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The Art of the Virtual Stage Manager

By Karen Vuranch 

Karen Vuranch is an instructor at Concord University in West Virginia.  In addition, she is an actor and owns her own freelance theatre company, WV Enterprises. 

I’m honored to have provided the second chapter for Pioneer Drama’s How-To Guide for Virtual Productions, a detailed explanation of how to stage manage a virtual production.  But I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse, so I hope you take a moment to read this article and fully appreciate why you need a stage manager for your virtual production.

Theatre is a collaborative art and, in every production, your show is only as strong as your weakest link.  Directors, actors, and designers are crucial, of course.  But, every director knows that a show runs more smoothly with a capable stage manager.  Virtual performances — those performed remotely, with everyone at home tapping into the same computer platform — are no different.  Virtual plays especially need someone attending to the technical details so that the director can direct and the actors can act.

Stage managing a virtual production is some ways is similar to a live production, but is loaded with its own special needs and issues.  It’s a huge job.  Most important is to understand the technology, with both its limitations and opportunities, in order to successfully stage manage a virtual performance.  It might seem incongruous to refer to this facet of a virtual production as “stage management” considering there’s no stage.  But why not?  The stage manager is the individual who is in complete charge behind the scenes (including of the cast and crew), supervises the set up and running of the production, and calls all cues.  Those responsibilities really aren’t that much different in a virtual play.  It’s just that “behind the scenes” now involves a lot of technology.

I find the most harrowing aspect of tech on a virtual production is that each actor and the director is working on their own device.  With a cast of sixteen in a show, that is seventeen places where something can go wrong, even before bringing in the audience!  That is why having a dedicated stage manager who can focus on the preparation and practice with all this technology is crucial.

The director should give the stage manager a short time in the first rehearsal to introduce the actors to the Zoom software and explain what they will have to do.  It is similar to renting a car — you know how to drive a car but when you pick up the rental, you don’t know where the headlights or windshield wipers are located for that particular model.  So you’re driving along on a busy freeway when it suddenly starts raining, and you find yourself fumbling about while trying to drive at the same time.  It’s the same with Zoom.  While many are tech-savvy and have attended a Zoom meeting, they don’t know exactly where all the commands are, or even what those commands might be.  Actors need to be taught the software in advance in order to make the most of rehearsal time and then have a smooth production.

In many ways, with a virtual production, every rehearsal becomes a tech rehearsal.  The director will be busy with...  well...  directing, so the stage manager needs to monitor the technical aspects.  Does each actor have good lighting?  Good sound quality?  Are some actors too close to the screen, making their image fuzzy?  Has each actor learned when to mute and unmute their microphone and turn their camera on and off?  Do they have all their other settings correct?  The stage manager might also need to help actors if their broadband is not strong enough and facilitate getting them a hot spot on their cell phone.

Finally, on the night of the performance, the stage manager will have their hands full making sure the actors are in place and keeping up with all potential technical crises.  Again, as many devices as are being used, that is the multiplier for the number of things that can go wrong!  And whether performing live with audience members joining the platform or recording the production, that’s a whole other aspect to manage.

I suppose if the director is so inclined, he or she could also serve as stage manager.  But I hope this article helps you see that stage managing a virtual production is a huge job that only takes the director away from directing and adding their artistic touch to the production.  Having a separate stage manager makes a huge difference in how smoothly a virtual show goes with as few interruptions or disturbances as possible.  Virtual theatre, like live theatrical performances, relies on good communication, technology, and leadership.  A capable stage manager is crucial to bringing the virtual play to an appreciative audience so the director can focus on bringing his or her vision to life.