For the second year in a row, I’m spending my summer doing outdoor theatre. As someone who grew up camping with family, at summer camps, and as a camp counselor, I regularly joke that I’ve been groomed for outdoor theatre all my life. 

However, this summer is special. After being an audience member of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival for the past seven years, it is particularly exciting to be part of the Festival as a stage manager. 

What makes the summer peculiar, however, is the fact I am stage managing a show I just closed at the University of Illinois a month ago: Much Ado About Nothing. The only script I’ve ever repeated is Man of La Mancha, and that was with a ten-year gap between shows. So to jump back into the same script with so little time between has been interesting, and I’m quite curious as to what challenges it will present. Thus far, the extreme familiarity with the script has been an asset, even if it means I get some strange looks. 

For instance, yesterday was day one for the full company. We had a company meeting out at the theatre at Ewing, and then moved to the grounds for dinner. Upon sitting down at my assigned table, the following conversation ensued:

Actor: Oh! You’re Jamie! You’re the Much Ado stage manager, right?

Me: I am. You’re part of the cast! I recognize your name.

Actor: Yeah! Hey, I have a question about one of my lines (pulls out script). Can you help me out? 

Me: Of course. What’s up?

Actor: (points to line) This doesn’t make sense. Did something get cut off? 

Me: Oh. Yep. You’re right. It’s missing, ’honorable in a beggar.’ Good catch. 

The actor happily made a note and I sat back down to a very quiet table of people who were looking at me oddly. I had to laugh, and then explain that I just closed Much Ado so my knowledge of the script is scarily complete at the moment. 

Never had I been more thankful to know a script than that moment. Nothing quite like starting this thing on the right foot as having the script just about memorized on day one…..

One of the things I love about going to school at Krannert is the opportunity to work event calls as an 'Events Stage Manager.' This translates mostly to artist relations and front of house communication from backstage. Every once in a while there are lights to turn on and off, and a preshow announcement to make. Yet, more often than not, once the artist is onstage, it's time to enjoy the show from the wings. 

Some of my favorite event calls have included the Reduced Shakespeare Company's 'The Complete World of Sports (abridged)', Nick Offerman's 'American Ham Tour,' and Compagnia TPO's 'Bleu.' 

Yet, the funniest story by far comes from last week's Opera Studio event call. I was brought on to event SM their rendition of 'Love Games,' a new musical by Joseph Turrin. This call was different, however, to the tune of 70 light cues on a 7 slider system (no GO button for this backstage). It certainly was a fun challenge to be brought in the last dress rehearsal before opening night. 

The funniest moment of the night came because there were multiple cues where I had to see the action downstage in order to call, yet I had neither a monitor nor x-ray vision to see through the proscenium arch. This meant a performer on the opposite side of the stage had to cue me from the wings - another difficult sight conundrum. So, I handed over my Life Gear 4 in 1 LED Glow Stick (which I may be incredibly fond of) so the blue glow stick could be used to cue me. 

This would have been fine.....except the performer cuing me had a quick change, and the person she handed the cuing task off to decided raving with the glow stick was the best way to cue me.

Once we got past the confusion, laughter, and guess of cue placement, I looked over to the lighting designer who was keeping me company and simply asked, 'so where in the rave do I take the cue?'