Author Topic: Triple Threat: Stage Manager, Actor, and Director  (Read 1714 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Michelle R. Wood

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 164
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • website
  • Affiliations: EMC, East Carolina University
  • Current Gig: Resident Stage Manager at Temple Theatre
  • Experience: Professional
Triple Threat: Stage Manager, Actor, and Director
« on: Apr 06, 2014, 03:58 pm »
Hello all. I discovered this forum last year and found a lot of helpful tips. I thought I'd finally join and make full use of this resource (and hopefully help others). I've been stage managing professionally for about two years now, but I'm also an actor and director (and I've been known to hang lights, paint sets, and just about everything else in the Biz).

Here's a tip for all: pay careful attention to quick exit/entrances, especially when rehearsing in a space where the transit time from one side of the "stage" to another is much shorter than in the actual playing area. In college I once observed a dancer break his foot due to a combination of factors, one of which was that no one had factored in how little time he actually had to make his cross. That experience taught me that part of the job is to be aware of more than just placement on stage, but also offstage movement as well.
"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." -- Thomas Edison (Harper's Magazine, 1932)

Maribeth

  • Superstar!
  • *****
  • Posts: 1056
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Experience: Former SM
Re: Triple Threat: Stage Manager, Actor, and Director
« Reply #1 on: Apr 30, 2014, 02:34 pm »
Hi and welcome, Michelle! I think the backstage "choreography" of performers, scenery, and the architecture of the theatre can often be as complicated as the choreography onstage (or more so!) Glad to hear you've found some useful info on the forum, and hope you contribute some of your own experiences as well.