Information for Stage Managers

The following guidelines are intended to provide parameters for MFA stage managers who are assigned to a department production. They are written from the stage managers’ point-of-view. However, because of the collaborative nature of the work (in general), and the Theatre Program requirements (specifically), many of these guidelines intersect with the roles and responsibilities of the student directors, student producers, and Theatre Production staff. The goal of the information which follows is to create a production laboratory that mirrors, as much as possible within an academic environment, what students can expect when they enter the professional arena.

This handbook should be used in conjunction with all other policies and procedures that originate from the Theatre Program, the Theatre Production Department, the School of the Arts, and Columbia University. These guidelines do not supersede any of those regulations and are subject to change and revision as necessary and without notice.

Duties during Rehearsals and Performances

The Stage Manager shall be expected to perform at least the following duties:

  1. Be the executive in the technical running of each performance, maintaining discipline during rehearsals and performances
  2. Help create and call all rehearsals scheduled by the director
  3. Serve as an example in adhering to all school policies and as a leader in accordance with accepted professional standards of conduct
  4. Facilitate communication between all departments; facilitate production meetings as necessary.
  5. Maintain artistic integrity of performance to ensure quality control over the course of the run.
  6. Send Rehearsal Reports, Performance Reports, and Meeting Notes to applicable parties from the Schapiro Distro List

Stage managers are not required to function in areas that impinge upon their primary duties as stage managers. As such, the stage manager shall not be required to perform the following duties unless agreed upon by the stage manager, producer, and/or the Theatre Program Production staff: 


  • Performing the duties which are properly those of stagehands, house management staff, or box office personnel
  • Designing, building, hanging, operating, or shopping for lights, sound, scenery, props or wardrobe, etc.
  • Being responsible for any aspect of laundry or dry cleaning
  • Making or distribution of any payments
  • Doing janitorial, custodial, or building maintenance. This excludes the sweeping and/or mopping of the stage or rehearsal space

As necessary, stage managers will be expected to help ensure all Theatre Program spaces are secured and restored to neutral following rehearsals and performances.

Schapiro Specific Stage Management Guidelines:

  1. There is a printer in the Stage Management Office (B17) on the Lower Level of Schapiro
    • Printing should be done in the Theatre Office for large quantities
  2. You are responsible for sweeping/mopping before tech/performances. The Crew @ Schapiro are responsible for sweeping up their work-related mess, but are not required to sweep and/or mop before rehearsal/performances. They may be available to help, but not expected to if other projects take priority.
  3. Any items on loan to a project must be signed in on the Project Manifest Form and needs to be approved by Production Management.  These items will then be signed out by The Staff @ Schapiro representative before leaving the building.
  4. Audience chairs & seating risers are limited. In preliminary meeting with PM, please know the number of risers and seats that will be needed for the production
  5. Use only spike tape on floors. Spike tape can be found in B13, B15b & B17 in Schapiro.
  6. At the end of the performance week, the room must be restored to neutral
    • Scenery must be struck, risers/railings must be placed in neutral, & costumes/props signed out from Nash will be stored in Room 107
    • Refer to Production Strike Checklist
    • Strike is not complete until the Schapiro Crew Member on duty signs off on it.
  7. All Schapiro spaces will be locked at 11p. Rehearsals will end at 10:45p to allow for cleaning up, gathering belongings, and exiting the space
  8. Failure to abide by these policies may result in loss of scheduled use.

The Theatre @ Schapiro 

  • All lights (house, work, dressing room, back room, running) should be turned off before leaving
  • The ghost light should be turned on at the end of the day. The switch is located on the wall behind the audience near the booth.
  • The boards and computer should be powered down and covered at the end of the day
  • The light and sound boards, monitors, amps and computer cannot leave the Booth.
  • Seating risers are allowed to move with approval of Production Management
    • Risers will need to be restored at strike
  • No audience members are allowed to sit in an aisle or fire egress
  • Maximum capacity for the theatre (including cast, crew, audience) is 74.
  • Load Out is to be completed by 4p Sunday.

The Studio @ Schapiro 

  • The room must be restored to neutral after rehearsal Monday-Wednesday, unless given permission by Production Management to leave set up.
    • All scenery, props, costumes, etc. must be struck to the back room, dressing room, and electrics room
  • At load-in, the PSM will be given keys to the Studio and Dressing Rooms (B20/B22). They must be returned at strike
  • The front, back doors, and the storage room by the booth should be locked and lights turned off when leaving
  • If you decide to use ‘seating risers’ for the audience, in an end stage configuration you have a maximum of 6 available, 2 of which can have the shortest legs (+8”) and 3 legged at (+16”). The upper level must have the surrounding railing installed as well. This configuration gives you 29 seats maximum.
  • No audience members are allowed to sit in an aisle or fire egress.
  • After the last performance, everything must be struck. The space must be returned to neutral.
  • Maximum capacity for the studio (including cast, crew, audience) is 74.
  • Load Out is to be completed by 4p Sunday
General
  • All Columbia University holidays are observed during the rehearsal and performance process. Please plan around these dates; an academic calendar can be found here.
  • No rehearsals can begin prior to five (5) weeks before Opening Night.
  • All 1st and 2nd year students are prohibited from attending any rehearsal before 6:00P on weekdays.
  • Please schedule runs for the designers in the production calendar, with the understanding they are subject to change.
Rehearsal Scheduling 
  • Production Management will approve rehearsal schedules.
  • All rehearsals will be booked through EMS.
  • All Columbia University holidays are observed during the rehearsal and performance process. Please plan accordingly around these dates. (inclusive, but not limited to: Labor Day, Election Day, Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, July 4th)
  • Rehearsal Processes must be paused for the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend (Wednesday-Sunday)
  • The SM and Director will collaborate to create the scheduling.
  • Please pre-schedule the designer runs into the production calendar (even if tentative).
  • Please reference the SOA Primary Calendar for official rehearsal start date.
  • The maximum weekly rehearsal time is 28 hours/week and 128 hours total (inclusive of tech & dress rehearsals). A day-off must be given after 6 consecutive days of rehearsal.
  • Pre-tech rehearsals may not exceed 5 hours.
  • Tech Rehearsals lasting more than 5 hours require a 1-hour meal break.
  • Please refer to the EMS scheduling guidelines for any Theatre Program protocols, based on the production's placement in the season.
  • Rehearsals must adhere to the AEA break schedule (5 min for 55 min or 10 for 80 min).
  • There must be a 12-hour rest period between rehearsals.
  • Production Management will send the Production Stage Manager available times for rehearsal once the production has moved into their Schapiro space.
  • The first 10-15 minutes of the 1st Technical Rehearsal will include:
    • Safety Protocols & Walkthrough - everyone must be present 

