Professional Stage Managers: A Theater Career in High Demand

Professional Stage Managers: A Theater Career in High Demand

Finding most jobs in the theater world is a frustrating and disappointing endeavor. The competition is fierce and the openings are few. A theater stage manager, on the other hand, is in exceptionally high demand.

At Webster University in St. Louis, 100% of the stage management graduates find jobs in their field. One reason is that professional opportunities for theater employment are thriving in the Midwest, in spite of a slow economy and high unemployment rates. The expansion of the number of theme parks, regional theaters and "music" theaters like those found at Disney parks and in Branson, Missouri, account for this trend. Webster's stage management alums are stage managers for all three Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, as well as working on Broadway and in theaters all over the country. We consider Webster to be one of the top three stage management degree programs in the country, along with Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina School for the Arts. No more than five students are accepted into Webster's program the first year. The program at Webster is the only undergraduate program in the country that works with two professional performing organizations in residence and on campus: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Please contact me if you are interested in talking with some alumni, the dean of the college of fine arts, or current students for interviews. Barb Ehnes Media Relations Webster University 314-968-7174 314-565-5744

Below is a short description of the work of a stage manager.

One person backstage sees a production through from beginning to end: the Stage Manager. There is no single person who knows the workings of a production, inside and out, as well as the Stage Manager, who is the first to arrive and the last to leave the rehearsal. The Stage Manager runs the show. Good Stage Managers are not frustrated actors or directors, but highly skilled and disciplined theater specialists.

Responsibilities include: tracking stage movement and scene tempos, organizing a master schedule and keeping the director up-to-date, providing daily communication between the director and designers, and making sure that each production area is running on schedule. The Stage Manager must also know all Equity rules, and therefore, looks after the best interests of the actors.

PRNewswire -- July 8

Source: Webster University

Web site: http://www.webster.edu/

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