A Survival Guide for Stage Managers: A Practical Step-By-Step Handbook to Stage Management

by Mary Ellen Allison

"This step-by-step, user friendly guide covers every aspect of stage management and can take any would-be stage manager at any level of theatre and turn them into an expert who will be the ultimate asset to your production." -Tom Paster, Director of Musical Theatre, Northern Highlands Regional High School, NJ "It's entertaining, informative and practical - a great resource for the "how-to" questions, and a terrific overview for anyone involved in the process of making theater." -Les Gutman, Producing Director, Friendly Fire Theatre, NYC Are you about to stage manage your first show and have no idea where to start? This book offers simplified guidelines for a complicated job and gives a step-by-step process for organizing auditions, rehearsals, the technical aspects, and performances. The author understands the pressures of the beginning stage manager and proceeds to calm those fears in a no-nonsense handbook. This "survival guide" gives detailed descriptions or examples of all the forms and lists the stage manager must use in production. An essential read for the novice stage manager in high school, college or community theatre. About the Author Mary Ellen Allison is a working stage manager with over thirty years of professional experience from Broadway to community theatre. Her credits include shows with award-winning theatre artists, such Horton Foote, Jean Stapleton, Allison Janney, Jim Dale, Andrew Lippa, and Frank Langella. She teaches stage management at Ramapo College of New Jersey and was named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 2003-2004.

Genres: Theatre

190 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2010

Reviews

[Isla McLarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good info on soft skills and real world application, alongside anecdotes and tips. Only issues are the outdated technology and the American specifics but those are to be expected given the author and time of writing.

[Tori Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdated and had a few grammatical errors, but overall very helpful!

[Alexandra W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to be stage managing a show in the spring and this book was EXTREMELY helpful to let me know what I’m getting myself into and how to be prepared. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to stage manage

[Alyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Survival Guide for Stage Managers is a step-by-step guide for stage management from pre-production to post-production. Allison's guide is directed to college students who are stage managing for the first time, but I found the information and breakdowns of some steps helpful for any level of stage manager. Allison also provides a list of the contents of a Stage Manager's Kit and an example of a résumé (trust me those examples are hard to find elsewhere).

A Survival Guide for Stage Managers was easy to read and comprehend. I enjoyed that Allison provided some of her own experiences about problems she has experienced in the industry as well as tips on dealing with various tasks, such as auditions and creating a rehearsal schedule. I also thought Allison did well with explaining some of the industry jargon as well as providing a glossary of these terms for quick reference.

Overall, I found some useful ideas in this guide that I want to try, I was even marking them with post-it flags to reference later.

[Wyma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book and I wish I'd read it sooner. It is so practical. Allison even tells you what to say in cuing, including the word order, and how to make light and sound notes in your script. Even the dry mop-wet mop is covered. Everything a beginning stage manager or assistant stage manager needs to know is right here in detail in this little book.