Stage Management Theory As A Guide To Practice

Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice offers theory and methodology for developing a unique stage management style, preparing stage managers to develop an adaptive approach for the vast and varied scope of the production process, forge their own path, and respond to the present moment with care and creativity. This book provides tactile adaptive strategies, enabling stage managers to navigate diverse populations, venues, and projects. Experiential stories based on extensive experience with world-renowned artists exemplify the practices and provide frameworks for self-reflection, synthesis, and engagement with theory-guided practice. This book empowers stage managers to include the ‘How You’ with ‘How To’ by flexing collaborative muscles and engaging tools to guide any collaborative project to fruition with creativity, curiosity, and the drive to build connections. Exploring topics such as group dynamics, ethics, culture, conflict resolution, and strategic communication, Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice: Cultivating a Creative Approach is an essential tool for advanced stage management students, educators, and professionals.

This book offers theory and methodology for developing a unique and inclusive stage management style, preparing stage managers to develop an adaptive approach for the vast and varied scope of the production process, forge their own path, and respond to the present moment with care and creativity.

How do you develop the craft and skills of stage management for today's theatre industry? And how can these same skills be applied in a variety of entertainment settings to help you develop a rewarding and successful career? Drawing on his diverse experience working with companies from across the performing arts spectrum in venues from the Hollywood Bowl to the Barbican Centre in London, Michael Vitale offers a practical resource on the art of stage management for new and established stage managers. Besides providing detailed coverage of the role within theatre, the book uniquely explores the field of stage management in numerous branches of the entertainment industry. From theatre, opera, and theme parks, to cruise ships, special events, and dance, stage managers are an integral part of keeping productions running, and this book offers guidance on each distinct area to equip you for a varied and successful career. Written with candour and filled with real-world examples, the book examines the nuts and bolts of the job at each stage of the production process: from preproduction, room rehearsal, technical rehearsal, through to running the show. Vitale considers the skills needed to work with a myriad of different people, explores the traits of a successful stage manager, and helps you to hone and evaluate your own practice. Whether you are exploring the field for the first time or are a veteran looking to diversify your resumé, Introduction to the Art of Stage Management will provide insight, practical information, and useful tips to help along the way. An accompanying Companion Website features a range of time-saving templates and forms, such as schedule templates and scene samples. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/introduction-to-the-art-of-stage-management-9781474257190/

Drawing on interview material from more than 20 leading stage managers from the UK, USA and Australia, this book situates the contemporary practice of stage management within its historical and social contexts. Questioning the notions of the invisible stage manager and a linear production process, it argues for a broader conception of stage management lying at the intersections of administration, management and artistry. This volume places stage management practice within key theories drawn from the diverse fields of performance studies, semiotics, phenomenology, distributed cognition, management and scenography. It champions the creative agency of stage management and details the properties of communication which stage managers manipulate and the objectives they set out to achieve as a guide for decision making. While it considers the different approaches necessitated by productions from different cultures, genres, and so on, it offers a view of stage management which is not bound by these differences.

Supporting Staged Intimacy: A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers, and Crew examines the relationship between staged intimacy, intimacy direction, and those supporting the process during pre-production, rehearsal, and performance. First, this book addresses challenges and trends in staging intimacy, helping backstage and offstage theatre artists recognize the problematic approaches and culture that led to the emerging field of intimacy direction. This text will then provide tools and recommended practices for supporting the creation and maintaining of staged intimacy, enabling team members to enact contemporary protocols concerning advocacy and agency. Finally, this book will educate and empower readers with the necessary skills to prompt change; by providing modern techniques, essential workplace protocols, and achievable action items, this book will transform the way theatre designers, managers, crew, and other creative team members engage with theatrical consent. Supporting Staged Intimacy is written for every pre-professional and professional artist working behind the scenes who wish to better support consensual workplaces, physically intimate stories, and the individuals telling those stories.

Revered as the authoritative resource for stage management, this text offers students a practical manual on how to stage manage in all theater environments. Rich with practical resources — checklists, diagrams, examples, forms and step-by-step directions — Stage Management eschews excessive discussion of philosophy and gets right to the essential materials and processes of putting on a production. In addition to sharing his own expertise, Stern has gathered practical advice from working stage managers of Broadway, off-Broadway, touring companies, regional, community, and 99-seat Equity waiver theaters.

A unique take on leadership from a popular Forbes blogger and nationally-known leadership coach Leading So People Will Follow explores the six leadership characteristics that inspire followers to fully support their leaders. Using Erika Andersen’s proven framework, new leaders and veterans alike have increased their capacity for leading in a way that creates loyalty, commitment and results. Step by step, Andersen lays out six key attributes (far-sightedness, passion, courage, wisdom, generosity, and trustworthiness) and gives leaders the tools for developing them. This innovative book offers a practical guide for building the skills to become a truly 'followable' leader. Filled with examples from forward-thinking organizations such as Apple, NBC Universal, Union Square Hospitality Group, and MTV Networks Maps out the six attributes of leadership Includes a free online Followable Leader assessment Author Erika Andersen is one of Forbes' most popular bloggers and coaches some of the most successful leaders in America Using self-assessments, real-world examples, and concrete tools, Leading So People Will Follow helps build timeless core skills that work for leaders in any field.

Off Headset is a collection of chapters containing essays by a richly diverse group of stage management professionals and educators covering the challenges stage managers face on the job, in their lives, and in their careers. The book starts with the intersectional history of stage managers and the actors' union. In "Part 1: Work," the contributors share a wide range of experiences, from regional theatre and Broadway to operas and cruises—and even running with the circus. The essays in "Part 2: Life" explore the relevance of stage managers claiming their identity, their resilience, and practicing self-care. Finally, in "Part 3: Career," readers receive aspirational and business advice for life in the real world: leadership, networking, unemployment, managing demanding calendars, and career planning. The book ends with a moment of pause during tech—a direct response to the absence we have been enduring throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and a tribute to a world we used to take for granted. Intertwining practical advice with personal anecdotes, Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Work, Life, and Career is the perfect accompaniment to students studying stage management in a university setting and professionals working in the field.