Why Do I Stage Manage?
I’ve always loved live theatre and performances, but I hated being in the spotlight myself. I’ve explored various facets of backstage work from building and painting sets to doing makeup for the House of Shock. As a 2022 graduate, I had the unique privilege of learning my craft amid a global pandemic. Being a stage manager, allows me to be involved in nearly every element of a show from start to finish. I love watching a show take shape. I watch actors discover their characters, and I take lots of notes to help the director mold the script into their vision. I communicate with designers to bring their vision to life with coordinated lighting, scenery, sound, props, and costumes. Ultimately, I get the treat of seeing a show take flight and then the responsibility of keeping it stable until the end!
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Memories from Backstage
The Color Purple directed by Donald Jones Jr. with Le Petit Theatre, 2023
Assistant Stage Manager
Updates coming soon…
Photo Credit: Brittney Werner
God of Carnage directed by Donald Jones Jr. with JPAS, 2021
Stage Manager
This show was a joy to stage manage! It was my first experience seeing a show through all the way to closing night. Hurricane Ida and Covid-19 restrictions caused some interesting complications within the rehearsal process. There were last minute changes to director, actors, and crew; limited communication during the aftermath of Ida; and frequent discussion over the effect of masks in an intimate living room drama. Another notable memory from this production was the vomit machine, which was a pvc container connected to a compressor backstage that launched a dyed mixture of cornstarch and water, onto the stage. We experimented with various amounts of cornstarch before settling on a less viscous consistency to achieve a more sudden and projectile effect.
A Comedy of Tenors directed by Anthony Laciura with JPAS, 2021
Assistant Stage Manager
This show was my first production with JPAS. It started with me being an eager student sitting in on table reads for the sake of learning, but through a series of lucky occurrences, I was offered the position of assistant stage manager. This was a high energy show with many entrances and exits, onstage snacking, and rapid costume changes. I remember part of my pre-show routine was setting an obscene amount of undergarments across the stage. The bra in particular had to be set just right, with an easy to grab loop in the strap for Mr. Saunders to scoop up with a cane.
In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel directed by Torey Hayward with TWTC, 2020
Stage Manager
This was my first stage managing gig. Unfortunately, it was cut short just before tech week when Covid-19 shutdowns first began. It was going to be an immersive, tech heavy show complete with flat screen tv walls, repetitive projections, luminescent floors, and color changing drinks. There were even a few seating options on the stage! I remember as the Covid pandemic became more widespread, we had to come up with subtle ways to make sure the actors didn’t use each other’s props and drinks. There was already an established colored straw system to identify the drink mixtures, and if they were edible or just for show. We came up with distinct rim decorations for each actor on their drinks.