2nd Edition

Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice Cultivating a Creative Approach

By Lisa Porter, Narda E. Alcorn Copyright 2024
    192 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Focal Press

    192 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Focal Press

    Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice, Second Edition offers theory and methodology for developing a unique and inclusive stage management style, preparing stage managers to develop an adaptive approach for the vast and varied scope of the production process, forge their own path, and respond to the present moment with care and creativity.

    This book provides tactile strategies, enabling stage managers to navigate different groups of collaborators, venues, and projects. Experiential stories based on extensive experience with world-renowned artists exemplify the practices and provide frameworks for self-reflection, synthesis, and engagement with theory-guided practice. This book empowers stage managers to guide any collaborative project to fruition by incorporating the "How You" with the "How To." This second edition has been expanded, and includes new experiential stories and a new chapter focused on inclusive processes that can be applied from pre-production through closing, as well as the full text of the HowlRound Theatre essay We Commit to Anti-Racist Stage Management Education.

    Exploring topics such as group dynamics, ethics, culture, and strategic communication, Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice is an essential tool for advanced stage management students, educators, and professionals.

    1. Theory  2. Practice  3. Environment  4. Communication  5. Orchestration  6. Culture  7. Ethics  8. Purpose  9. Power

    Biography

    Lisa Porter is a Professor of Theatre and Dance at the University of California, San Diego, USA, where she has taught stage management since 2005. Lisa has developed curriculum related to creativity, neuroscience, disability, and inclusion, and has stage managed theater, dance, music, and events on six continents.

    Narda E. Alcorn is a Professor and Chair of the Stage Management Program at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, USA. She has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally and has been Head of Stage Management for New York University, DePaul University, and the State University of New York at Purchase.