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Erin Joy Swank - Stage Manager

Putting the puzzle pieces of productions together
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Blog

Printing a True-Scale PDF Groundplan on Regular Size Paper

January 5, 2024 cue2go
screenshot from Adobe Reader printing options

Okay, first things first….yes, I would normally hope that a technical director or someone else would print me off the…

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Filed under: Going as Green as Possible, SM Tips, Stage Management Paperwork, Taping the Set, Technology in Stage Management

Happy Stage Management Day 2023!

October 10, 2023 cue2go
A chocolocate chip cookie cake has the words Happy Stage Management Day written in icing. Or maybe there is one less E in the words, hard to tell

It’s October 10th, and that means it’s the International Stage Management Day. And it’s the 10th anniversary of the event,…

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

Meet the SMeeps!

August 16, 2023 cue2go
Under the text "Meet the SMeeps!" are two crocheted balls of yarn. The one on the left is larger and blue, with button eyes. The right is green with yarn eyes. Both have a crocheted headset on their right ear.

Meet my new favorite stage manager mascot: The SMeep! What is a SMeep, you ask? Well, it’s a stage manager…

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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

cue2go
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.

Face it, we’ve all been there. The script you’re given to use isn’t clean. Even if the person who copied…

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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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Adventures with Eeyore AEA AGMA Assistant Stage Manager Calling Cues Care and Feeding of Stage Managers Cirque COVID Return to Work Guidelines Dance Eeyore and Erin Finances for SMs Going as Green as Possible Helpful Links Musical Theatre My Philosophy (or two) Navigating Unemployment Nutcracker Opera Opera Stage Management 101 Pop Culture References Production Publicity Production Reviews Real Life SM Stories Recorded Events Shindig - Virtual Platform SM Tips Stage Combat Stage Management Books Stage Management History Stage Management Humor Stage Management Paperwork Taping the Set Technology in Stage Management Thoughts on Articles Read Training/Certifications/Courses Virtual Events

Recent Posts

  • Using a scale rule to measure points
    Using an Architect’s Scale RulerMarch 16, 2025
  • Two-tape triangulation theory is shown, using a 3-4-5 right triangle on graph paper
    Two-Tape Triangulation Tape Out Method – Part One: Measuring the PointsMarch 2, 2025
  • White gaff tape is layered around a plastic hotel key for storage. The end of the tape is loose in someone's hand, and a roll of the same gaff sits in the background, all on a green velvet background.
    Portable Gaff Tape HackFebruary 28, 2025
  • A spike stick is pictured, with 19 colors of spike tape rolled around a dowel. The dowel has a hole drilled towards one end, with black tieline laced through and tied in a knot as a loop. Above and to the left is a single roll of yellow spike tape.
    For the Love of Spike SticksOctober 30, 2024
  • Two theatrical groundplans are shown with a transparent overlay of the rehearsal hall dimensions, giving alternate layouts
    Taping Out the Set: How to Decide Orientation in the Rehearsal HallSeptember 25, 2024
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