By: Heather Reese
Today I attended the Moving on in Stage Management workshop. Sharon Calcutt, an established UK stage manager, and Stephen Duncan-Rice, the organizer of the UK Actor’s Equity, led this workshop. The workshop was very informal. About 15 people with interests in stage management were in attendance. The room was set up in a circle and it was an open discussion with the panel.
Today I attended the Moving on in Stage Management workshop. Sharon Calcutt, an established UK stage manager, and Stephen Duncan-Rice, the organizer of the UK Actor’s Equity, led this workshop. The workshop was very informal. About 15 people with interests in stage management were in attendance. The room was set up in a circle and it was an open discussion with the panel.
Sharon was one of the head members of an organization called the Stage Managers Association, often referred to as SMA. The SMA is a UK based organization that helps stage managers deal with contract questions and offers courses to help stage managers in the field. One of the mentioned courses was a How to Read Sheet Music workshop, for stage managers interested in working in musicals. They also offered workshops on the open flame rules, and firearm prop rules, which tend to change fairly often.
Sharon and Stephen had many interesting stories that had come up in their time helping professional stage managers deal with an industry in which stage managers are almost taken for granted. One story Sharon told was about a woman who received a contract to be a resident stage manager at a local English theater. The contract stated that the woman was not allowed to get pregnant for the next 5 years, and if she did become pregnant, she would be fired. The woman called the SMA who contacted the theater and told them that this was against equity rules, and the theater complied and took that clause out of their contract.
Sharon and Stephen had many interesting stories that had come up in their time helping professional stage managers deal with an industry in which stage managers are almost taken for granted. One story Sharon told was about a woman who received a contract to be a resident stage manager at a local English theater. The contract stated that the woman was not allowed to get pregnant for the next 5 years, and if she did become pregnant, she would be fired. The woman called the SMA who contacted the theater and told them that this was against equity rules, and the theater complied and took that clause out of their contract.
The pair had very interesting advice about how to actually land a job in the professional world. They recommended going to your local theater and asking to shadow a stage manager, or volunteer in the front-of-house, and work your way up from there. Overall, the workshop was very informative, and gave great advice to aspiring stage managers.
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