TECHNICAL | ISPM

The show must go on

Graham Pitcher
A detailed analysis of the theatre stage managers role can provide valuable insights for ISPM candidates, because the job requires top-class project management skills

he stage lights dim on the last line of the play and the theatre is filled with the sound of rapturous applause. The cast take their final bow and the audience disperses, discussing how good the actors were and what a fine play it was. Very seldom do they say what an excellent job the stage management team did, because many people dont consider the fact that the play would never have happened without its work behind the scenes. The skills required by any project manager can be aptly illustrated by the role of the theatre stage manager. These are an element of the intermediate level Systems and Project Management syllabus, but, by using the theoretical frameworks that students of intermediate level Organisational Management may encounter, this article shows how the various syllabuses link together. Its important, particularly when you reach the final level, that you can combine knowledge from different topics. Stage managers must be consummate project management professionals, because each play to be performed has an immovable deadline: the published date for the first night. They must oversee the whole process all the way from when the play is chosen, through the rehearsals and the performance run, to clearing the stage for the next production. This is a complex role, especially in a repertory theatre where there is a continuous flow of productions at threeor four-weekly intervals. This means that there could be four shows under the responsibility of the stage management team at any one time: one in production, one in rehearsal, one nearing the end of the planning stage and one in casting. An elderly actor once told an eager young student of stage management: Before you become a good stage manager, you will need to take on the role of mother, father, teacher, comic, nursemaid, judge and confessor all rolled into one. This applies to all the members of the stage management team, who must handle the actors, the creative team, the technicians and heads of departments in all moods and situaCIMA Insider July/August 2003

tions. They have to do this with tact and diplomacy and the ability to keep their own heads when all about them are losing theirs.

Act one
In 1916 Henri Fayol1 set out his five functions of management. Although they were related to general management and more recent writers have identified other elements of the role, they constitute at least five of the skills that an effective project manager must possess. They are planning, organising, commanding, co-ordinating and controlling.

Planning. The stage manager is instrumental in the planning process, which is done in meticulous detail, including budgets, from the pre-rehearsal period right through to the end of the run. Organising. The stage manager is responsible for organising production meetings and ensuring that all the departments required to attend are informed. The organisation of the rehearsal rooms and the call sheets (lists of who is required to attend and when) is also the job of the stage manager. This includes sorting out

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TECHNICAL | ISPM

costume fittings, photography for the programme and front of house, the acquisition of props and set construction. Commanding. Stage managers in large theatres will have teams of people working for them. They must be managed effectively and motivated, because they often work very long hours, especially when they are involved in the rehearsals for a future production and the evening performance of the current show. Co-ordinating. In larger theatres there will be specific departments such as costume, workshop, props, lighting and sound, marketing, admin (often including finance), plus the creative team of director and designer not forgetting the actors. It goes without saying that for all of these departments to complete their planned tasks on time they need to be coordinated. Its no good if the costume department wants a fitting with an actor if hes working in a rehearsal room on the other side of town, for instance. Controlling. The main sources of control in the process are the production plan, the budget and the production file. The production file is crucial and it requires everything to be documented, rather like a structured methodology in an IT project. If the play goes on tour, the show can be replicated in any theatre by reference to the book, which is part of the file. The book contains the script, showing every move the actors need to make, every cue for entrances, the exact positions of scenery, and the lighting and effects cues. Also, rehearsal reports are produced after each rehearsal and actual performance. These ensure that the quality of production is maintained and that mistakes can be corrected. This is particularly important if the show has a long run and the actors are changed regularly.

The matrix organisational structure of a typical theatre Creative team Acting company Functional areas Costume Workshop Effects Admin

Stage manager (project manager) Pre-rehearsal period Rehearsal Production week Performance run

Act two
When you consider the organisational structure within which all these activities occur, it becomes clear that other skills are needed that arent highlighted specifically by Fayols five management functions. Theatres, just like other organisations, are not all designed the same way, but most will References 1 Henri Fayol, General and Industrial Management, Pitman, 1949. 2 Charles Handy, Understanding Organisations, Penguin, 1976. 3 Henry Mintzberg, The Nature of Managerial Work, Harper & Row, 1973.

have what could be described as functional areas in a matrix structure (see panel, top). This provides the benefit of functional expertise with the flexibility to get the task done. A specialist manager heads each of the functions creative team, acting company, costume, workshop, effects, admin etc then particular workers in, say, the costume department report to the costumes manager and the stage manager for a particular play. The stage managers job is to ensure that expertise from various functions is available to the project when required. Charles Handy2 describes such an organisation as having a task culture. In the case of the National Theatre, where there may be three shows going on at any one time, the stage manager for one of the plays has to negotiate with the managers of each department in order to obtain staff to work at each phase of that particular production, because they will also be required by the other two stage managers to help on their shows. As in many organisations, this situation has the potential for conflict. An effective stage manager therefore needs skills such as negotiation, conflict management and, occasionally, entrepreneurial flair the ability to find that all-important effect demanded by the director, within budget and without affecting production quality. Henry Mintzberg3 identified these skills as decisional roles. His research actually identified a total of 10 roles grouped into three areas. These are: Interpersonal roles: figurehead; leader; liaison officer. Informational roles: monitor; disseminator; spokesperson. Decisional roles: entrepreneur; troubleshooter; resource allocator; negotiator. The interpersonal roles are particularly important at outfits such as the National Theatre. Because theres a stage manager for each production, they become synonymous with the play in the eyes of the functional staff ie, they become figureheads. Stage

managers must run their own teams, but they also have to motivate other departments to meet deadlines ie, use their leadership skills. A lot of liaison is necessary and not only internally. Good stage managers develop a web of contacts outside the organisation and are always able to obtain that scarce prop or find good, affordable accommodation and rehearsal rooms. The informational category indicates the communication skills required and stresses the importance of documentation and control. Stage managers are a mine of useful information and as part of the production process constantly gather knowledge thats relevant to the play. They also ensure that all departments are aware of changes for example, the director may decide late on in rehearsals to alter an actresss movements. This decision needs to be disseminated to the costume department to ensure that the period dress she will be wearing will allow her the range of movement thats required. These roles, when viewed as a skill set of a manager, can easily be related to any project manager in any other situation.

Final act
In his 1982 book Stagecraft, Trevor Griffiths wrote of the stage managers role: Any required skill not possessed or any unanswered question in short, any demand or request at all should be met with total confidence and flair. There is nothing wrong with that, but dont try to bluff your way through the exam. The stage managers who are always in demand are knowledgeable and skilled individuals. Likewise, your best approach to the exam will come through a good understanding of the script (subject material) and a wellrehearsed exam technique. There is no reason why the final performance shouldnt be a roaring success. Graham Pitcher is a tutor at BPP Professional Education July/August 2003 CIMA Insider 19