College Resident Stage Manager

[achstechdirector]

I have now graduated off to the resident stage manager at my college. I am the assistant to the head theatre professor and am stage manager of all mainstage productions. I am wondering if y'all had ideas on how to make my job more professional. I handle all email and contact using Google. I use the theatre website to announce rehearsal schedules with an embedded calendar from the Gmail account. I manage the phone calls/text messages with my iphone. I still post everything on a call board and anyone can request a paper copy, but they are being tight on paper at the school. Ideas on how to become a better SM

 

[cprted]

There is more to stage management than paperwork and schedules (though they are important tools). Being an SM involves managing groups of people, proactively problem solving, the occasional crisis intervention, ensuring that the lines of communication are flowing as they should, etc etc. Unfortunately, there isn't an app for that.

Is there a specific area where you think you are coming up short? Have you run into a specific problem you're not sure how to approach? A specific question is much easier to answer than "how do I become a better SM?"

Some resources that are worth looking at:
Lawrence Stern and Thomas Kelly each have excellent Stage Management handbooks. As well, SMNetwork.org is another online forum where SMs gather to share, stimulate and occasionally commiserate.

 

[achstechdirector]

I am coming up on short on the communication with the group. At the college, you may see some people once every two weeks so it is important that "technological" communication exists. Word of mouth has become uneconomical and I am trying to figure out how to bring a group together electronically

 

[JBrennan]

The only other tool we have started to use that you did not mention, and a few others I know have started to use, is Facebook. Right now, for us at least, it is more to get the public informed of events going on at our theater but I know stage managers are posting rehearsal reminders and notices of cancellations or changes there as well.

I think this is mostly an option for educational theatre and would never ever suggest it supplant picking up the telephone and calling the cast and crew. Even with email or text message I prefer hearing the person confirm whatever message I have to relay to them. The advantage of email at least is having a "paper" trail if a problem arises. However, with the age of students we serve Facebook does seem to be effective to a point.

The most important thing I ask for is an email address that the cast and crew actually check. This is often different from their student email which they may only check a few times a week, if ever. That said, they also need to take responsibility for ensuring they check whatever form of communication you have specified you will be contacting them through. While its a large part of a stage manager's responsibility, it is not 100% on you to track a person down every time there is an announcement.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

I work with a director who uses Facebook regularly; she'll start a private group for the cast and crew of the show, so no-one else can see the info. However, we don't use it for calls, rehearsal or performance info; people post links to interesting articles (I'm mid-run on Cabaret right now so there were loads of interesting bits and pieces put up) which might be useful to people.

It sounds to me like you're doing all you can to keep in touch with people - as JBrennan said, getting confirmation that they've got the message is a good idea. You can't make sure that every single person has got every single message - it would take you forever and they have to learn to be responsible for themselves. Make the info as widely available as possible - which it sounds like you are doing - and make sure people know they are responsible for checking it themselves.

 

[urban79]

One tool that I have used to some extent for Production Staff members is Google Wave. It doesn't really help with mass communication, but for collaboration that is often necessary (props lists, purchase needs, set plans, etc), it has proven invaluable.

As others have said, tools are only as useful as you, and others, make them. Any system can work, provided it is utilized and not ignored...

Chris

 

[LXPlot]

Skype has proved invaluable to have meetings with designers and managers because with the video chat option you can show lighting plots and such. Also you could maybe try a "conference call" video chat type thing, although I can't think of how to do this off the top of my head.