Courses Not Currently Offered

How can an anti-oppressive point of view to communication create a more inclusive space for everyone? Check out our Anti-Oppressive Communication Workshop for Stage Managers.

During this interactive, engaging, and informative session with speaker Tenniel Brown, participants will experience safety, healing, and community. Specific information will also be provided about the benefits of an anti-oppressive approach to communication in creating an inclusive work environment.

Session Outline:

• What are “Cycles of Oppression” and how does this impact on communication?
• What is Anti-Oppressive Communication?
• Benefits of this approach and tips & tricks
• How to be an engaged, mindful, and effective ally?

Join Tenniel for this hour-long presentation followed by an hour of Q&A on how to put the Anti-Oppressive training to use as a stage manager. If you attended Equity’s Anti-Oppression Training, don’t miss out on this presentation to address Stage Management related topics.

A discussion of best practices for blades in the rehearsal hall. Topics include storage, maintenance and an understanding. Come and learn about stage combat from the inside out. We will discuss best practices for stage combat in rehearsal and performance as well as useful and easy ways to notate a fight. Participants will get an opportunity to learn footwork, parries, and attacks in the movement component of the workshop. Please come dressed to move (comfortable clothing).

This is an interactive workshop hosted by the Black Pledge Collective. We will cover the basics of anti-oppression / anti-racism followed by a celebration of Black people in theatre in Canada and most importantly case studies where we can problem solve together situations specific to the world of a stage manager. This session will be led by members of the Black Pledge Collective (BPC) who are experienced in facilitation. Workshops attendees will be invited to be a part of BPC’s email list serv for workshop alumnae. The BPC will keep this community animated, and we hope that it will be a space of knowledge sharing and exchange toward the goal of dismantling anti-Black racism in theatre and uplifting and celebrating Black artists and Black work nationwide. Beyond Black Squares Workshop Series is supported by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

SMArts is happy to partner with Equity’s Stage Manager Advisory Committee on an open discussion about publicity and the responsibilities of the stage manager in relation to the Marketing department. The panel discussion will be led by three members of the committee – Natasha Bean-Smith, Allan Teichman and Meghan Speakman. They will discuss how to handle requests, the CTA clauses that affect publicity requests and answer any questions you have about this topic. Please send your questions in advance by emailing us.

You have been calling shows but are ready for more of a challenge. How do you notate and call cues for flys and multiple follow spots? Perhaps this is your first time working with cue lights for actors and operators. This course will explore how to increase your capacity for more complex cueing. Instructors will evaluate the experience of the participants, and customize topics based on requests.

Since the creation of the DATT (Deaf Artists & Theatres Tool Kit: Beyond Access) in 2016 by Cahoots Theatre with feedback from the Deaf and Theatre community, many more theatres across Canada are engaging Deaf actors in ASL Interpreted shows and the Deaf community has been producing their own Deaf led performances. This is more than just putting Deaf actors on stage with interpreters. There are pre-production and production concerns such as script, auditioning, scheduling and budget, behind the scenes production planning, rehearsal logistics, tech, staging, props, language and cultural considerations in integrated design and ethical considerations for performance that must be thought through. What is the role and the responsibility of the stage manager in these scenarios? What things do you need to know if you are working with a Deaf actor, set or costume designer or Deaf director? Join Catherine Joell MacKinnon, BFA (Actor, CAEA/ACTRA & Deaf Community Consultant) as she walks us through the process of working with production and creative teams with Deaf and hearing professionals.

This best practices firearm safety course for actors, directors, and stage managers. This unique course covers training replica and real firearms, blanks, and how to use them in a safe and effective way in live performance.

safeTALK is training that allows one to identify the signs and symptoms of suicidal ideation, and through practice and real life examples, participants will learn to feel comfortable in broaching the tough topic with friends, family, and co-workers who may be at risk.

safeTALK is the gold-standard in suicide prevention training and is an informative and practical training that is made up of lectures, activities, videos and practice so participants leave feeling confident and comfortable to talk about suicide.

Since its development in 2006, safeTALK has been used in over 20 countries. Participants will receive a national recognized certificate of completion.

How will the new role of Intimacy Director be incorporated into our rehearsals to help create safe spaces for scenes involving intimacy, simulated sex, nudity, sexual violence and exposed scenarios? What does an Intimacy Director do and when do we need one? How do I find one? How do we work with them? After a brief presentation on the role of an Intimacy Director followed by a Q and A, we will create fictional scenarios together focusing on the Stage Manager’s role in these types of rehearsals. A place to explore where we’d all like to see rehearsal hall culture surrounding this work going.

Intimacy for the Stage is a  practical approach to staging Scenes of Intimacy in performance using core principles of storytelling, choreography and consent. In this workshop, we’ll help you answer the questions of “when does my production need an intimacy director?”, “what does intimacy directing look like?”, “how does intimacy direction support respectful workspaces (and where do they support each other)”, and “what are my responsibilities to the production when intimacy is involved”?

