JACQUELINE LAWTON: How long have you lived and worked as a stage manager in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
LESLEY IRMINGER: I moved to DC in ’08 for graduate school in Arts Management at George Mason University.  Coming from a smaller arts area, Knoxville, TN I wanted to go somewhere that showcased the diversity of arts and somewhere I felt I could work outside of the stage management world but still SM when I wanted to.  When I graduated in ’10 I was offered a job at the Center for the Arts at George Mason, so I stayed.  Since then I’ve started stage managing more within the University.

JL: What excites you most about being a stage manager? What do you feel your greatest challenges are?
LI: I love the rush you get when everything comes together. To me stage management is NOT about the glory or the praise, it’s about the process and the final result.  When I see a show come together and I know I helped make that happen it reminds me “why” we do it!  I think for me the greatest challenge is balancing a full time job and still trying to stage manage on the side.  My schedule does not offer a lot of time to SM, but I miss it when I’m not “doing it!”  Another challenge is teaching stage managers and working within the university environment.  You have so many “types” of students – getting them to understand “how theater” operates is exhilarating and challenging all in one!

JL: What traits do you feel a successful Stage Manager should have to support the health and growth of a production?
LI: Organization is always critical.  Actors/Designers/Directors are artistic by nature – they should be allowed to think outside of the box – that is how art is created, but a good SM needs to be grounded and organized to help keep the chaos controlled!  I also think you have to been patient, empathetic, stern, and parental all in one.  Working with students this is especially important – I need to be able to relate to them and their lives as FT students, but I cannot allow them to walk all over the process.  SM’s need to understand the concerns, issues, and circumstances of everything going on in a show – relate to them, but not let them take over the show.  I think the best SM is one who can sit and just listen, then come up with a common ground solution.

JL: Does your work as a Stage Manager pay the bills? If not, what other work do you do and how do you find a balance?
LI: Not even close!  I wish I could stage manage 24/7 but I do it now more for fun. I’m at a point in my life where stability is important and my FT job provides that.  I SM for the Mason Opera/Music Department and sometimes venture out into other areas of DC to either SM or work as an arts manager. I also teach and mentor the SM students at Mason with the School of Theater. But my FT job is really what pays the bills. I like to joke that I have 4/5 jobs – but reality is it’s true and it’s the nature of working in the arts.

JL: Looking at your body of work as a stage manager in this community, how conscious are you of selecting plays by women or people of color when deciding your season?
LI: For me this is not something I really dive into. I take on gigs when I can.  To me I think finding diverse work is important and I truly enjoy SMing shows that showcase women and the talent of local artists.

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to work?
LI: Compared to East Tennessee, where I am from I think DC does an excellent job.  Between the Fringe Festival, Studio Theater, Arena, Signature, the University theatres, and Woolly I have been very impressed in the diversity of the area.  I think most theaters in this area do try to think outside of the box and push boundaries!  In this diverse area I feel this is important.  This does not affect my work, but it does make me want to get out and see more theater and when I’m teaching I always try to focus on how theater brings a community together and sometimes asks the tough questions.

JL: DC audiences are ...
LI: Diverse and intelligent.  I think the culture in DC drastically affects the arts and in a good way. People here ask the tough questions, they want to see good art, and they have eclectic tastes. This gives our theaters a lot to juggle, but it allows art to really form into something unique.

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ..
LI: Hard working and dedicated.  Its’ a rough area to work in but I see the theater professionals in this area and they don’t give up.  They are dedicated to the craft and they fight for the arts in the area!

JL: DC critics are ...
LI: Again the Critics are never our favorite but I think the critics here are very diverse. I’ve never seen so many variety of reviews for a show. I think it showcases that our audience is diverse and I hate to say it a bad review does not mean I won’t go…in retrospect it challenges me to go and make my own opinion on a show.

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based stage managers?
LI: Go into this with passion, not the glory!  SMing in general is hard work but the rewards are endless if you do it for the right reasons.  If you are in DC, take advantage of all of the cattle calls and the diversity of theaters. Get out there and take gigs and don’t be afraid to push yourself or fight for your place as a SM in the area!

