Stage Management

Now in its thirteenth edition, Stage Management is the comprehensive go-to manual on stage management in all theater environments.

Revered as the authoritative resource for stage management for the past 50 years, this newly revised text is rich with practical resources, including checklists, diagrams, examples, forms, and step-by-step directions for each stage of a production. In addition to sharing their own expertise, Stern and Gold have gathered practical advice from working stage managers from Broadway, off-Broadway, touring companies, and regional, community, and 99-seat theaters. This new edition has been fully updated with new technology and best practices, including:

• Websites and apps for today’s stage management teams.
• Updated Equity rules and how/when to join the union.
• Updated safety and emergency protocols, including those for Covid.
• Normalizing diversity and inclusion.
• Comparisons with and explanations of UK terms and calling practices.
• New voices from practicing stage managers in text boxes and case studies scattered throughout the book.

This practical guide is written for students of stage management as well as early career stage managers of all ages.

The online resources include paperwork templates, downloadable checklists, suggested readings, and a list of over 500 internships and apprenticeships available across the United States in a variety of theatrical settings.

Lawrence Stern learned basic stage management at Eldred Hall Theater (Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH), where he earned an MA in Theater. While serving in the Air Force, he was the manager of the Armed Forces Radio Television Station on Crete (Iraklion Air Station) and directed the little base theater at Offutt AFB, NE, and Iraklion Air Station. He stage managed for years in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area (Tustin Playhouse, Actors Studio West, Equity Library Theatre, Players Ring Gallery, Las Palmas, Huntington Hartford, Greek) and Sacramento (Music Circus) before turning to directing, writing and teaching.

Jill Gold has been an Equity stage manager for over 40 years. Based in Los Angeles, she toured the United States with seven productions including Wicked, City of Angels, and Les Misérables, and saw Europe with Sisterella. Jill has over 250 shows to her credit thanks to producers such as the Pasadena Playhouse, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Broadway at Music Circus, Reprise Theatre Company, and the Geffen Playhouse. She also stage manages operas and events, teaches stage management at Occidental College and UCLA, and enjoys guest lecturing around the country.