# Stage Management

Part of the Theater Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/theater/guide/index.md)

*3. Behind the Curtain*

> **3i.** Serve as the stage manager for a theatrical production. Document all cues and stage setups in your calling script.

If the director is the architect of a production, the stage manager is the general contractor who makes everything actually happen. The stage manager is the most organized person in the building — they track every detail, manage every rehearsal, coordinate every department, and during performances, they call every single cue. Without a good stage manager, even the most talented cast and crew would be lost.

This is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in theater. If you are detail-oriented, organized, and good under pressure, stage management might be your calling.

### What a Stage Manager Does

**Before Rehearsals Begin:**
- Create a contact sheet with everyone's information
- Prepare a rehearsal schedule and distribute it to the cast and crew
- Set up the rehearsal space (tape out the set on the floor, arrange furniture)
- Prepare a prompt book (your master copy of the script with room for notes)

**During Rehearsals:**
- Take attendance and manage sign-in sheets
- Record all blocking (actor movements) in the prompt book
- Track props — what is needed, where it goes, and who carries it
- Note any changes the director makes
- Keep rehearsals running on time
- Communicate director's decisions to designers and crew

**During Technical Rehearsals:**
- Coordinate lighting, sound, and set change cues with the technical crew
- Write every cue into your calling script with exact timing
- Run "cue-to-cue" rehearsals where you practice transitions without the full performance in between

**During Performances:**
- Call every cue over headset ("Standby lights cue 12... Lights cue 12, go.")
- Manage backstage traffic — actors and crew moving in darkness
- Handle emergencies calmly and decisively
- Ensure the show runs identically every night

> **Did You Know?**
>
> On Broadway, the stage manager has the authority to cancel a performance if conditions are unsafe. They are also responsible for maintaining the director's artistic vision after the show opens — if an actor starts changing their performance, it is the stage manager who brings them back in line.

### The Calling Script

The calling script (also called the prompt book) is the stage manager's most important tool. It is a copy of the script with every technical cue written in the margins. Here is how to build one:

**Set Up Your Book:**

1. Print the script single-sided with wide margins
2. Place each page in a three-ring binder
3. Add blank facing pages for notes, blocking diagrams, and cue lists

**Recording Cues:**

For each cue, note:

- **Cue type** — LX (lights), SND (sound), FLY (fly system), SPOT (follow spot)
- **Cue number** — Sequential within each department (LX 1, LX 2, SND 1, SND 2)
- **Warning** — Mark where you will call "standby" (usually half a page before the cue)
- **Go point** — The exact word, action, or moment when you say "go"

A typical cue sequence in your script margin might look like:

> **WARN LX 15, SND 8**
>
> *(Actor crosses to the window)*
>
> **LX 15 GO** *(on "I never thought I'd see you again")*
>
> **SND 8 GO** *(on door slam)*

![A stage manager wearing a headset, sitting at a desk backstage with a calling script open, a small desk lamp illuminating the pages, monitors showing the stage visible nearby](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/theater/guide/stage-manager-calling?v=f4c73b28)

### Calling Cues: The Language

Stage managers use a precise verbal protocol when calling cues. This ensures that operators know exactly what is coming and when:

1. **Warning:** "Warning, lights cue 15 and sound cue 8." (Operators prepare.)
2. **Standby:** "Standby, lights cue 15 and sound cue 8." (Operators hover over their buttons.)
3. **Go:** "Lights cue 15... go." (Operator executes.)

> **Tip**
>
> Always say the cue number *before* the word "go," never after. If you say "Go, lights cue 15," the operator might fire the wrong cue because they heard "go" before knowing which cue you meant. This is one of the most important rules in stage management.

### Staying Organized

**Stage Manager's Toolkit** — Items to keep in your kit at all times

- [ ] Prompt book with calling script.
- [ ] Multiple pencils and a good eraser (everything is written in pencil so it can change).
- [ ] Spike tape in several colors (for marking actor positions and furniture placement on the stage floor).
- [ ] A stopwatch or timer (for tracking scene lengths and intermission).
- [ ] A flashlight with a blue gel (blue light is invisible to the audience but lets you see backstage).
- [ ] First-aid kit location memorized.
- [ ] Emergency procedures posted and reviewed.
- [ ] Contact list for all cast and crew.

### The Stage Manager's Mindset

Great stage managers share certain qualities:

- **Calm under pressure** — When things go wrong (and they will), you are the person everyone looks to. Stay calm, assess the situation, and make a decision.
- **Detail-oriented** — You track hundreds of details. Nothing is too small to notice.
- **Diplomatic** — You work with every department and every personality. Tact and professionalism matter.
- **Prepared for everything** — Have backup plans. What if an actor is late? What if a prop breaks? What if a cue is missed?

> **Be Prepared! An Actor Misses an Entrance**
>
> If an actor does not appear when they should:
>
> - **Stay calm on headset.** Do not panic the crew.
> - **Send an ASM (assistant stage manager)** to find the actor backstage immediately.
> - **Hold the next cue** if it depends on the actor's entrance.
> - **Trust the other actors** to improvise and cover the gap on stage — experienced cast members can usually stall.
> - **After the show**, talk to the actor privately and positively to prevent it from happening again.

### Explore More Resources

[Stage Managers Association](https://www.stagemanagers.org/): A professional network for stage managers with resources, mentorship programs, and career guidance.

![A closeup of an open prompt book showing a script page with handwritten cue notations in the margins, colored tabs, and blocking diagrams on the facing page](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/theater/guide/prompt-book-closeup?v=b3abbfdb)

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