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Stage Management: A Process

Stage Managers are responsible for a LOT over the course of a production. These responsibilities might shift or vary slightly from show to show, depending on specific needs. But in general, the below represents the basics of a stage manager's process.

Assignment Prep Week

The Stage Management team begin their work prior to the start of rehearsals. At most theatres this is known as the prep week(s). As the name suggests, this is when the SM team will prepare for the production and prepare the rehearsal room for the actors and director. This is often when they will also have initial discussions with the director, designers, and crew department heads in order to gather crucial information prior to starting the rehearsal process.

This week will include:

  • Meeting with the Director
    • create master rehearsal schedule
      • number of table work days
      • day when blocking starts
      • off-book deadline
      • run-through or stumble-through dates
      • designer run date
    • overall structure of each rehearsal day
      • length of rehearsal
      • when are breaks?
      • reminders needed?
      • guidelines for giving blocking or line reminders/notes to actors
  • Prepare the Rehearsal Room
    • mild sweeping and cleaning
    • spike the ground plan
      • laying out the rough stage shape and major scenic pieces with colored tape markings on the floor
      • done by entire SM team
      • used as reference by actors and directors during blocking
    • gather and setup rehearsal props and furniture
    • gather office supplies for general use like notepaper, pencils, erasers, etc.
    • clear obstacles
    • setup SM and director tables and chairs
  • Prepare the actor scripts
  • Create contact sheets
  • Send an email introduction to the cast, crew leads, and designers so they know who you are and how to reach you
  • Start to create your prompt book
    • the prompt book is the master guide to the show and will eventually contain all of the schedules, reports, lists, blocking, choreography, and cues for the show
    • most stage managers create two separate scripts: a blocking script and a calling script to use for blocking rehearsals and technical rehearsals/performances respectively

Reading Rehearsals

Together with the rest of the stage management (SM) team, the stage manager will:

  • create the daily call and daily schedule
    • informs the cast, director, designers, and crew department heads who is expected to attend a rehearsal, what section or scenes will be rehearsed that day, and lays out the overall timetable and structure of the rehearsal day
  • Prepare the rehearsal room for everyone to arrive
    • arrives early
    • clean up if needed
    • preset props, furniture, and other rehearsal pieces for scenes that will be rehearsed
    • unlock and open the rehearsal room/theatre doors
  • conduct the rehearsal as agreed to with the Director
    • start the rehearsal
    • manage scheduled breaks
    • end the rehearsal
  • during rehearsal
    • take notes on blocking and choreography
    • track props
    • keep track off line re-writes or changes
    • take note of issues or items to talk about with crew leads or designers
    • manage any shifts of furniture, scenery pieces, or props in the rehearsal room
    • make sure that actors are in place and on cue for all entrances or off-stage business
    • facilitate actors leaving rehearsal for costume fittings
    • ensure the rehearsal is keeping to the schedule laid out with the director
  • at the end of rehearsal
    • clear all furniture and prop pieces to offstage positions
    • sweep up
    • lock up
    • send out daily rehearsal report to the artistic and production teams
      • this is a complete set of notes regarding the effect of the day's rehearsal decisions on each technical area
      • can include questions from director regarding a certain area or moment
      • is distributed to all crew leads, production departments, and designers daily
    • send out the next day's daily call and schedule to the actors, artistic, and production teams

Activity Technical Rehearsals

  • At the top of each day
    • assemble all crews and heads and go over method of presetting and beginning the day's rehearsal on-stage
    • assign duties where not already covered by department head instructions
    • discuss any changes being made to the crew's run sheets or instructions
    • check that all technical elements are preset according to where the rehearsal will be starting from
    • inspect the stage for hazards or unexpected obstacles, and have the crew resolve those if necessary
    • call the cast on stage and call places once all is ready
  • during rehearsal
    • call technical cues per the instructions from the individual
      designers
    • coordinate all scene shifts or transitions with the ASMs (assistant stage managers) and the deck chief
    • be prepared to stop the entire rehearsal at any moment and go back when required
      • announce these stops clearly and loudly so they can be heard by all on stage and clearly indicate, by line, exactly where the action is to pick up (per instructions from the designers or director)
    • take note of any cue placements or adjustments needed by the designers and update call script accordingly
    • serve as the point person and hub of communication between all the departments, the director, and the actors
      • strive to keep everyone informed at all times with what is being worked on or what needs to happen in order to move forward
    • call breaks per union rules and the day's schedule
  • after rehearsal
    • conclude rehearsal, inform the actors on the plan for the next day, and dismiss them to head home for the night
    • once the actors have left - consult with the director, designers, and crew for notes and distribute notes to departments that you need to (called a production meeting)
      • take all notes affecting technical areas which have not already been given and make a checklist of important problems which must be solved by the next rehearsal
    • ensure that all cleanup and presets for the next rehearsal have been accomplished
    • send off a rehearsal report

Group Work Performances

For each and every performance, the SM team will:

  • Check that all crew and performers have signed-in and are present for the performance
    • if anyone is not there and has not communicated in advance, they need to be called on the phone ASAP to find out their status
    • if there is an emergency situation and a replacement or understudy need to be called in, that also must happen ASAP
  • Check-in with all department heads to ensure they are on-track for being ready for the performance
  • Verify all presets with the scenery, sound, props, lighting, and costume departments and make a visual safety check of the stage
  • verify that all headset communication, cue lights, and other cuing or communication systems are functioning
  • Run a fight call with the necessary actors (if there are fight sequences or stunts in the show)
    • check all safety measures with the crew and actors
  • Do a last check-in with department heads and have all board operators go into their preset cue before giving 30-minute call and notifying the House Manager that the house may open
  • Give cast a crew calls at 15 min, 10 min, and 5 min before the places call for top of show
  • Call places AFTER verifying that all crew personnel are ready. Places for the actors must be verified by the Assistant Stage Managers.
  • When signal from house manager is received, start the play. From this point on, it's the Stage Manager's show and all decisions must come from him/her or through one of their representatives (like the ASMs or the Crew Chief).
  • Run the show, call cues, and take all intermission breaks as rehearsed.
  • At the conclusion of the performance, take the curtain call (if there is one) as scheduled and for as many bows as the Stage Manager feels are demanded by the audience's reaction.
  • After the performance is complete, see that all departments go into storage/shut-down procedures and that as same is completed all departments secure their individual areas.
  • Complete a performance report that summarizes how that performance went, the number of audience members, the start/end/run times, and detailing any issues that came up or things that need to be solved before the next performance.
    • if there is an issue that must be fixed between a matinee and an evening performance, the SM should contact the person responsible via phone call to make sure they are aware. Do not rely on email or text messaging in that situation.

 

Support Example of cue calling

Watch this video of stage manager Mark Stevens calling a performance of Hairspray at the San Diego Repertory Theatre from 2010.

Stage manager calls "cues" for "HAIRSPRAY" Links to an external site.

(Length 6:18) from the San Diego Repertory Theatre on YouTube