Meet our Stage Manager!
by Kelsey Pigg
Keeping a production on the rails is no easy task. Not only do you have to make sure everyone is where they need to be when they need to be there, but you ALSO have to:
- Read the show and attend all rehearsals
- Assist the Director in rehearsals with actor preparation
- Keep a calendar of any rehearsals that cast or crew must miss
- Mark cues for all segments of the production (lights, sounds, special effects, scene changes, etc.)
- Check all props with prop chair for production
- Note blocking and notes from Director
- Notify cast & crew with any instructions from the Director
- Make and maintain a performance sign-in sheet for cast & crew
- Be responsible for stage maintenance during productions
- Time dress rehearsals
- Make sure all aspects are ready for the show to open before the house opens (sound checks, pre-set, & props, the house opens 30 minutes before curtain time)
- Work with the Technical Director to assign crew personnel jobs during production
- Call the show
- Secure the building following rehearsals and performances (checking that lights are off and checking the green room for cleanliness)
- Be present at show strike
- Gather scripts and turn them into office
With so much to do, our Stage Managers are pretty much super human!
And the Stage Manager for Sylvia is no exception! From giving the actors “treats” when we’re good to spraying us with a bottle of water when we do something bad, Paige Mueller has been working hard to keep us all in line. (Just kidding. She doesn’t squirt us with a water bottle, but she does give us treats).
Holding a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Music Education from Millikin University, Paige teaches grades K-6 General/Vocal Music in Camp Point. Since her first audition roughly two years ago, Paige has been seen onstage in The Boy Friend, OKLAHOMA!, and 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL. For Paige, it’s the people, the atmosphere, and the chance to do something fun that keeps her returning time and time again.
“Being involved in the theatre allows you a chance to play and as adults how often are we given opportunities to play?” says Paige. “You get to work with people that you might not meet anywhere else, but already have a connection [with] because you are a part of the QCT family.”
On behalf of the cast and crew, congratulations on making that jump from actress to Stage Manager!
Do you know a Stage Manager in the making? For 2014 opportunities, call Managing Artistic Director Lenny Bart at (217) 222-3209!
Sylvia (September 12-15 & 19-22). Tickets are $18, on sale now. For tickets or more information, call the QCT Box Office at (217) 222-3209 or visit 1qct.org.
NOTE: Sylvia contains strong language necessary to the plot and some mature themes.