A Backstage Tip

Here's a good tip for anyone just starting out in the business: Always thank your Stage Manager!

Stage Managers work incredibly hard and are rarely thanked as much as they deserve. They are, in fact, criminally underappreciated. They don't get the applause or the flowers, reviewers don't compliment their technique, people often blow past them at the cast party, and the audience never flips through the program wondering "who was the Stage Manager for this delightful production??" But really, they are the glue holding the whole show together. And they're frequently along for the ride during the entire rehearsal process, preparing to ensure that everything backstage will seamlessly support the performers onstage. They're the first to arrive at the theatre and the last to leave, the ones who have to listen to all the yelling and to handle it when the set breaks or the light board blows up or whatever crops up in the run of the show, and they're the ones who can't (and don't) lose their cool.

So, do for them whatever you do to thank a director, a conductor or colleagues - whether a card, cake, handshake, hug, or Lamborghini - always thank your Stage Manager!