JL: What's next for you as a stage manager? Where can we keep up with your work?
LI: I am stage managing The Marriage of Figaro with Mason opera and Master Class with Lyric Opera Virginia. I don’t keep a web page or anything like that – the best way to keep up with my work is to follow what is going on at Mason!

JACQUELINE LAWTON: How long have you lived and worked as a stage manager in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
KATE KILBANE: I’ve lived and worked in DC as a stage manager since 2000. Having studied political science, I moved here for a job at a non-profit in the solid waste management field. After I transitioned to theatre and became aware of the breadth and vibrancy of the DC theatre community, I’ve enjoyed living here.

JL: What excites you most about being a stage manager? What do you feel your greatest challenges are?
KK: Watching art and the creative process take place. Learning and knowing how to overcome obstacles whether they be in the rehearsal room, during tech or even after opening. I love witnessing moments that really capture what the playwright/director/designers intended. As a stage manager, it can be challenging to identify the weakest link of a production and find ways to improve it.

JL: What traits do you feel a successful Stage Manager should have to support the health and growth of a production?
KK: Strong organizational and communication skills, being adaptable to meet the needs of a production, efficiency, punctuality and professionalism.

JL: Does your work as a Stage Manager pay the bills? If not, what other work do you do and how do you find a balance?
KK: Yes, though I supplement my income between shows when possible with office work. After working in the office for a few weeks, I appreciate my work and love for theatre even more.  It just comes naturally.

JL: Looking at your body of work as a stage manager in this community, how conscious are you of selecting plays by women or people of color when deciding your season?
KK: I have worked on numerous plays written by women and people of color during my career as well as plays directed by women and designed by people of color. I look for opportunities to work on productions that are interesting, challenging and stimulating, and if one by a woman or person of color comes along that meets that criteria and everything else falls into place, then I would take it.

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to work?
KK: I think DC theatres continue to make an effort to address it. By letting new voices and perspectives be heard, I think DC theatres can help their audiences grow in understanding themselves and the world around them. I am disheartened to see very talented minority actors having difficulty finding work, and if there was one area to be addressed, that would be a focus.

JL: DC audiences are ...
KK: very intelligent.

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ..
KK: very talented and hard-working.

JL: DC critics are ...
KK: I don’t read every review but I think they are generally articulate with a strong point of view.

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based stage manager?
KK: Check out the theaters in town to get a sense of where you might like to work and could be a good fit. Network and send resumes around town.

JL: What's next for you as a stage manager? Where can we keep up with your work?
KK: I am currently the Assistant Stage Manager for Violet at Ford’s Theatre and next for me is stage managing The Admission at Theater J. I occasionally dabble on Facebook.

JACQUELINE LAWTON: How long have you lived and worked as a stage manager in DC? What brought you here? Why have you stayed?
KAREN CURRIE: That’s a trick question for me because I was here for graduate school at American in the mid-1990s and then went to New York City for a while.  I’ve been back in DC since 2005 and have been working as a stage manager that whole time.  So I initially came for school.  When I left I always knew I’d come back to DC eventually.  It’s always felt like home to me with its great balance of big city/suburban life.

JL: What excites you most about being a stage manager? What do you feel your greatest challenges are?
KC: I love the process of watching something original come together – that moment when everything clicks and a piece becomes more than the sum of its parts.  It’s magic and I’m so lucky to get to play a part in that.  On the flip side the challenge are how to keep morale up when the magic isn’t happening. Or isn’t happening quite yet.

JL: What traits do you feel a successful Stage Manager should have to support the health and growth of a production?
KC: There are people who will disagree with me, but I feel like a successful stage manager is one who not only keeps up with the technical and logistical aspects of the job, but also can do everything possible to make everyone in the room supportive and comfortable enough to be at their best (including themselves!). 

JL: Does your work as a Stage Manager pay the bills? If not, what other work do you do and how do you find a balance?
KC: Well, certainly not all of them.  I’m very lucky in the part time office job that I have at a property management company in town.  They are super supportive of my stage management work and let me come and go as needed to be available for productions. I also proof audio books occasionally and other similar computer based things that I can do from home at any time.  The balance is the trickiest part of the whole thing.  I am fiercely protective of my Mondays as a day off.  When a production schedule doesn’t allow for that, I do everything I can to have at least one complete day off each week.  A girl’s gotta have some time to do laundry.

