Chapter One
The Psychology of Stage Managing

Being a good stage manager requires organization, structure, and communication. These are often the most discussed and well-outlined facets of the job. However, maintaining paperwork and coordinating the show is just a portion. A large aspect of stage management is the personal interaction between stage manager and all others involved in the process. A stage manager is one of the few individuals with whom all members of the company interact and, as such, becomes a confidant, a coach, a peacekeeper, and a friend. Actors will approach the stage manager when they are having issues with their fellow actors, the designers, or, in particular, with their director. Anticipate becoming the shoulder for them to cry on, someone to vent to, and a confidant of any personal life troubles that may interfere with their work or the production. In all of this, you should be a source of comfort and confidentiality, but remain neutral. It should be your goal to help them through an issue by listening and finding a compromise or a civil solution. Never gossip about fellow company members or encourage exclusion. Theatre is all about collaboration and any steps away from that will end poorly.

These people skills, like any other aspect of stage management, are acquired. With experience, you will improve and you will begin to learn how to read the people you work with and better anticipate problems and possible solutions.

Qualities of a Good Stage Manager

Organization

As evidenced by the stage manager’s responsibilities outlined throughout this book, organization is one of the most obvious and easily identifiable qualities necessary in a stage manager. Good organization leads to an overall smoother process and is something to strive for in building your stage management toolkit. However, it is not the only quality and not even necessarily the most important.

Attention to Detail

Just as important as organization is a keen attention to detail. This will be critical in making sure all the tiniest elements of the show are addressed properly and also to maintain the integrity of the show once it has opened. The stage manager must notice when a piece of furniture is off its spike (not in its correct position), if a light cue is incorrect, or if an actor is seconds late for an entrance, as it may affect the entire performance. In rehearsal, this allows you to assist the director with continuity and helps with tracking and run paperwork. Attention to detail is also part of the psychology of stage managing: being aware of the subtle shifts and changes of the company will allow you to gauge tempers, address needs before they become problematic, and keep the company running happily.

Compassion

Beyond being personal secretary to the whole production team, the stage manager also steps into the role of psychologist, mediator, friend, and parent. Those who work in theatre, especially actors and directors (and even designers!), make their living from exposing themselves, physically and emotionally, through their art. Because of this, they tend to be more sensitive than the average Joe. You may become their confidant and the more compassion you show, the more they will be able to resolve “offstage,” rather than allowing their personal issues to come through onstage or in the rehearsal room. You may feel like their parent, but they will thank you for being willing to hold their hand and respect you all the more for your patience and confidence. This is a careful line to walk because compassion and patronization are similar and too far to one side can create a bigger monster. It is important to remember that respect is a large part of compassion; when people make themselves vulnerable they need to know that they are safe and will not be judged. It is also your responsibility to keep the show going and, as far as the job goes, that is more important than being friends; work with compassion but don’t be a doormat.

Confidence

In order to gain the trust of the rest of the company members, all stage managers must conduct their work with confidence. The artistic choices of the production, the safety of the personnel, and the execution of many, specific, and detailed items are the stage manager’s responsibility. Confidence in one’s own work inspires confidence and trust from those working with you. This does not mean, however, that you need to have all the answers or do everything correctly the first time. As with everything in life, stage management is a continuous learning process and mistakes happen. However, uncertainty, doubt, and the inability to stick to your guns will only hinder your ability to connect with the company members in the ways necessary to facilitate a successful production. Any uncertainty regarding your job should be handled on a one-on-one basis as much as possible, be it with a stage management mentor unassociated with the production, the producer, or the director. It is okay to not have all the answers, but it is better in the moment to make a decision and stick with it, even if it turns out to be the wrong decision. A lack of confidence is viewed as a weakness and too much will severely limit the stage manager’s ability to control the rehearsal room. Find a balance: don’t become cocky and overconfident, even if you really do have all the answers. It takes just as much confidence and earns respect to admit you are wrong, but there are appropriate times and places to do so.

