As the stage manager for Dancing at Lughnasa, I was presented with several exciting and interesting challenges; a relatively short rehearsal period, a first-time Mainstage student director, and a dense text. Lughnasa was the first Mainstage I had stage managed with a student director. Thankfully, the director, Matt Moore, is both a friend and colleague, as we have collaborated on numerous Black Box productions prior to Lughnasa. However, Lughnasa was the first Mainstage that we have worked on together. This unique situation created several learning experiences for both of us, as the department left us pretty much on our own to form and shape the show. For Matt, having an experienced stage manager was helpful, and for me, working with a new director was exciting and fun. Throughout the process, we relied heavily upon one another for support and encouragement; it was quite refreshing to be able to have this new experience in a position I've held for several other shows. [Read More]

So today I sat down before the last show in the run of "On The Town," and remembered that I was supposed to write an article about the show from the perspective of the Stage Manager. To me, this seems like an odd perspective. I could write about taking the notes, dealing with actors, dealing with Charles, etc. But what fun would that be (except the dealing with Charles part)? So as I sat in the empty theatre I jotted down some notes about what working on this show meant to me, and why this show was probably one of the best shows I worked on here at Muhlenberg. [Read More]

Howard Barker, a contemporary British playwright, has been called the author of the theatre of catastrophe. He has written over 50 plays that have been performed on stage, radio, television, and in the movies. One of his greatest plays, "Scenes from an Execution," was originally written as a radio play. It was first performed on BBC radio in 1984 with Glenda Jackson as Galactia. This play conceptualizes the perpetual clash of the artist versus the state. [Read More]