It is just frustrating - TCG tells us to register as individual artists and offers a place to get a grant to pay for the conference with people who don't consider us artists at all, but administrators. The left hand and right hand (ironically not having a stage manager) don't know what the other is doing.
I have to respond to this. Loebtmc, we may have met at TCG, and I have to say the past couple of years I attended, I've loved it. But I never attended as a stage manager, I attend as an associate producer. My biggest complaints was "where do stage managers fit in?" Last year, they had an affinity group meeting for production managers I attended, and though it is not exactly the same, it was close enough. I remember being told though, that since I registered as an associate producer, I didn't have access to the TCG forums for stage and production managers. While I understand the need to protect those conversations, goshdarnit, I'm a stage manager through and through, despite my new title. I am hoping that TCG can not only find a place for the valuable creative artists that I believe stage managers to be, but find a way for us to communicate cross-discipline and the conference they hold each year is a really great way to continue that conversation and effort.
On another note: THANK YOU to everyone who posted here regarding defining SMs. Again, this thread is "dated" but definitely not obsolete! I came here to gather a collection of responses to "defining stage managers" from the best source - us! It is for a presentation I am doing to college students who know virtually nothing about theater. My challenge is going to be: what do I omit? It's all so good...