JL: Looking at your body of work as a stage manager in this community, how conscious are you of selecting plays by women or people of color when deciding your season?
KC:  I make choices based on a lot of different criteria: the people involved, the script, the theater company, the other people on the stage management staff.  And while I like new challenges, it’s also nice to have a show or two that are like old home week where you get to  work with people that you know and trust.  I’m very lucky to have that family at Theater J, partly because they do make a strong effort to support women’s voices and voices of people of color. 

JL: How do you feel the DC theatre community has addressed the issues of race and gender parity? How has this particular issue impacted you and your ability to work?
KC: I think that there are some companies that are working diligently to include productions by playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, and actors of all types in their seasons - which I celebrate.  And some that are not - which is disappointing.  Could there be more? Certainly.  But I also think that there are some companies whose missions better fit those opportunities than others.  The ones whose mission makes this more difficult to achieve don't appear to be making many strides, but there's also an awful lot else that goes into picking a season.  I have tremendous respect for those who do that as I know it is decisions that I wouldn't want to have to make every year!  As for my ability to work, I have run across those times when the attitude is "a girl can't do that" or "we'll have to get a guy to do that" but I'm pretty aggressive at counteracting that notion.  

JL: DC audiences are ...
KC: Engaged, thoughtful, loyal, excited, and oh so smart. 

JL: DC actors, designers and directors are ..
KC: Inspiring, challenging, supportive, creative, and the best group of artists someone could ask to be around on a regular basis.  I am amazed every day that I get to be in a rehearsal room or a dark theater with so many talented people.  It’s cheesy to say, but I really do feel like I’m living the dream.

JL: DC critics are ...
KC: Are  a part of the overal process and can certainly impact the work. I read reviews, because I feel like I need to know if an actor is responding to something that has been written. Part of my job is to maintain the integrity of the director's vision and intent. 

JL: What advice do you have for an up and coming DC based stage managers?
KC: Go see everything you can.  Get to know the people in town.  If you are new to stage management or to town – contact a company you want to work with.   Ask to shadow someone for a night. So much of the work that I have now is based on connections I’ve made from one show to another.  An actor here introduces me to a director there who introduces me to a production manager there.  And get to know other stage managers in town.  We’re ALL looking for really good assistants and are very supportive of each other.  I can’t tell you the number of times that I get an email or a call from someone who says “Do you know someone who can do A or B?”

JL: What's next for you as a stage manager? Where can we keep up with your work?
KC: I’m currently starting rehearsals for ORPHIE AND THE BOOK OF HEROES at the Kennedy Center Youth and Family Programs and in the Spring I'll be working on Freud's Last Session at Theater J. 

Welcome to the Women Stage Managers of D.C. Series! Over the next few days, you'll be introduced to a wonderful group of women working in the American Theatre as freelance and resident stage managers. You'll find these women in the rehearsal halls and technical booths of many of our finest local, regional, and national theatres. And I have the deepest respect and admiration for their tireless efforts and enormous contribution. 

Stage managers are essential to a successful production. Good stage managers are an absolute god send and should be cherished as the Holy Grail. While the Stage Manager duties vary from production to production, they are responsible for running rehearsals and the show. Here are some of the duties listed by Actors' Equity Association:

• Shall be responsible for the calling of all rehearsals, whether before or after opening.
  
• Shall assemble and maintain the Prompt Book which is defined as the accurate playing text and stage business, together with such cue sheets, plots, daily records, etc., as are necessary for the actual technical and artistic operation of the production.
  
• Shall work with the Director and the heads of all other departments, during rehearsal and after opening, schedule rehearsal and outside calls in accordance with Equity regulations.
  
• Assume active responsibility for the form and discipline of rehearsal and performance, and be the executive instrument on the technical running of each performance.
  
• Maintain the artistic intentions of the Director and the Producer after opening, including calling correctional rehearsals of the company when necessary and preparation of the Understudies.
  

The sheer amount of work they must accomplish on top of the number of personalities they have to negotiate is quite simply extraordinary.

Now, as with my previous series on Playwrights, Directors, Artistic Directors, Dramaturgs, and Theatre Critics, it is my hope that these interviews will serve others who are making their way as stage managers in the Nation's Capital, and beyond. And as all of you artistic directors plan your season, please consider reaching out one of these wonderful, talented, and hardworking women stage managers.

