Being in HS myself, and having browsed this forum for a while now, I can safely say that this problem is WAY too common nowadays, and that is tragic, because a trained technical theater supervisor is a NECESSITY for a theater. It is the same as the need for a TRAINED engineer or maintenance tech, and those are rarely undersupplied in schools, because the administration, both on the school and district
level understand the need for them. The need for a trained engineer to keep the lights on is the same as the need for a trained SM to keep the theater in good repair. So, the argument that Fine Arts do not have enough budget money to pay a
stage manager could be answered by saying that the SM is an engineer, just like all the others on staff, and thus should be paid out of the engineering budget, or a combination of engineering and Fine Arts. The types of equipment we work with are highly specialized, highly complicated, and highly strung. Without an adult supervisor, we have to take the blame for a broken piece of equipment. "Take the blame," in this case, also means repair or replace. Another problem with lack of adult representation is other staff members. Some assume that they are adults, we are children, they know best, and that's all there is to it. With an adult in charge of the club, they are more likely to sit down and listen to whatever the problem is with what they are requesting, or what the students are requesting. I have personally dealt with certain adult staff members that have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, and are just plain rude to me. Without an adult on my side to back me up, they will not listen to any problems wuth their request/demand.
The lack of trained adult supervision/representation in high school technical theater is, I would argue, one of the biggest problems with high school Fine Arts/Performing Arts programs today. The
stage manager is the person that ties the entire group together, dance, band,
orchestra, choir, and drama. Our situation is so bad that each group keeps to itself, and runs their own affairs, instead of communally working with each other and helping the program as a whole. We have scheduling issues that are somehow OUR fault because different Fine Arts do not communicate with each other, and the
auditorium, whose upkeep, I believe, should be the responsibility of those who use it (Fine Arts/Perf. Arts) is falling into disrepair, with only myself and a couple others to slow its'
decay.
So, that is a quite lengthy response to the question of why many high schools do not provide tools, or even tool lists for us student technicians.