The following minimum guidelines apply to all Columbia productions. Note: in no case should a stage manager be required to perform stage management functions past 11:59pm. The director, producer, and Theatre Program staff are also obligated to enforce those rules and support the stage manager in this effort.

Hours of Rehearsal

Prior to opening, actors and stage managers shall rehearse no more than six (6) hours on any given day except during the final week of rehearsal when the director may schedule three eight-hour days. For stage managers, these hours are exclusive of any and all generally accepted pre- and post-set duties and/or production meetings. On the day of the first public performance, rehearsal shall terminate at least one hour before the half-hour of the scheduled performance.

After opening, rehearsals may not be called after the first public performance without the consent of the actors involved. Such rehearsals will be scheduled at the actors’ availability.

  • On a performance day, the rehearsal shall terminate at least one (1) hour before the half-hour of the scheduled performance. The combined rehearsal and performance time shall not exceed six (6) hours.
  • On a non-performance day, rehearsals consented to by the actors shall not exceed three (3) hours.

The rehearsal period for any production shall not exceed a total of 128 hours scheduled over a maximum of five (5) consecutive weeks and is limited to 32 hours per week. Musical productions may use five (5) additional hours for learning music during the first or second week of rehearsal.

Breaks
  • There shall be a five (5)-minute break after 55 minutes of rehearsal or a 10-minute break at the conclusion of 80 minutes of rehearsal.
  • Actors and stage managers shall not rehearse more than five (5) consecutive hours without a meal break of at least one (1) hour.
  • There shall be a 12-hour rest period between the end of rehearsal or performance on one day and the beginning of rehearsal or performance on the next day, except for the rest period preceding the day of the first paid public performance, when the rest period may be 10 hours.[1]
Days Off

There shall be one full day off after every six days of rehearsal and/or performance.

Class schedules are not included in the rest period calculation. Students are expected to attend all classes regardless of any production schedules, unless they have received prior written permission from the instructor(s), and/or the concentration head.

  1. During the first rehearsal, the cast and the creative team should complete the online forms:
  2. If a minor is cast in the production, all those who will be in contact with said minor must complete the Protection of Minors at Columbia online training. See Production Management to schedule this training for the production. You must also complete the Minor Release Waiver.
  3. If nudity, sexual content, consensual sexual touching, or sexual assault will be a part of the production, ensure all members of the productions have read the Protocols for Rehearsing and Performing Materials Containing Sexual Content, Consensual Sexual Touching, and/or Depicting Sexual Assault and signed the Nudity Release Form.
  4. If a weapon is to be used, the stage manager must maintain safe protocols for the use and storage of the weapon, and make sure the Gun & Weapon Release is completed. More information about the proper use of stage weaponry can be found here.
  5. In case of an injury, make sure to follow the following protocols:
    • if the injured person is a Columbia University student participating in the production, alert a member of the Theatre Columbia Production Team immediately.
    • if the injured person is a non-Columbia affliate, complete a Columbia University Accident Report and submit it to the Director of Production as soon as possible after the incident.
    • if any injury requires medical attention, please alert Production Managememt and the Director of Production immediately.
  6. Daily rehearsal and performance reports to the production’s distribution list (provided by Production Management) Due: 9:00am of the following day

If needed, An intimacy Director must be onboarded and in rehearsals minimally 3 weeks before opening.

Any staged fights (including, but not limited to, slaps, kicks, punches, faints, falls, or any use of weaponry), in addition to scenes requiring the use of weaponry requires the participation of a qualified fight coordinator. Stage managers should discuss these needs with the director, and then inform the Program Production department if a fight coordinator is suggested. If so, there must be a fight rehearsal with all actors involved, including the stage manager and fight captain, immediately prior to the half-hour of each performance.

All members of the cast and creative team who are working on scenes containing nudity or sexual content must adhere to the Protocols for Rehearsing & Performing Materials Containing Sexual Content, sign the form attesting to this fact and submit the form to the PM before the first rehearsal with said content.

 

If needed, contact:

Jacqueline A. Holloway, Faculty Intimacy and Fight Director ([email protected]). She is available to advise all Schapiro Projects on Intimacy and Fight Choreography when needed. If needed, she will require a script and a meeting with Director and Stage Management.