JENNIFER CARLSON

Jenn Carlson is a graduate of Norwich University: the Military College of Vermont.  She has stage managed for many different companies in the DC area including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Folger Theatre, Forum Theatre, the Hub Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, WSC Avant Bard, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Longacre Lea, Open Circle, Catalyst Theater Company, MetroStage, the Capital Fringe Festival, and the DC Queer Festival.  Since arriving in DC in 2001 she has worked on over 75 professional theatrical productions in a plethora of roles. At her day job, Jenn is the IT Project Manager for the Institute of International Finance where she has also worked in Emerging Market Economics.  In 2007 she coordinated the IIF/ASEAN Finance Minister’s Forum in Singapore which brought together nine of the ten ASEAN Finance Ministers in a high level series of presentations and discussions attended by a broad spectrum of the global financial community. Jenn now devotes her time to her burgeoning business, Prodigious Birth Services, as well as to her two incredible daughters, Moira and Ari.

KAREN CURRIE

Karen Currie is a D.C. based Stage Manager. She has worked on several productions including After the Revolution, The Hampton Years, Woody Sez, Body Awareness, The Whipping Man, The Religion Thing, Imaging Madoff, The Moscows of Nantucket, The Odd Couple, The Four of Us, Lost in Yonkers, The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall, Honey Brown Eyes, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Speed the Plow, and Either Or, as well as numerous readings at Theater J.  In addition, Karen has worked locally on One Arm and the Tennessee Williams Centennial Festival, Georgetown University; Cymbeline, Shakespeare Theatre; Saturday Night, Sycamore Trees, Les Miserables, & The Happy Time, Signature Theatre; Seascape, Thicker Than Water, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Drama Under the Influence & The Autumn Garden, The American Century Theater; The Royal Hunt of the Sun, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, & Titus Andronicus, Washington Shakespeare Company. Other productions include Twelfth Night, The Last Session, and Hear My Song. Karen holds an M.A. in Arts Management from American University. Upcoming:  the return of Woody Sez at Theater J and Orphie and the Book of Heroes at the Kennedy Center.

KERRY EPSTEIN

Kerry Epstein is in her eighth season as Production Stage Manager at Signature Theatre. Selected credits include Miss Saigon, Company, Shakespeare's R&J, Dreamgirls, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Brother Russia, Hairspray, The Hollow, Side By Side By Sondheim, Sunset Boulevard, Chess, First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb, Les Misérables, The Visit, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Studio, The Witches of Eastwick, Into the Woods, Assassins, Nevermore.  She also serves as the stage management mentor for Signature in the Schools. DC area credits: The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage/Georgetown University. Regional credits: Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Ms. Epstein received a Bachelor of Arts in both Dramatic Arts and History from Dickinson College.

TARYN FRIEND

Taryn Friend is a D.C. based Stage Manager. She has worked on several productions including
Ford’s Theatre: A Christmas Carol and Hello, Dolly! (Signature Theatre co-production), 1776, Liberty Smith, Little Shop of Horrors, One Destiny, A Christmas Carol (2005–08, 13-14), Meet John Doe, State of the Union, Shenandoah, Leading Ladies; Signature Theatre: Miss Saigon, Hairspray, The Visit, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Merrily We Roll Along, The Witches of Eastwick. Arena Stage: Oklahoma!; The Kennedy Center: Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred!), Barrio Grrrl!, Unleashed!; Woolly Mammoth Theatre: The Vibrator Play, or in the next room. EDUCATION: University of Mary Washington. UPCOMING: Ford’s Theatre: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

MARLEY GIGGEY

Marley is a DC area native who is currently the resident stage manager for Synetic Theater.  Prior to returning to DC Marley stage managed Yellow Fever: the internment, and Global Sexxxism: unwrapped with The Conciliation Project in Richmond, VA, a social justice theatre company whose mission is to promote, through active and challenging dramatic work, open and honest dialogue about racism in America in order to repair its damaging legacy.  Regionally she has worked at The New Harmony Theatre and The Heritage Theatre Festival where she stage managed several shows including Barefoot in the Park, Moonlight and Magnolias, My Fair Lady, and She Loves Me.  Locally Marley has stage managed at Studio Theatre 2nd Stage (Mojo, Astro Boy and the God of Comics), First Stage (Fuddy Meers), and has worked as a production assistant at Signature Theatre (Xanadu, Dying City, Company). With Synetic Theater she has stage managed A Trip to the Moon, The Tempest, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the upcoming Twelfth Night.  She received her training at Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a BFA in Stage Management.  

