What does a stage manager do?
You run the performance from the book — every lighting, sound and scene change happens because you said go.
Also called: DSM, deputy stage manager, show caller.
A day looks like
- 1You write the book in rehearsal, and it becomes the only complete record of how the show works.
- 2You give standbys before every cue, so nobody is ever surprised.
- 3You call a show on a rhythm you learned from the actors, not from a stopwatch.
- 4Something goes wrong and you make one decision, out loud, and everybody follows it.
Hardest part
You are the only person who can stop the show and the only person who can hold it together, and both decisions are made in about two seconds in front of an audience.
Best part
Calling a complicated sequence so cleanly that the audience experiences it as one thing happening rather than eleven.
How you actually become a stage manager
- At schoolAny backstage work — most stage managers started as ASMs or crew.
- TrainingStage management course or straight experience; both routes are normal.
- How longTwo or three years of assisting before calling a show alone.
- Your first jobAssistant stage manager — props, running, and learning the book.
Frequently asked questions
- What does it mean to 'call' a show?
- Giving the verbal cues over headsets that trigger every lighting state, sound effect and scenery move, in time with the performance. The stage manager does it from a prompt book they wrote during rehearsals.
- Why give a standby before every cue?
- So that operators are ready and looking at the right control. A cue called without warning is much more likely to be late or missed, and the responsibility for that sits with the person calling.
- Can a stage manager really stop a performance?
- Yes, and it is a core part of the authority. They have the clearest picture of what is happening on stage and backstage, and are expected to stop for safety without waiting for permission.
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