Friday, April 07, 2023
Ruth Mitchell, Stage Management, and Invisible Backstage Labor
The New York Public Library: If you have ever performed on a stage, chances are a stage manager has swept it first, alerted you to “places,” and signaled a light board operator to make you visible to the audience. Although most stage managers work for their entire careers in relative obscurity from the public eye, Ruth Mitchell (1919–2000) is described in her obituary as one of the “best-known backstage bosses” of her time.
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This article summarises the precious works of Ruth Mitchell and the collection of her works at the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the Library for the Performing Arts. Ruth Mitchell was a pioneering stage manager, who worked on numerous Broadway productions and paved the way for women in the field. It astonishes me to see the work of a stage manager that was so different yet similar to what we do now – we still take notes of blocking, write down the cues next to the script, and make rehearsal reports. To think that all of these ‘tasks’ and traditions have been carried on for so many decades is almost scary. It also evokes a unique feeling to see these things done on paper, when we are so used to having them done digitally (and then printing them out if we need to). This article is an important reminder of the invisible labor that goes on behind the scenes of a successful production, and the need to recognize and value the contributions of those working backstage.
It is no secret that in our business, techies tend to get the short end of the stick. Our jobs, since middle school theatre and below tend to be not understood by many. There are many people in the world that think that ASMs just stand around and do nothin, while in reality the are juggling keeping the SM up to speed and making sure backstage is smooth. The stage manager in a production juggles the almost impossible job of cueing EVERYTHING with almost zero flaws if possible. It is not to be understated. That they are directly what keeps the show going.
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