StageLync: Stage Managers are at the heart of every live performance production, but our work can be challenging. We need to be able to handle a variety of situations and personalities, as well as handle stress and tight deadlines. For example, it’s not uncommon for stage managers to have no idea what will happen in a show until the day of Opening Night because actors can change their minds about character direction or last-minute props may not arrive on time, and lines might change. Stage Managers also deal with a lot of conflicts—between cast members and crews—and must make decisions about what is best for both parties without knowing all the facts at hand.
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Stage managing is an incredibly challenging position. When I was the stage manager for one of my high school productions, I learned just how hard it was to be who everyone turns to for help or when something goes wrong. I have a deep appreciation for the people who can be stage managers. Being an ethical one is all the more challenging because of interpersonal conflict. No one can make decisions that everyone will like or anticipate every single possible mistake and accident. With so many unknowns, doing good, ethical work is a challenge for every stage manager. The important aspect discussed in the article was constantly staying aware of your choices, what might be influencing your decisions, and how to make sure that everyone is paid attention to. In my work, I hope to help the stage managers in any way possible. Being able to make their job all the more easier in turn helps everyone throughout the process. Understanding their role and how it interweaves with mine in any position is vital to a positive team environment.
This article highlights the intricate balance between leadership, empathy, and decision-making that defines an ethical Stage Manager. As someone fascinated by the behind-the-scenes world of live productions, I can’t help but admire how much responsibility Stage Managers shoulder—not just logistically but ethically, too. The idea of leading by example resonates deeply with me. It’s not just about “getting the job done” but doing it in a way that reflects integrity, respect, and fairness. In theater, where tensions can run high and personalities can clash, being a calm, ethical leader is like being the glue holding the production together. It’s incredible how Stage Managers are expected to handle everything from safety issues to interpersonal conflicts while maintaining objectivity and empathy. That’s no easy feat. The article also touches on the weight of making decisions in the face of uncertainty, like when a performer needs medical attention or when safety is at stake. These scenarios highlight how ethics go beyond theoretical discussions; they’re about navigating gray areas and making choices aligned with your values while considering the well-being of others. Ultimately, being an ethical Stage Manager seems to be about finding that balance between control and flexibility, authority and humility.
I'm going to be completely honest, stage management terrifies me. I did it a couple times in high school and the amount of time-sensitive pressure you're under with literally dozens of people depending on you really made me rethink why I signed up to do it in the first place. On the other hand, the people who I've met who are well attuned and adjusted to that pressure are some of the most competent and inspiring people I've gotten to work with. I think this article does a really good job of highlighting how much maturity and self awareness is needed to be able to recognize and account for your own biases when managing others' interpersonal conflicts, as well as to recognize when its important to ask for help. Being a good stage manager (or manager in general, or while we're here, just being a decent coworker and human being) requires so much humility. The ability to self reflect, acknowledge flaws, and then get back up and continue to do work that improves ones' skills while still maintaining enough confidence to act reliably is a crucial skill for continued self development, the necessity of which is thrown into even starker contrast by the fast paced demands of a management role.
Stage managers are truly the backbone of the theatrical industry and we would not survive without them. I think this article brings into question why we put so much pressure and stress on our stage managers. They are the connection point for everyone in the production to communicate through and information can get lost the more connection points that are created. In order to become that connection point one must have the highest level of communication and patience or else the entire production falls apart. Many production members are unaware of all that a stage manager is dealing with and will depend upon them to do more useless and unneeded tasks. I think that the main way that we might be able to decrease the workload of a stage manager is truly defining and informing everyone what a stage manager's job is. By doing that hopefully a stage manager would be able to work more specifically on managing the production rather than cast and crew personal conflicts.
I appreciate the advice in this article as well as its very practically focused approach to learning how you typically react in the face of conflict or gray area in production processes, and turn that in your favor by approaching them in the ways you know best to support the production and all that are involved in it. Further, that you reflect on those choices, think about how you could improve, and seek advice from others in that reflection process. Any stage manager (or manager in general I might add) that does not think back and look for improvement to make on their mistakes is bound to continue making those mistakes. One other important balance to strike in ethical stage management is that of decisiveness and flexibility. It is interesting how one can know when to be decisive for a particular decision or if it is more important to be flexible in the implementation of a certain decision or policy. Ultimately, even if one is decisive, the attitude of the decision can be just as important as the content of the decision itself.
My philosophy as a stage manager is that if you respect others and take the time to learn their strengths and values you can help them to be a more active and valuable asset to your team. Once you as a stage manager know those you are working with and they know each other anything you try to accomplish will go much smoother. I personally think that each production team should have a team-building day prior to working together. Maybe an escape room or other activity that requires teamwork in a stressful environment to prepare for the challenges that come with getting a production on its feet. It’s also important for a stage manager to take time to learn the needs of your production team. If one person has dietary restrictions or another person needs a space to sit down or deal with medical issues it is important that everyone on your team feels seen and valued. A team you have a good rapport with will often perform much better than a disjointed team.
Stage managers have a lot of pressure to be perfect because they are essentially in charge of the show and responsible for everything that goes right and wrong. I feel like being a good ethical stage manager is really hard because a lot of stage managers do not understand that even if they do not have to do everything that designers or other technicians do, they still have to understand those processes and what goes on in the theatre in every department. Stage managers have to have multiple plans and be able to multitask to the fullest in order to do their jobs effectively. Though they have a super important job in theatres, often, they do not get the recognition that they deserve. Stage managers are only recognized when things go wrong because when they are doing things right, everyone is none the wiser. This was a super informative article to read.
Stage Management is the most versatile and adaptive role in theatre. They are the crisis manager, the scapegoat, the department gopher, and the HR department all at once, among many other hats. I've only ever ASMed shows, but i think the most important takeaway to have as a stage manager is that, at the end of the day, you are managing people, not a show. It may be your job to make sure everything comes together in the way that it should, but your decisions should be made with the knowledge that your job is to wrangle people, and the calls you make need to be based on that knowledge. Safety and wellbeing should always come before the success of a production, and it is important to understand the advantages and limitations of every person on your team. And, for crew members and the design team, we really need to appreciate our stage managers more.
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