Stage Management – Fall 2026

Stage Managers are essential to the success of any theatrical production. They use a mix of high-level skills including: organization, communication, and technical understanding to coordinate/implement the creative and technical sides of a production. The stage manager is the main team member responsible for the artistic integrity of a production after opening.

This two-day workshop is beginner friendly. It provides an overview of stage management processes, and dives deeper into blocking notation, line notes, production memos and show reports as well as practical show calling and running sheets.

At the end of the two days, participants will have a deeper understanding of what being a stage manager entails, and they will leave with some of the necessary tools for documenting and communicating a production’s needs, from rehearsal to performance.

During this workshop students will:

• Analyse a script to track props, costumes, and character entrances;
• Learn blocking notation;
• Practice Scene Timings and Line Notes;
• Discover how to serve as communication link between directors, actors, designers, and technical crew;
• Identify fight and intimacy moments;
• Create Production Notes;
• Practice calling lighting, sound, actors’ entrances, and scene-change cues with precision timing;

• Discuss how to remain calm during live emergencies to keep cast and crew members focused and reassured;
• Learn how to give notes to actors and crew to keep the show true to the director’s original vision across a long production run;
• Practice writing Show Reports;
• Discover additional documentation: Pre-set Sheets, Running Sheets, and documenting backstage business; and
• Learn about Show Laundry, how to organize dressing rooms, and more.

Materials: Participants are asked to bring with them a binder, coloured highlighters and a stop watch or phone with a stop-watch function. All other materials will be supplied.

Note: For individuals who participated in the 2025 or 2026 Creative Sparks one-day Stage Management workshops, this two-day series will review some of what you learned, providing more hands-on practice. It will also provide an opportunity for layering in additional facets of the position beyond an introductory level.