Stage management : the education gap and backstage reality : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)
Stage management is a growing major in universities across the nation. Despite being an increasingly popular focus for undergraduate students in various theatre programs, there is a large gap that exists between the educational settings in undergraduate programs and the professional theatre realm. The largest issue that stands between the stage manager student and the professional realm is the list of questions: what is a stage manager? What does a stage manager do? Why is a stage manager a crucial role for theatrical productions? Are stage management skills actually useful in everyday situations? Once these important questions are answered for stage management students, and theatre practitioners, the disconnect that exists between the educational systems and the professional world can be bridged and fixed by educational programs across the board, Acknowledgements I would like to thank Karen Kessler for advising and assisting me through this endeavor. Her guidance on this work does not begin to compare to the assistance and encouragement I have received over the course of my collegiate career. I would like to thank Jennifer Landreth for her guidance and leadership throughout the last two years. Finally, I would like to thank Morgan for all the encouragement and faith given to me throughout the last four years. Thank you for helping me with this daunting task and arduous journey!