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Erin Joy Swank - Stage Manager

Putting the puzzle pieces of productions together
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Blog

Some Tips from Touring Educational Opera Outdoors

August 20, 2022 cue2go
The view from the stage manager’s position during an outdoor opera tech rehearsal. The score is sitting in front, covered in post-it notes. On stage, five actors hold up picture frames in front of colorful drops and lighting equipment.

This week I’ve had the pleasure to rejoin my Central City Opera Touring Artist friends for a couple of outdoor…

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Filed under: Opera, Real Life SM Stories, SM Tips, Stage Management Paperwork

Tip: Temporary Prop Table Layout

August 14, 2022 cue2go

I recently finished working at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, where the theatres are used by multiple shows, with morning children’s shows…

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Filed under: Assistant Stage Manager, Real Life SM Stories, SM Tips

Cleaning Up Scanned Scripts

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Screenshot of a scanned script that has been partially edited through Adobe Acrobat. Text boxes appear around the dialogue and image boundaries for the copying shadows.

Ugh. The dreaded two-page, badly scanned script. Face it, we’ve all been there. The script you’re given to use isn’t…

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Filed under: SM Tips, Stage Management Paperwork, Technology in Stage Management

Creature Comforts on the Road – Kitchen Edition

May 15, 2022 cue2go 2 Comments
Photo with various kitchen items

I’m back traveling out of town again for gigs. In fact, this is my third production since “the Great Pause,”…

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Filed under: Care and Feeding of Stage Managers, Real Life SM Stories

USITT Exhibit: Stage Management Paperwork Through the Centuries

February 28, 2022 cue2go
A compilation image of several stage management paperwork samples over multiple centuries

It’s finally happening! Dr. Jennifer Leigh Sears Scheier and I (Erin Joy Swank) can finally see our work come to…

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Filed under: Helpful Links, Real Life SM Stories, Stage Management History, Technology in Stage Management

Clearing Congestion – Part Two

January 1, 2022 cue2go

For several years now, I have sworn by a series of techniques to clear congestion from ears, which I am…

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Filed under: Care and Feeding of Stage Managers

2021 – Looking Back, Looking Forward

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Screenshot of the first 8 months of the 2021 calendar

Before I get going though, here’s a Public Service Announcement for you: If you have a vehicle, go out and…

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Prepping for a Musical

December 30, 2021 cue2go 3 Comments
Sample Music Breakdown document

I don’t know whether I’m jinxing myself by working on prep for a show yet, given the state of our industry, but I finally started to do so this week.

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Filed under: AEA, Musical Theatre, Real Life SM Stories, SM Tips, Stage Management Paperwork, Technology in Stage Management

Viewing Multiple Timezones in Windows (PC)

December 6, 2021 cue2go
Screenshot of a PC computer clock from the bottom right corner, showing the date and time in local time, as well as Europe/Berlin and Eastern time zones

I have a reputation online for reminding people that there is such a thing as the Mountain Time Zone, as…

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Filed under: Real Life SM Stories, SM Tips, Technology in Stage Management, Virtual Events

Zoom Tip: Using Virtual Background to Share Slides

November 19, 2021 cue2go
Screenshot of a Zoom meeting showing equal sized boxes of a woman and closing credits thanking people for coming

This week we decided to switch virtual platforms for our WSHU Public Radio online events, using Zoom Webinars now. For…

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Filed under: Real Life SM Stories, Recorded Events, SM Tips, Stage Management Paperwork, Technology in Stage Management, Virtual Events

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