Poise

Whether in the stress of final dress when half the costumes are incomplete and the lead actor has yet to learn their lines correctly, or in rehearsal when a prop accidentally breaks while twelve people are asking you questions and you are trying to track down a missing actor, it is critical to have the ability to address issues calmly and rationally, without allowing strong emotions to take over. This ability will help you gain the trust of your company. The stage manager’s role is, among other things, to be the stability and voice of reason in the company. If they see this waver or fall apart, it can quickly cause panic within the company. When first starting out, it’s okay for a stage manager’s inner composure to waver, but try to never let that affect the outer composure that is the public face of the leader. If, for some reason, you do lose your temper, recover it as quickly as you can; don’t let it color the rest of the process. A lot can be gained by apologizing, publicly if necessary.

Adaptability

Many stage managers are control freaks, and often it is a helpful trait. However, the desire to control all of the details must be tempered with the ability to adapt. It is easy in the midst of a long tech week to get frustrated that we fell short of the day’s goal but a good stage manager will put aside that frustration and help the team re-evaluate the goals for the next day; a great stage manager will do it with good humor and a smile. Shows are living breathing creatures; you never know what is going to change but being able to assimilate the information and keep moving is critical. This trait also shows itself in the stage manager’s ability to work in different venues, with different companies and different creative teams—adapting to the different needs and styles of your director, creative team, and cast will allow you to be in control of any situation and to become more marketable in the industry.

Neutrality

One of the more difficult qualities of being a good stage manager is the ability to remain neutral in any given situation and to hold your tongue. This can be especially difficult for those who come from a directorial, acting, or design background, who are used to making design/acting decisions. The stage manager’s primary role is to support and help execute the director’s vision and, through that, the actors’ and the designers’ decisions that augment that vision. There are occasions when the director will ask for the stage manager’s input regarding a decision or their opinion about an artistic choice and at that time, you can feel free to indulge them. However, this is often a trust that is gained between director and stage manager after a few instances of working together. In matters of safety it is important to speak up but do so diplomatically.

Remember that any time you are asked your opinion regarding a design choice, an acting choice, or a directing choice, your response will be a judgment on someone’s art. Don’t be afraid to answer honestly, but take care in your approach and your choice of words. They can hurt!

Assertiveness

The ability to show strong leadership is critical, in anything from running production meetings to maintaining focus in rehearsals, to managing and running a successful performance night after night. The stage manager is the company’s steadfast leader from the first rehearsal to the closing performance and they should be able to trust you as such. Learn to find the balance between serious and fun, between compassionate friend and disciplinarian. When it comes down to it, you must be in a position to lay down the law and for them to respect you enough to listen, obey, and trust that it is for the good of the production and the good of the company as a whole. Remember that being a tyrannical dictator is not the way to do this.

Diplomacy

Stage managers need to embody all these things (confidence, leadership, organization, etc.) and also know how to talk to, interact with, and collaborate with each member of the team. There will always be a mix of personalities and it is essential to know who you can joke with, which actor prefers to be called formally, or if one designer needs to be handled with care.

Discretion

Stage managers are often privy to lots of information that isn’t necessarily meant for the general population. It is of the utmost importance that the company know that the stage management team can be approached about anything and they will deal with it respectfully, quietly, and professionally. It is important to have a trusted person not related to the production or company with whom you can discuss ideas or challenges. Trust is hard won and easily lost; remember, discretion is the better part of valor.

A Sense of Humor

Theatre is very serious business . . . to those in the business of theatre. Plays can (and often do) expose the rawest of human emotions and can be an incredibly stressful process. A stage manager with a good sense of humor helps to break the tension and remind everyone that they are doing this because it is fun. You are the voice of authority and will often have to be strict and unrelenting, but that doesn’t mean you can’t laugh along with the actor’s jokes or throw out a sarcastic comment to the lighting designer during tech. There is a time and a place; be aware of your situation.

Work and Personal Satisfaction

Stage management is not a glamorous job, in any sense of the word. You will work an extraordinary number of unaccounted-for hours, produce endless pages of paperwork and reports that people won’t read, and put your heart and soul into a production with rarely a “thank you” uttered. The satisfaction comes from the ability to guide a production from start to finish, with a limited number of injuries, from some text on paper to a full-fledged production. You will handle situations you have never encountered before. And you will get to work with some of the greatest, kindest, most brilliant, and most generous people in the world. It is from a job well done that you must gain satisfaction, not from applause or praise. If you are doing the job well, no one should notice it happening.