Stage management

Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production.

Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including overseeing of the rehearsal process and coordinating communications among various production teams and personnel.

Stage management requires a general understanding of all aspects of production and provides complete organization to ensure the process runs smoothly and efficiently.

In the Middle Ages, there is evidence of a conducteur de secrets, who oversaw collecting money at the door and serving as a prompter on stage.

Between the Renaissance and the 16th century, actors and playwrights took upon themselves the handling of finances, general directorial duties, and stage management.

Writer and director Preston Sturges, for example, was employed as an ASM on Isadora Duncan's production of Oedipus Rex at the age of 16 and a half: When one is responsible for giving an offstage cue, even the simplest ones, like the ring of a telephone or a birdcall, demand considerable sangfroid, and the job is nerve-wracking.

One stands there, knees slightly bent, breathing heavily...[3]Sturges didn't last long in this job, due to his calling for thunder and then lightning instead of lightning and then thunder, but 16 years later Brock Pemberton hired him as an ASM on Antoinette Perry's production of Goin' Home, which led to the first mounting of one of Sturges' plays on Broadway, The Guinea Pig, in 1929.

The DSM prompts actors and will usually cue technical crew members and sometimes cast, while following the orders of the director and stage manager.

The DSM calls actors to hold while technical problems are sorted out during rehearsal, and determines where in the script to restart halted scenes.

Due to the recent global rise in popularity of K-POP and mainstream cultural arts, Korean stage planners are playing a significant role worldwide.

Typically, stage planners determine the timing and venue of performances and take responsibility for the entire process leading up to the completion of the event, acting as overall directors.

They conduct thorough analyses on what performances people desire, whether similar events have already taken place, and if the emotional expression aligns with the intended message.

One of the most notable Korean stage planners is Kim Sang-wook, the CEO of PLAN A, who has orchestrated numerous performances, including the 'Love Yourself' tour by BTS.

[8] The AEA works to negotiate and provide performers and stage managers quality living conditions, livable wages, and benefits.