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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: What am I getting myself into?
« on: Jul 14, 2013, 01:36 pm »
I'll add my two cents worth, though my stage management experience is more on the "community" rather than the professional level.
Cons:
It's stressful. You have to be a combination psychologist, tech wizard, magician and parent to be successful at it. You become everyone's "complaint board." People come to you wanting to know where their costumes are, props are, the fact that someone is being a diva, etc., etc., etc. If you have a thin skin, don't even think about this career.
You have no life of your own. Your life is tied up with the theater. You're the first there and the last to leave. Unlike the director, who can walk away after opening night, you're stuck there from the first audition until the final curtain of a run. It means late nights and, on matinees, long days. It means friendships outside the theater can be difficult to form and/or maintain (especially romantic relationships).
As you mentioned, the pay. There are definitely easier ways to make a living
Pros
Putting together something meaningful. There is something very compelling about helping to put a show together. As one individual mentioned in this post, there is no other experience like that of opening night, being backstage, sitting in the booth and watching the audience reaction to the entertainment onstage.
Built-in friendships. Theater people can be catty, insincere, gossipy divas (and I'm not just talking about the actors). They can also be your most loyal and cherished friends. Granted, as a stage manager, you're their "boss" in a sense. But if you comport yourself in the right way, you can be that respected authority figure as well as part of this "in group."
The unpredictable life. You never know what's going to happen performance to performance, or even rehearsal to rehearsal. If you like challenge in your life, and situations that aren't static, this is a great profession to be in.
In terms of education, I agree you don't need to get a degree from a college to be a stage manager. Some of the best stage managers I've worked with got to where they were through apprenticeships and on-the-job training. I, myself, don't have a theater degree, but apprenticed myself to several theater companies (for little or no pay) to learn about the inner workings of the profession.
Good luck!
Cons:
It's stressful. You have to be a combination psychologist, tech wizard, magician and parent to be successful at it. You become everyone's "complaint board." People come to you wanting to know where their costumes are, props are, the fact that someone is being a diva, etc., etc., etc. If you have a thin skin, don't even think about this career.
You have no life of your own. Your life is tied up with the theater. You're the first there and the last to leave. Unlike the director, who can walk away after opening night, you're stuck there from the first audition until the final curtain of a run. It means late nights and, on matinees, long days. It means friendships outside the theater can be difficult to form and/or maintain (especially romantic relationships).
As you mentioned, the pay. There are definitely easier ways to make a living
Pros
Putting together something meaningful. There is something very compelling about helping to put a show together. As one individual mentioned in this post, there is no other experience like that of opening night, being backstage, sitting in the booth and watching the audience reaction to the entertainment onstage.
Built-in friendships. Theater people can be catty, insincere, gossipy divas (and I'm not just talking about the actors). They can also be your most loyal and cherished friends. Granted, as a stage manager, you're their "boss" in a sense. But if you comport yourself in the right way, you can be that respected authority figure as well as part of this "in group."
The unpredictable life. You never know what's going to happen performance to performance, or even rehearsal to rehearsal. If you like challenge in your life, and situations that aren't static, this is a great profession to be in.
In terms of education, I agree you don't need to get a degree from a college to be a stage manager. Some of the best stage managers I've worked with got to where they were through apprenticeships and on-the-job training. I, myself, don't have a theater degree, but apprenticed myself to several theater companies (for little or no pay) to learn about the inner workings of the profession.
Good luck!