CARY GILLETT

Cary Gillett has stage managed more than 40 productions in the D.C. area, including work at the Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center. She is currently the production manager for the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, where she teaches stage management. She has also served for the past five years as the production manager for the Helen Hayes Awards, which celebrates excellence in Washington, D.C. professional theater.

LESLEY C. IRMINGER

Lesley Irminger received a B.A in Theater University of Tennessee, Knoxville; M.A.in Arts Management George Mason University. She currently serves as the Scheduling and Events Coordinator for the Center for the Arts and College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason where she manages all of the outside and university rentals for the college and serves as the primary scheduler for over 100 spaces. She is also a freelance stage manager in the Metropolitan DC area. Former credits include: Clarence Brown Theatre (Assassins, A Christmas Carol, Major Barbara, Intimate Apparel, As You Like It, Anna Karenina, Closer, A Lie in the Mind, Glass Menagerie, and All the Way Home), Heritage Repertory Theater (Enchanted April, My Way!, Rounding Third), Pellissippi State (The Kentucky Cycle Pt. 1, Widdershins), Auburn University (Anything Goes). Lesley was nominated twice for the Kennedy Center Theater Festival stage management fellowship for her work on shows at PSTCC. She has worked with directors from all over the United States including: Jed Diamond, Charles Miller, Paul Barnes, Joseph Haj, Steven Levine, Robert Chapel, Joseph Walsh, John Aler, and Katie Flye. Lesley currently serves as the Opera Department Production Stage Manager at Mason.She also worked with Theater of the First Amendment for three summers and served as the Marketing Director for The American Century Theater for two years.

KATE KILBANE

Kate Kilbane has been a member of Actors’ Equity since 2004, and has worked steadily as a stage manager and an assistant stage manager at both large and small theatres in town, including Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Theater J, SCENA Theatre, MetroStage, Open Circle Theatre and African Continuum Theatre Company. She developed management skills at her college radio station that have transferred to her current career, serving as the station’s general manager her senior year. She began her journey toward a professional theater career in Washington D.C., first working as a sound board operator. She quickly moved into stage management roles, learning on the job while working at a non-­profit in the solid waste management field. Kate became a production assistant at The Shakespeare Theatre Company, where for two seasons she continued to develop necessary skills with the help of her mentors, Brandon Prendergast and Shari Silberglitt (Moxley). Some of her most memorable productions include: The Oedipus Plays, Follies, Ragtime, Arias with a Twist, Antony & Cleopatra, Evita, and The Screwtape Letters.

BETH KRYNICKI

Beth has been with Washington National Opera for 20 years and was the Principal Stage Manager for 15 of those years. She has spent a total of 15 seasons with Wolf Trap Opera Company and 12 seasons with Spoleto Festival USA. Other companies she has worked with include The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Bolshoi Ballet, Seattle Opera, The Dallas Opera, Orlando Opera, Kentucky Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, and Very Special Arts, among others. Beth has enjoyed heading masterclasses with both the University of Maryland and the University of Iowa, and leads resume workshops for anyone who will listen.  She speaks five languages, which has been useful in the opera world, and she is an avid traveler. Photo by Karin Cooper.

LYNN KRYNICKI

Lynn is currently in her 14th consecutive season at Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and this Summer will enjoy her 11th consecutive season as Opera Stage Manager for Bard SummerScape at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, NY.  Locally her opera Stage Managing credits include Der Fliegende Holländer, Siegfried, Elektra, Werther, Anna Bolena, Madama Butterfly, and La forza del destino.  Other notable stage management credits include the Latino Inaugural 2013 at the Kennedy Center, the first non-Russian Premier of Taneyev’s Oresteia at Bard SummerScape, North American Premier of The Picture of Dorian Gray at Florentine Opera, Carmen performed in Van Andel Arena for Opera Grand Rapids, and the World Premier of Gabriel’s Daughter at Central City Opera. Among the other companies for which she has worked are Seattle Opera, Central City Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Milwaukee Ballet, Chautauqua Opera, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Madison Opera.

