Stage Management

In Drama 240 you will review the role, duties and responsibilities of the Stage Manager.

You will learn about and practice skills in the FOUR SKILL AREAS of Stage Management.

a) Health, Safety and Nurturing

b) Communications

c) Record Keeping

d) Facilitation.

You will examine documents that will help you learn about the FOUR STAGES of Stage Management.

1) Preparation

2) Rehearsals

3) Technical Rehearsals

4) Performances.

The links on this page will connect you to resources you need to do this unit and complete the assignment.

Class and lab work will always supplement these resources.

The links include:

- the Script for our assignment play:Little Johnny, 17 pages long, available via a link below. You will need to print out the entire script, single sided, on new 8 x 11.5 paper, 1 page per sheet, centered on the page, with a border of blank space, in black ink. DO NOT PUNCH HOLES IN IT. If you have difficulty with this, a printed out copy is available in the Drama office for copying on the office copier @ 10cents per page. DO NOT PUNCH HOLES IN IT.

AND:

- prompt script instructions

- a completed prompt script sample page.

- a chart with samples, forms and documents covering the FOUR SKILL AREAS.

- some notes from slides shown in class

- a section of Humour and Theatre Lore.

- a section about Stage Management role, duties and responsibilities during the FOUR STAGES, with internal links to the appropriate documents.

Please contact me with questions about this unit: Anne Redish, ar11@queensu.ca

Little Johnny Script Little Johnny blocking plans

Prompt Script Instructions Prompt script practice page

Drama 240 Stage Management Assignment

STAGE MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION

Why do we have Stage Managers?

SAFETY: Working Conditions:

Scheduling, Temperature, Physical Risks, First Aid, Care & Nurturing

FACILITATING:

Making it possible for others to work:

Scheduling, Preparing Working Environment, Preparing Rehearsal and Show Items

COMMUNICATION: Between all departments of production including:

Direction, Musical Direction, Choreography, Design, Production Management, Sets, Costumes, Sound, Lighting, Special Effects, Administration.

RECORD KEEPING: Recording and maintenance of diverse types of information for:

a) short-term use for lighting, choreographing, props preset planning, scene change planning and costume change planning.

b) longer- term use in order to provide information for re-blocking, re-cueing, re-casting and re-mounting.

Reference Books:

Gruver, Bert. Stage Management. (various editions)

Stern, Lawrence. Stage Manager’s Handbook. (various editions)

Winston, Morgan. S.M. Arts. Canadian. 2001

SAFETY : No matter what kind of presentation you are working on, SAFETY MUST BE #1.

EXTRAORDINARY RISK: means anything that MIGHT result in injury. Anything that is risky beyond what regular folks do ‘day to day’. See the Equity Extraordinary Risk here.

***First Aid www.wsib.on.ca

See a list here for a First Aid Kit and a Comfort Kit.