VOICEBOX
FEBRUARY 2021
By Matthew Aaron Stern
Over the last year we have experienced historical challenges that cannot be understated. A global pandemic, intense political division, a rising social justice movement, and the closing of theaters across the country, have made 2020 the most taxing and difficult year I have ever known. As I look back over the grueling 9 months of shutdown, this cock-eyed optimist sees some positive takeaways. So here’s the top 10 lessons from 2020 about stage management and theatre. 1. Our Stage Management Community is Special Stage managers find creative solutions, are flexible, and don’t panic. From the early days of the shutdown, we’ve bonded together to find a way through the shutdown. We quickly turned to our online groups as communication centers, to share and connect. In those early days, there were many zoom hangouts and workshops popping up. They kept us close. Even though we had to be distant, we weren’t alone. Organizations like Year of the Stage Manager (YSM), The Stage Managers Association (SMA), Broadway Stage Management Symposium (BSMS), and Theatre Art Life (TAL), rolled out robust online programs to keep us engaged, learning, growing, and sharing. We were using our time, making friends, helping each other manage through this unprecedented experience. There was so much happening online, that YSM, SMA, BSMS, & TAL had a planning meeting to schedule all the zooms, webinars, and meetings. There was an online stage manager event almost every day of the week! We were basically stage managing ourselves, making schedules, spreadsheets, and managing production meetings. It
ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ASIA | www.e-techasia.com
was very exciting and comforting at the same time. We couldn’t practice our art and craft, but we were still connecting, learning, and supporting each other. This community kept each other afloat, buoyed with: regional SM GO events, YSM Slumber Parties, BSMS SM Tech Fridays, and more. It’s ironic that our community seemed to become tighter and smaller as the shutdown continued. I got to know stage managers from coast to coast and around the globe, as we’d meet online week after week. It was a communal experience that proved what I’ve always known, the stage management community is special. 2. Leadership Matters During the early days of the pandemic, a leader emerged who told us the truth, spoke clearly to us, gave clear direction, understood the pain, and prepared us for what was to come… Governor Andrew Cuomo. When New York was struggling, he provided a daily source of information. It wasn’t always good news, but it was based on facts, filled with compassion, and instructive. Gov. Cuomo was even awarded a special Emmy Award for his daily briefings. His leadership was a beacon that shined for us and showed a way forward. Meanwhile, others who were in charge gave us speculation, misleading information, denied science, and divided us. Instead of uniting us, he drove us apart, making things like mask wearing a contentious political issue. As a leader, what you say and what you do matters. Your actions and words have an impact on how others feel and what they do. Think back to FDR’s fireside chats during
36
