Lights, camera, action! Acting is considered one of the most recognized roles in theatre and film. But, there are also several other roles vital to the arts that go unrecognized.
One of these other vital roles is the stage manager of a production. They manage the cast and crew in its entirety. Stage managers are also responsible for curtain calls and cues for show time and its final act.
Junior Autumn Georgi has been stage manager for a year and a half. Prior to tackling this role you need some skills necessary for this task.
“You definitely need to be organized, organization is key. You also need to be able to communicate well, Georgi said.”
She has several responsibilities as stage manager; including, keeping the cast and crew sane and knowing when to raise the curtain and lower it. She is also responsible for lights and sound.
“She is very hardworking, dedicated and organized, Staker said.”
To familiarize herself with stage managing, according to Christina Staker, Georgi watched tutorial videos on stage managing. She also read books on theatre.
“Opening night–seeing it all come together is beautiful.” Georgi said.
According to Georgi, first rate theatre organizations have two stage managers, one head and the other assistant, here at Kaneland it’s different.
“Here at Kaneland we typically don’t have co-stage managers. It just depends on how big the show is,” Georgi said.
Although, she does not have any mentors in Hollywood, however her biggest mentor is English teacher Christina Staker. She is also a Kaneland graduate and starred in theatre productions here.
“She taught me everything I needed to know about theatre,” Georgi said.
Georgi’s theatre background stems from her middle school years. She had acted in Seussical Jr and performed at a theatre company outside of the academic arena in Shrek and Addams family.
Georgi also had some advice to share for those who see this as a career in the future.
“Study theatre and know your vocabulary terms,”Georgi said.
Georgi wants to continue in theatre after high school. She is looking for more theatre opportunities in more than one city.
“I would love to go to New York, but there are so many theatre companies across the country. “I wouldn’t want to narrow it down to one place,” Georgi said.