Stage Managers are the ones that keep everything running smoothly backstage so the actors can give you their all on stage! No show would be complete without them. We would like to introduce some of the talented Stage Managers working behind the scenes to make this season the best it can be – Emma Emde*, Samantha (Sam) Monson*, Zach Mlekush*, Andrea Small*!
Q: Were you part of the apprenticeship program at TPTC? If so, how long were you in the program?
Emma: I was not part of the apprenticeship program at TPTC.
Sam: I was not – I did a yearlong internship at the North Shore Music Theare. It was a very similar program to ours.
Zach: Yes, I was a stage management apprentice for the 2023/2024 season. This experience was extremely formative for my career as a stage manager, and I was very excited to get the opportunity to return.
Andrea: I was not a part of the apprenticeship program, but I’ve worked with several wonderful SM apprentices.
Q: How many years have you been a Stage Manager at TPTC?
Emma: I have just completed my first year with TPTC!
Sam: I joined the team as PSM in the 2013/2014 Season
Zach: This will be my first full season on the full-time staff. I am thrilled to be on this team and look forward to many more seasons.
Andrea: I’ve been stage managing in the Valley for 13 years, 7 of which have been with TPTC. I started on crew in community theatre then worked my way through assistant stage managing and production stage management. I’m now one of TPTC’s rotational stage managers. I learn the calling SM and ASM tracks for each show. It’s like being a swing or understudy for an actor but for stage management coverage.
Q: What has been your favorite show to work on at TPTC, and why?
Emma: My favorite show thus far has been Million Dollar Quartet. The entire team (crew, cast, creative) were just such a joy to work with every step of the way. They made each day exciting, and you never knew what kind of mischief the cast was going to be up to between the preshow guitar calls and the show itself.
Sam: Hard to choose, I could have run Once forever – it was so beautiful, Chicago was one of my favorites to call, getting to tech Les Mis with my husband Tim is also a fave.
Zach: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical back when I was an apprentice. Not only is this my favorite show I’ve worked on at TPTC, but it’s pretty high on the list of shows I’ve EVER worked on. The show itself is full of spectacular music, it’s fast paced, and lots of fun numbers, which is exactly the kind of shows I enjoy doing. Additionally, the cast was fantastic onstage of course, but they were even more fantastic offstage. It was a great group of humans, and I am lucky to get to work with a handful of them currently on Les Mis!
Andrea: I enjoyed working on Frozen because of the impact it had on the community. Not only did we open the Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J Stephenson Theatre, we also shared a bit of theatre magic with the audience. There were so many families with young children or grandchildren that dressed up and were excited to be here. It was heartening to see!
Q: Do you prefer to manage shows with large casts or small ones?
Emma: It really depends on the show itself! I love small to medium-size casts because they give you more time to connect and learn about everyone. A large cast, however, is always a fun change of pace because you experience a myriad of different personalities and get to see how they all come together in such a unique way. Ultimately, every cast is different, and you never know what adventure you will go on with each one.
Sam: They are both a fun in their own way.
Zach: I am a people person (most of the time) so I will always enjoy getting to work with large casts, but there is something so special about getting to work with a small cast and build even bigger relationships with folks. All that to say, I don’t have a preference, especially when it’s a cast full of wonderful humans.
Andrea: I’ve mainly stage managed musicals with full ensembles, so I’d say shows with large casts. I love the world-building and seeing how everyone makes the show come alive.
Q: How do you keep all of your tasks organized and what does your show prep look like?
Emma: I live in Excel and Google Sheets for all of my work! This lets me keep all my schedules, reports, calls open without overwhelming my computer. This keeps all the information quickly accessible. My prep week is organized in a Google Sheet with checkboxes for each thing that needs to be completed prior to the first day of rehearsal. I start the week with initially imputing information received by other departments and then move to connecting with creative, production, and cast to get additional information to round out required documents, schedules, and forms. Ended the week by sending out the first daily call!
Sam: I am a chaos monster.
Zach: Big fan of color coding over here. I have a calendar that is color-coded by show that is very useful when it comes to day-to-day organization. Show prep looks different depending on how much time there is between shows. In addition to getting the rehearsal room setup and everything in order for the cast, I always take extra time to over-familiarize myself with a show and its design as much as possible.
Andrea: A lot of digital paperwork and checklists. TPTC has a great SM team so we’re able to divide and conquer tasks as needed. As for prep, it’s important to analyze the script and note what’s involved in each scene. We’ve got to be a step ahead in the rehearsal process so we can anticipate director/choreographer/actor needs.
Q: What is your dream show to stage manage, and why?
Emma: I don’t know that I have a “dream show” so to say. I have TONS of shows I would love the opportunity to work on in some capacity such as Hadestown and Mean Girls just because of the scope of doing those shows. But, at the end of the day, I just love walking into a process with good humans ready to “play pretend” for a living and bring joy and thought to an audience.
Sam: Ragtime is my favorite show, I did it as an intern and would love to get the chance to do it again.
Zach: Funny enough, we’re actually doing one of my dream shows later this season, Legally Blonde. The movie is so iconic, and I am a big fan of the musical. Like I mentioned before, I love a big flashy musical and that is exactly what Legally Blonde is. It is the definition of what it means to be entertained, but it also has a strong message at its core of self-empowerment. Also, it’s full of PINK! I am looking forward to managing that incredibly busy deck.
Andrea: Chicago would be fun. Vaudeville and jazz? Yes, please!
* Denotes a Member of Actors’ Equity Association
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