Are you searching for the best type of Scene/Character Breakdown? Want to know how to notate the movement of a 10-member chorus with no spoken text? This course covers many ways Stage Managers can organize, document and communicate information. The session includes an overview of the many tasks and duties required of stage management during Prep Week.

While prompting is sometimes an afterthought during prep week, it is an integral part of facilitating the creative process. This workshop will give Stage Managers techniques on how to support their voice (including a pre-rehearsal vocal warm-up routine), practical prompting tips, and an opportunity to prompt live actors. Participants will walk away with the tools they need to feed a line to an actor with confidence and clarity.

A look into the world of the wardrobe and wig departments. How can a Stage Manager successfully communicate with these departments? What are the best ways ot provide information from rehearsals? How can you plan and schedule events such as costume and wig fittings and quick changes?

With the creation of the DATT (Deaf Artist & Theatre Tool kit) in 2016 by Cahoots Theatre with feedback from the Deaf and Theatre community, many more theatres across Canada are offering ASL Interpreted shows. This is more than just putting an ASL interpreter on stage for a show or two. There are scheduling concerns, rehearsal logistics, tech, marketing, language and cultural considerations in performance and front of house that must be thought through. What is the role and the responsibility of the stage manager in these scenarios? What things do you need to know if you are working with a Deaf actor? Join Catherine McKinnon, BFA (Actor & Deaf Community Consultant) and Anita Small, EdD (Cross -Cultural Consultant, Educator, Linguist and Researcher) as they walk us through the process of working with the Deaf Community both in the rehearsal hall and in the theatre.

What skills and information are unique for the Stage Manager to know when working on a musical? How complicated are mega-musicals? A presentation of paperwork, prompt scripts and learning to call from a score and using cue-lights will be part of the session.

Stage Management on Cruise Ships is best explained as a hybrid of Stage Management, Production Management, and Technical Direction. Join us as we unravel the mystery. Is sailing the sevens seas a lifestyle for you?

What skills can the stage manager use in the film world? How different is the film world? How does one enter into a film position? Is there an apprentice program?

What skills and information are unique for the Stage Manager to know when working on a musical? This session will discuss paperwork, prompt scripts, and work-flow from pre-production through rehearsals, tech, and performances, including scheduling, and calling from a score.

Theatre created specifically for young audiences can provide a Stage Manager with some of the most intense and rewarding experiences in their careers. Many Stage Managers begin their careers taking a young audience production on the road. Explore the intricacies and challenges of school touring. How does travelling with a show differ from stage managing a main stage production? Part of the course will be dedicated to some of the specific language in the Canadian Theatre Agreement (CTA) that deals with TYA.

What on earth is a Company Manager!? How do the Company Manager and Stage Manager interact and relate to each other? When is a Company Manager needed and, if there is no Company Manager, which responsibilities are taken over by the Stage Manager? How often are Company Managers hired in Canada? Is Company Management a viable alternate job prospect for Stage Managers?

Dive into all the various aspects of this niche position in the arts, hear some behind-the-scenes stories from some of Canada’s largest arts companies, and learn how Company Managers work, look after a company of artists, and how what they do is different from Stage Management and Producing.

How does a Production Stage Manager supervise a company of Stage Managers? How do they balance this job while stage managing a production in the same season? What is it like working in repertory theatre?

How do you get your foot in the door and begin to make a career as a stage manager?  In this session we will look at:

1. How to get ready for the hunt (myths and philosophies)
2. How and where to find those jobs (resources, job listings)
3. How to get the job (mentorships, networking, self-promotion)
4. What to do while you are waiting for those stage management contracts
5. How to keep the job offers flowing

This course is geared toward apprentices and non-Equity Stage Managers.

Do you know how to prepare for an interview? What questions should you ask? How can you negotiate your salary? For what positions should you apply?

Mindfulness was designed to help people deal with stress and anxiety and many of his students have reported that it has helped them deal with the stress they experience at university. The workshop will introduce students to the basics of mindfulness which will include the practice of the body scan, sitting meditation and the three minute breathing space.

As a society, we are more stressed than ever. The pandemic has only added to this. Stress is present in our work, home, and social lives; there is no escaping it. Having the tools to cope with stress and to try to get ahead of it will give us all the opportunity to live more balanced lives. During this session we will look at the signs and concepts of Stress, Compassion Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma, Burnout, and Resiliency. Through interactive activities and discussions, we will focus on what we can do as stage managers to reduce the impact of stress on our lives.

Discover how to fill out your income tax forms as an Equity Stage Manager. This workshop will explore some tax basics that everyone should know including the impacts of married or common law status, RRSPs, CPP and EI. We will also examine the differences between being employed or self-employed.

You have probably heard of  Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, or Equity, for short.  You may have wondered if it was something you should consider joining.  In this session, Equity Business Rep, Jennifer Riedle, will walk you through what Equity is and what it is not.  She will discuss best practices with a look at the Canadian Theatre Agreement (CTA) and the Indie contracts and will also touch on how to join the association as a stage manager. This is your chance to ask all the burning questions and get a better understanding of the professional association that represents stage managers (and performers, directors, fight directors and choreographers).