Communication Artistry: A New and Necessary Book for Stage Managers

In 2021, I moderated a workshop at Southeastern Theatre Conference entitled Stage Management Communication with Production Teams. For one hour, six stage managers participated in a roundtable conversation and debated various aspects of communication.

Questions were tossed out, such as: How do you alert your director that it is almost time for a break? Do you bcc or cc rehearsal reports and why? What is your communication style when handling a crisis or conflict? How do you communicate with your team before the first rehearsal? When do you think it’s appropriate to text at work? What do you communicate verbally versus in writing? The workshop was a success, and it led to many invigorating conversations with the audience once the session concluded that day. It also planted a tiny seed in my mind: Why don’t we talk about this kind of stuff more often?

This led me to pinpoint a few specific difficulties that exist in our industry. First, the role a stage manager fulfills in the room has shifted substantially, and we are now required to complete our jobs with finesse, tact, and a sense of emotional intelligence while also balancing a multitude of competing tasks. While there are many ways to be a stage manager, all great stage managers understand the importance of communication in their craft. However, have we really talked about what communication means? What is the definition, how is it used, and what methods of communication are most appropriate for a specific situation? Have we dived into the true essence of communication and how it fits into our work lives? I don’t think we have, and this is problematic because streamlined communication can be used as a tool to demonstrate a stage manager’s creativity and artistry within the production process.

Also, do stage managers really know what their collaborators expect from them, or is it all based on presumptions? Do we carry our bias and our working relationships from one theatre or show to another, expecting our communication and our workflow to be the same despite the new variables? Also, do other stage managers ever feel like theatres just expect them to know things? There is a problem in this industry and it’s called the power of assumption. There is room for more clarity regarding how a stage manager fits into the collaborative and creative process, but we need to have deeper conversations with each other about how this is achieved.

It was out of these questions that Communication for Effective Stage Management: A Collaborative Production Tool was born.

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While I believe that the book begins to address some of these aforementioned problems, I also attempted to create something new: a text that combines business communication research, my own personal career examples, and management theory that is open to interpretation based on the reader’s personal style. I say early in the book that the first step to effective communication is understanding its definition and purpose, and we also must consider why and how our communication impacts the overall function of the creative process. Part I goes on to discuss important aspects of communication, such as methods (verbal, non-verbal, written, etc.), channels (how a stage manager might communicate with an artistic director versus marketing), and communication styles (aggressive versus passive). Some of my favorite chapters in the book are in the later section of Part I, when I dive into breakdowns and barriers to effective dialogue, and also how to empower colleagues through communication.

I thought it was equally important to bring additional voices to the table in this book. After all, if a stage manager’s primary job is to communicate, the words of those with whom we communicate are as essential as our own. It is for this reason that I manifested Part II of Effective Communication for Stage Management. Part II includes chapters written by a Director (Chari Arespacochaga), Intimacy Director (Rachel Finley), Fight Choreographer (Jason Paul Tate), Production Manager (Lawrence Bennett), Actor (Laura Welsh), and an Producer and Stage Manager who has worked in over 25 countries (StageLync’s own Anna Robb).

These six artists kindly gave their time and energy to this book because they believe that successful collaboration between their area and stage management is vital to the creative process. When I asked them to write about their collaborative and communicative relationship with a stage manager, each author focused on different aspects of the job. For example, actor Laura Welsh offers perspective on the manager vs. friend dynamic that stage managers often struggle with, and she goes on to discuss empathy and tact in her chapter. Rachel Finley includes the voices of Ann James and Claire Warden in her chapter, who are both considered pioneers in the field of intimacy direction.

In Chapter 16, Anna Robb demonstrates the importance of both emotional and cultural intelligence while a stage manager is working abroad or outside of their communicative comfort zones. All of these contributors offer vital, relevant information for stage managers to consider as they collaborate with others to support the production process.

It is my hope that the contents of the book will spark necessary conversation about the role that communication plays within our industry and our profession. While the main target audience of the book is advanced stage management students, practitioners, and educators, I also believe that this book could speak to any theatre collaborator, even those who do not consider stage management their primary profession. The book is relevant and necessary because it challenges us to think critically about communication and examine how our own styles, lived experiences, and conditions will shape how we interact within our working environment. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to discussing it with anyone who is interested in having a conversation about its contents.
Communication for Effective Stage Management: A Collaborative Production Tool is now currently available in paperback and e-book formats from Routledge or on Amazon.

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Casey L. Sammarco is the Associate Teaching Professor of Stage Management at Florida State University, where she serves as Director of the stage management program. She has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Stage Management Committee for Southeastern Theatre Conference and as Director-at-Large and Secretary for the Stage Managers’ Association of the United States, and she is a recurring Mentor for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Stage Management Mentor Project. Casey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Spanish from UNC Wilmington, a Master of Fine Arts in Stage Management from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a Graduate Certification in Project Management from Florida State University. Casey is also a proud member of[CH1] Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and has primarily worked in regional theatres across the United States. In addition to teaching, Casey maintains a successful stage management career spanning theatre, dance, opera, and events. She lives in Tallahassee with her husband Jeff and her feline child, Siren. @Casey.Sammarco

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