The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management: Traditional and New Methods for Running a Show from First Rehearsal to Last Performance, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Thomas Kelly (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823088103 | ISBN-13: 978-0823088102 | Publication Date: February 1, 1999 | Edition: 2

This widely used manual for stage managers has been revised to include new methods that employ computers and spread-sheet software, automation in the theater, and contemporary event managing. Whether you work in the amateur, educational, or professional theater, you'll find all the nuts and bolts of the craft clearly laid out in this engaging, friendly book.

Author Thomas Kelly combines how-to information with personal experiences of his own and of other top-level stage managers to explain the entire theatrical process, including:

• Preproduction planning

• Organizing of all rehearsals and performances

• Maintaining of the technical aspects of the show

• Supervision of the technical aspects of the show

• Dealing with performers and crew members on all levels


And there's good advice on finding employment, too. The text, supported by many sample documents, diagrams, and charts, straddles traditional approaches and the use of computers. It shows how the communication skills of the stage manager can be applied with success to event managing—a field that offers increasing opportunities for work—and it explores the benefits and disadvantages of the latest stage machinery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Kelly has been a professional stage manager for more than thirty years, calling shows on Broadway and at Lincoln Center, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago and at the Houston Grand Opera, at the New York City and Milwaukee ballets, and at major media and cultural events around the country. He is the General/Production Manager for Center Line Studios, a production services company, and teaches stage management at Rutgers University. He lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Back Stage Books; 2 edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823088103
• ISBN-13: 978-0823088102
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on stage management ever written., August 3, 1999

By 

Duncan Graham (San José, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management: Traditional and New Methods for Running a Show from First Rehearsal to Last Performance, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I am an AEA stage manager and I teach stage management at two colleges. Kelly's stage management book is the only one I will use. Over the years I have purchased, and have been sent perusal copies of other books and none of them are even in the same league. If you want a geat resource book on stage management forget all others and buy this one. I'm so greatful it is back in print with a second edition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough!!, May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management: Traditional and New Methods for Running a Show from First Rehearsal to Last Performance, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

An excellent book for anyone interested in stage management. Very thorough from pre-production, to rehearsals, to strike, to finding jobs long after. Good intermediate/advanced level, not necessarily for someone totally new to theatre work.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't leave home without it, February 26, 2001

By 

FoD (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management: Traditional and New Methods for Running a Show from First Rehearsal to Last Performance, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

From the minute I picked this book up it has become my "bible". Chock full of helpful tips and funny stories of the author's experiences as a stage manager. Not overly technical - with lots of helpful forms to smooth the way for a production (and the stage manager's nerves)! Have it with you through every show - before, during, after. Bravo! Encore!