AEA Stage Manager on Broadway

[children&art]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 12:06pm

i would like some information from anyone who knows about working on Broadway as a stage manager, not an actor. it's been my dream, since college, to work on a Broadway show or on a tour.

i have my AEA card as a Stage Manager and have worked as an Equity SM on shows here in Dallas. but i only got hired on those shows through friends and word of mouth.

i am sure it would be vastly different working in New York, but how tough is it to land a SM job on Broadway as opposed to Dallas?

how would i get started? i am sure the payscale is different than the $300/wk at a LORT-D theatre, but is it enough to live on in New York?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 12:24pm

Many Broadway Stage Managers are hired because they know someone or someone knows their work.

I would start by applying to the credible smaller theater companies in NYC to get some NY credits on your resume. You might try Lincoln Center, Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, The Joseph Papp Public Theater, Second Stage, etc.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 12:59pm

words you will rarely hear me say--goth is right.

It's who you know. A lot of people start out as non-Equity PAs.

[children&art]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:41pm

so is it basically impossible for a little nothing like me from Dallas, TX to make it on the big white way? i mean im a competent stage manager and willing to work hard and do whatever it takes and im an AEA member all ready.

just a quick question, in Dallas the SM and the actors are very friendly together - some of my best friends are actors i met while SMing. is it like that in New York or is it very clearly delineated actors vs. tech. cuz i think of a SM or a PA as more actorly than tech.

anyone in the business on Broadway or New York City please email me: [e-mail]

thanks,
tom

Updated On: 2/9/06 at 03:41 PM

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:46pm

Well, the SM bridges the gap between Actors and Tech.

It depends, I guess, on how you learned and studied to be a SM.

If you were an actor, and gave up to be a SM, I'm sure you will find yourself befriending the actors much more.

Of course, as a SM, most of your work is done with tech people during the performance itself.

[children&art]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:47pm

my education was multi-faceted, in college we all had to act and do tech and a little bit of everything i guess to find our niche. my focus was on sm and directing, not so much acting. how come there's no tony award for best stage manager, seems kind of important, eh?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 6:33pm

Actually, BSO--an Equity stage manager is always working with the cast and crew in performance.

c&a--no one is saying you can't make this happen, it's just a ladder to climb is all. And being in NYC is a big part of it/your resume.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 6:55pm

"so is it basically impossible for a little nothing like me from Dallas, TX to make it on the big white way?"

The most important thing you have to learn is that NYC is a very big place and there is a huge amount of competition. It's not impossible for you to become a stage manager here, but you have to realize that people go with who they know. If you aren't known, you aren't working.

[children&art]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 7:15pm

thank you everyone for the information and words of encouragement, it does seem obtainable, just not overnight.