Stage Managing The Grapes of Wrath

I was offered the paid opportunity to stage manage for Michigan State University College of Music's award-winning opera program. The opera was The Grapes of Wrath, and we were fortunate to have the composer, Ricky Ian Gordon, join us as an artist in resident during select weeks of the rehearsal process. With my background in music, this experience encouraged me to seek out more opportunities in opera. This summer, I have accepted a position with the Santa Fe Opera, a premier opera company.

A few months after the closing performance, I attended the Region 3 American College Theatre Festival to present my score and stage management paperwork from the production. I was selected as a Regional Finalist at the Region 3 Festival.

"The Plenty Road"

Photo Credit: Harley J Seeley Photography

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Stage Manager's Calling Station

During a performance, the stage manager is responsible for calling technical cues. All cues are put into the script or music score, and the stage manager follows along during the show. To effectively to do this, there is a monitor with the show feed from the audience's perspective, in addition to a conductor camera. The black box with the lights on the bottom left is the communication system. The light board operator, flyman, and crew members are on headset, which allows the stage manager to talk to them.

Me with the composer, Ricky Ian Gordon

Working with an artist in residence is a formative experience, not only for my role, but for the production as a whole. As an early career professional, it is a rich and engaging experience to work with some who has been in the industry much longer.

Presentation at the Region 3 American College Theatre Festival

To the left is my binder with the music and stage management paperwork, also called a "prompt book". The school logo on the cover page was redacted due to conference rules. See sample paperwork from this production below.