Any experiences you guys have that you think might be a good idea to discuss with new stage managers?I know I'm really late to the party, but I thought I'd hand in my 2 cents worth. I completely agree with touching on some of the finer points of stage management.
One thing I did as a young ASM in community theatre was be insensitive when giving line notes. I would use the word "mistake" or "screwed up" quite often, phrasing the line note like "You screwed up on page 19, again." The "again" was a problem too. My SM spoke to me about how some actors were becoming offended. I thought I was just keeping it informal, but I was wrong. So it might not be a bad idea to discuss how to choose your words when talking to actors.
Learning to check my temper was another big lesson for me. It took a long time, and I'm still learning, but discussing how to deal with stress might be a good thing too. Things to do when the stress is a bit much. Letting them know that it's okay to call a quick 5-minute break when things get tense, even though a break isn't scheduled. This is another area where thinking about choosing your words comes in handy - you're less likely to lash out if you're thinking carefully about what's coming out of your mouth.
Another really big one that many of us are guilty of is an inability to admit mistakes. We stage managers, generally speaking, are perfectionists, and when we've erred, we either tend to blame ourselves, or look for someone to blame. Admitting to our mistakes, and especially accepting that we're going to make mistakes, is a HUGE lesson for SMs to learn. Many of us have to actually learn that we're human LOL! It's still hard for me to say "I screwed up", but it's a lot harder on everyone if I don't.
Oh, and we don't need to be married to the schedule either! Things are going to change, and we need to maintain flexibility. So many young SMs try to schedule things down to the minute, but we have to remember that we're creating art, and it doesn't always follow a rigid structure. Just cause the schedule is typed, doesn't mean it's set in stone. Um, okay. I think I'm done now.