Megan Murello
My first show working alongside industry professionals, I worked as an Assistant Stage Manager to introduce the world of the theatre to over 150 kids through High School Musical Jr.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL JR.
Assistant Stage Manager
Rehearsal and Performance
Reports
As my first exposure to how professional Stage Managers operate within the industry, this was also my first exposure to professional paperwork. The Production Stage Manager provided me her paperwork outlines, and it was my job to help complete the daily Performance and Rehearsal Reports (shown above).
Paperwork with Two Casts
Over 150 kids participated in Camp Casa during this three-week intensive. The campers were split into two different casts, one that rehearsed in the morning and one that rehearsed in the afternoon. With the show double-cast and the repetitive rehearsal process, I worked as the Assistant Stage Manager to log each individual scene change or blocking move (shown above) and coordinate with the Director on how to replicate it with the other cast.
Overseeing Backstage Operations
Communicating with and organizing backstage between two different casts, my Production Stage Manager and I worked to ensure all props and set pieces were accessible. Thoroughly labeling all objects that our campers interacted with, we made sure that there was no confusion between the kids or counselors on where everything should be located. The kids ranged from 7 to 13 years old, so I also went through and marked all of the curtain entrance and exits for the kids to navigate backstage easily.
During the run of High School Musical Jr., my Production Stage Manager called cues from the house, so I was the only crew member backstage. I called the backstage cues, facilitated scene changes with the campers, and communicated with the counselors over headset to ensure the kids made their entrances. I did my best to make the process as smooth and easy as possible for all of our campers by writing Scene-by-Scenes (shown right) and answering any questions they had during the show.
