Backstage at The Questors Theatre

STAGE MANAGEMENT

In most cases the run of a Playhouse show is one week (Saturday to Saturday). The run of a Studio show is usually two weeks but there are often some nights off in this period. There is normally a ten-day or two-week fit-up and rehearsal period in the Playhouse or the Studio before the first night. Rehearsals are usually for about 5 weeks before that. 

The person in overall charge is the Stage Manager, normally an experienced Questors member. There is usually a Deputy Stage Manager (DSM) who takes charge of rehearsals and who runs the Stage Management Desk during each performance. The Assistant Stage Managers (ASMs) often do more than one job depending on the nature of the production. Some are simple and require very few ASMs; some are very complex and require many ASMs and more than one DSM.

 There are courses from time to time to help people know what it’s all about.

Contact the office on 020 8567 0011 for more details if you want to get involved,
or send us an e-mail.

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Job	Description
Prompting	Assist actors learning lines during the rehearsal period plus (sometimes) prompting during the run.
Properties (aka Props)	To find, buy or make and set for rehearsals and the run of the show.
Scene Painting and Props Painting	In Workshop or on stage before show ‘goes up’.
Get-ins and Get-outs	To help get scenery in and out of the theatre or studio.
Assistant Stage Managers (aka ASMs)	Scene changing and all other parts of this list may be required, including rehearsal and run of show.
The ‘Book’	Marking moves and the technical requirements in the script.
Construction	In the workshop making the set and finishing it on stage.
Technical requirements	Pyrotechnics and other special requirements back stage or above it.

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