The Stage Management Handbook

When I purchased this product, it was for a friend of mine, who really wanted it. Upon getting it in the mail, it looked interesting. When I gave it to my friend for Christmas, she was uber happy and excited. That--is a great thing. She's told me that she's referred to it on occasion while she was an assistant manager recently.

This book was used as a text book in a stage management class I took last quarter. I was well versed in theater before taking the class, but not from a stage management point of view. This book helps explain everything from simple terms to more advanced backstage lingo. Also, the author gives great explanations of how to block scenes, call cues, make transitions from the rehearsal space to the performace space, making the actors feel at home, and more. It was one interesting text book!

I found this book to be extremely helpful when teaching churches how to adapt theatrical techniques to the church setting. It is also a unique handbook that breaks down the lingo and explains the need for a stage manager in a show. As a professional, I find it valuable to recommend to those who have never been in theatre or those learning to become a stage manager. Everything is concise and to the point without talking down to people. I highly recommend this book.

I found this book to be full of wonderful ideas (too bad I had already learned most of them the hard way :-). This is a wonderful reference for the professional stage manager but can also be easily adapted for community or college theatre as well.

I keep buying this book for friends who want to make Stage Management their career. It has great pointers,forms,glossaries and a complete look at what you are getting yourself into when you agree to stage manage even a community theatre production. It is cheaper than the Lawrence Stern book, which is also an EXCELLENT book.