Stage Management: Communication Design as Scenography(Readings in Theatre Practice)

Drawing on interview material from more than 20 leading stage managers from the UK, USA and Australia, this book situates the contemporary practice of stage management within its historical and social contexts. Questioning the notions of the invisible stage manager and a linear production process, it argues for a broader conception of stage management lying at the intersections of administration, management and artistry. This volume places stage management practice within key theories drawn from the diverse fields of performance studies, semiotics, phenomenology, distributed cognition, management and scenography. It champions the creative agency of stage management and details the properties of communication which stage managers manipulate and the objectives they set out to achieve as a guide for decision making. While it considers the different approaches necessitated by productions from different cultures, genres, and so on, it offers a view of stage management which is not bound by these differences.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Series Preface Acknowledgements Introductions Assumptions Synopsis Interviews Part One: Various Stage Management Approaches Chapter 1 – Developments Over Time Chapter 2 – Cultural Differences Different Stage Management Approaches in the UK, North America and Australia Intercultural Stage Management Cultural Diversity and Stage Management Conclusions Chapter 3 – Content-driven Differences Genre Different Scales of Production Conclusions. Chapter 4 – Recent Developments Communication Technology Performance Technology New Approaches to Maintaining Productions Developments in Health and Safety Management Conclusions Chapter 5 – Three Models of Stage Management Practice The Administrative Model Features Limitations The Managerial Model The Artistic Model Artistry Communication Design Audience Experience Conclusions Part Two: Scenographic Stage Management Chapter 6 – Scenographic Stage Management Other Technical Theatre Disciplines Scenography Analysing Scenography The Coordinates Model of Scenography Conclusions Chapter 7 – Objectives of Stage Management Selective Information Flow Targeted Information Flow. Distributed Cognition Controlling the Mood and Atmosphere Translation Conclusions Chapter 8 – The Properties of Communication Message Mode Distribution Updates Conclusions Chapter 9 – Rationales, Implications and Conclusions Rationales Implications Conclusions Notes Index

About the Author :
Michael Smalley is a theatre-maker, researcher and Senior Lecturer in Theatre Production at the Guildford School of Acting, UK. His professional practice has mainly involved stage managing many productions through the UK, Australia and Canada. He has also lectured in stage management, technical theatre and scenography at universities and presented his research at many academic conferences including the Prague Quadrennial.

Review :
The rich body of interview material, together with the analysis of that material and the development of an original and substantial theoretical model of stage management practice represent a significant achievement. Smalley does something rather special in this book: he presents an argument that squarely positions stage management as a critical practice that has its own register, academic value and creativity. There is no doubt that this is now THE book on critical stage management studies. Stage managers as communication designers – I’m sold! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading [the book]. It poses some really interesting and valid hypotheses to encourage a healthier understanding of our role as stage managers, and a more inclusive attitude to our potential … A breath of fresh air.