The Stage Manager's job can be a
complex one. To start off with, he is
responsible for
anything and
everything that needs to be done on
stage, as well as
backstage. Of course, a lot of this is
delegated to other members of the
crew, but the overall
responsibility eventually falls on the Stage Manager
Building the
set is one of the main jobs to do before and during the
get-in for the
show. A lot of the larger pieces of
scenery should have been built elsewhere before the
get-in starts, but there are some things that have to wait until the
theatre itself is available.
During a
performance, it is the stage manager who has the
responsibility for the
safety of all people in the
theatre. Often he will
delegate responsibility for the
audience to a
front-of-house manager, and for the techies in the
proj box to the
chief electrician. However, it would still remain the Stage Manager's
responsibility to ensure that everyone on and
backstage is
safe, and to
evacuate them in the case of an
emergency.
After a
show, the Stage manager has the job of making sure that the
theatre has been
tidied up, and that the
get-out is completed
safely and
successfully.
If I have missed anything
important, do either /msg me, or add it yourself - my
experience with stage managing has only been in an
amateur capacity at
university and
school.
If you're after any other theatre tech information, then do take a look at '
Everything you ever wanted to know about theatre tech, but were afraid to ask'