OUIDA MAEDEL

Since 2011, Ouida has worked as the Partnerships and Production Manager at Dance Exchange, where her first major project was to produce Cassie Meador’s 500-mile walk and community engagement tour to a coal mine in West Virginia during How To Lose a Mountain‘s development phase. Passionate about the use of the performing arts for social change, Ouida has performed with a traveling theatre troupe in Zambia, and has worked in conflict transformation and public health in Ghana and in the U.S., activating theatre and creative movement for education and civil society engagement. Ouida is a former member of the acting companies of Mir Productions and of the 13th Street Repertory Theatre in New York, where she also fulfilled company management duties. As a Stage Manager in Residence at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, she led mentorship programs for students enrolled in production practicums. Ouida has performed in, or stage managed a multitude of productions in DC and in New York, she holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MA in International Communication and Arts Management from American University, where she was a teaching and research fellow, and she currently serves as a Helen Hayes Award Judge.

KRISTY MATERO

Kristy Matero has been a DC based Stage Manager for the last 7 years.  Local credits include The Kennedy Center: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Seven Guitars, Jitney; Washington National Opera: Anna Bolena; Signature Theatre: God of Carnage, Sweeney Todd, And The Curtain Rises; Woolly Mammoth Theatre: Appropriate, The Convert, The K of D, Full Circle, Antebellum, Boom, Maria/Stuart, How Theatre Failed America, If You See Something Say Something (with Mike Daisey), Hell Meets Henry Halfway (with Pig Iron Theatre Company), Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (with The Neofuturists); Scena Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest; Theatre Alliance: Ambition Facing West.  Other companies around the country include The Spoleto Festival USA, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Milwaukee Rep.

KETA NEWBORN

Keta Newborn is an ambitious, tenderhearted, hard working, determined and compassionate poet, self-publishing author, motivational speaker, freelance stage manager and mother of two teenage girls. As a freelancer, Keta has been involved at many levels within the theatrical world, holding several titles including SM, ASM, Venue Manager, Production Assistant, and Light/Sound Board Operator. Keta has worked for numerous theatres and production companies including: 1st Stage, Studio Theatre, Capital Fringe, Imagination Stage, H Street Playhouse, THEARC, Serenity Players, Restoration Stage, The Soul Factory and Lincoln Theatre to name a few. Keta wishes to thank her Father above for the opportunity to be used as one of His vessels, working to bring His work of art into the hearts of many.

“Perhaps, therefore, ideal stage managers not only need to be calm and meticulous professionals who know their craft, but masochists who feel pride in rising above impossible odds.” Peter Hall

The first to arrive and the last to leave, Stage Managers are responsible for the seamless execution of a production. While working to keep up morale; ensuring that everyone arrives on time; and keeping a steady and endless supply of pencils, highlighters, pain killers, cough drops and coffee, they are in charge of a whole host of things too enumerable to list here. The D.C. Theatre Community has the great fortune of being home to a number of smart, talented, and hard-working Stage Managers. 

Over time, as theatre grew more and more sophisticated, individual tasks became more specialized. Prior to the 17th century, not only were actors and playwrights responsible for writing, directing and appearing in the play, but also for managing all aspects of everything else. Many theatre historians tell us that the term, Stage Manager, first appeared in use in the 18th Century and that the duties were formalized in the 19th century. If you’re interested in becoming a stage manager, Daniel Ionazzi’s The Stage Management Handbook is an excellent resource. It covers every step of the Stage Management process including pre-production, rehearsal, and performance as well as organizational structure and the delicate and highly nuanced skill of managing people. 

I’m honored to present the Women Stage Managers of D.C. Series to you. Several months ago, I reached out to about 30 women in the D.C. area to see if they would like to take part. As can be expected, many of them had too much on their plates, but they were excited to hear from and support their colleagues. In my next post, I'll introduce you to the women being featured and share their stories with you over the course of the next few days. I hope you'll enjoy learning about their lives, careers and experiences as much as I have.