have gotten the opportunity to see the show two times, once in New York on the last day with a majority of the original cast as well as on tour in St. Louis. Both times seeing the show, I sat in amazement of how perfectly called everything seemed. One thing I didn’t realize but really love is that they have three stage managers that switch off performances. I think this is a great way to reduce burnout. I also think it was really cute when Amber mentioned that she practiced calling cues at home with her daughter and I can just imagine my mom doing that in our home with me as a baby, despite the fact that she does not and has never stage managed.
It is very cool to read stories about theatre professionals who did not start out with a dream to one day get into the industry. There is a sort of wonder that comes with discovering theatre later in your life and realizing that you have found a home in it. People like Amber White are examples for others that you can change your mind at what seems like the ‘last minute’ and still find happiness and success. Her job working on Hamilton is especially important for a number of reasons. For a while, I thought the jobs involved with stage management were so repetitive, especially for a long-running show like Hamilton, but once I actually started managing I realized it is so much more than that. You have to make sure things keep running smoothly and that the environment continues to feel refreshing and like home well after tasks have become monotonous.
The life of a Broadway stage manager is super interesting, and not always something that we get an inside view on. I think that it is super interesting that the article talks about the potential pressures that come with a show such as Hamilton, which has such an iconic creative team and reputation amongst the theatre community. The article uses the phrase "complex ecosystem of cast and crew" that the stage manager is responsible for, which is interesting because it highlights the very different relationship that a stage manager has, as primary contact for both crew and actors. This stage manager in particular talks about the desire to "never be comfortable", which led her to try new things constantly. This also applies to her theatre career, as she attempts to work on shows that present new challenges. I also find it extremely important that she highlights being a role model for her daughter and setting the example of being a strong woman in the workforce.
I found this article very interesting. I have always wondered what life would be like as a manager on a Broadway production (or some production of equal scale). This article gave a wonderful insight into exactly that. Having been a production stage manager for a high school production, I was very interested to see how the job functions differently than when I did it. For one, the longest run I ever managed was two weeks from opening until closing. Amber White has been managing Hamilton since it opened in 2015 on Broadway. Five years later, she is still managing it. It is interesting to draw parallels between what I did and what she is still doing. I definitely was able to identify a handful of things that we did exactly the same way. That being said, there are, of course, many differences between what we did. One thing of note that I have found I did differently than many is where I called the show from: the spot booth. The majority of other managers I have spoken to or read about, including Amber White, call from a booth on stage. This is only one of a wide variety of differences, but this one piqued my interest the most.
I love reading about professional careers and seeing how they relate to the theatre roles I’ve experienced. All the shows that I’ve stage managed have been very short term, with runs only going for a weekend at a time. The stage management job takes on an entirely new level of complexity when you have to keep the integrity of the show going long term, with open-ended Broadway runs spanning weeks to decades. With a show as complex and multilayered as Hamilton, there must be some serious systems in place to make sure that audiences on Broadway- and in every iteration of the production currently running across the globe- get a consistent experience from Broadway opening to now. I love the comments Amber White made about creating an environment that makes everyone want to walk through the stage doors eight times a week. The production of the show has to be nearly flawless, but creating a collaborative and energetic environment requires just as much effort.
It is always interesting to me to hear how different stage manager’s day functions, especially at the caliber of Broadway. I remember last year reading a similar article from Playbill that was about the process Matt DiCarlo goes through for Beetlejuice, and, in a similar vein, it is interesting to read about the similarities and differences that are associated with the different productions. I think the biggest thing I noticed in this article that jumped out to me as different from the others is the amount of effort stage management goes through to make sure the environment is healthy. The reason most people fall in love with creating theatre is because of the environment that it fosters and builds, and I feel like as we get deeper and deeper into studying and learning this craft, we lose the sense of community, the sense of family, that led us to it in the first place, so it is refreshing to read about how you can foster an community at such a high level that allows for this type of experience to occur on a regular basis.
It was fascinating to read about Amber White’s experiences as a stage manager for Hamilton. Calling the cues for a big show like this seems like a very exciting but stressful job. But of course, it was good to read about her responsibilities that extend beyond what happens during the performance. I appreciated her views on creating a strong creative environment for a long running show. That is something that feels very important to me. I thought it was interesting to read about how they have resident staff who are responsible for making the show as accurate as possible. Since I haven’t worked on a show for a long run, I wonder how often extra rehearsals are held or notes are given and how often this team of director, choreographer, and musical director are working the cast to keep the show tight. 1300 light and turntable cues is a lot of cues!
I love articles like this, because without them, stage managers work would truly go unnoticed and I guess it’s supposed to if the show is running smoothly. Amber White’s work on Hamilton is truly incredible. She has been on the show from day one and she knows what it takes to keep this show running. Luckily, I was able to see this show in person. The amount of lighting and turntable cues are literally insane. The fact that she is able to call them virtually flawlessly while still being able to manage her family life is remarkable. She’s been with Lin Manuel Miranda’s team since In the Heights, so she must be really amazing, which this article really outlines. I love seeing cue calling videos and other stage manager content because the amount of work that they put in deserves to be recognized by everyone. They really are the screw that keeps the whole show up and White is such a powerhouse.
The closing of the article really really made an impression on me: "As the lights dim on another evening on Broadway, the work continues. 'Our job will never be done.'" What a way to contextualize the work of a stage manager, a Broadway stage manager no less. I imagine being a Broadway stage manager is a rather thankless job, much like the work of any technician would generally be, but so much more so as the stage manager of a longrunning show. The stage manager eventually just becomes part of all the effects of the show, working in mysterious ways and taken for granted. To be able to keep the energy up and keep creativity fulfilled day after day for years on end is one of the most challenging jobs I can think of. Truly, I am in awe of Amber White.
It is always fun to peek under the hood of commercial theatre, because it's so different from the regional/educational model that most of us grow up with. Especially for the cast and the stage management team, the maintenance and continuity of a successful production is so very different from the regional model of just open, run, close. As long as a show is making money, it's going to be kept running, even as the creative team has moved on and actors and stage managers move on to other projects. With regional theatre, it seems like the production is made up of the people who are a part of it, while in commercial theatre, the people fulfill substitutable rolls which serve the production itself. With a task as big as Hamilton, that becomes a monumental project, as cast and crew members flow through the production, rather than a season flowing through a more stable cast and crew.
I am really pleased to get some insight into how a long-term stage manager operates. I, personally, do not have much of an experience with stage management but I have the utmost respect for managers of all flavours. Given that most of the productions that I have been a part of have only had 2-3 week run times, I was never quite sure how one might do the job for shows like “Hamilton” or “Wicked” where they run for years or even decades. I am also reminded again that the job that stage managers do is not limited to calling a show. I think that, sometimes, we get so entrenched in our own specialty that we do not necessarily remember all of the other moving parts going around us and I am grateful to this article for reminding me of the (fairly well itemised and very long) list of things that a stage manager does.
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