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.

A more in-depth exploration of clauses in the current CTA. How do you (as a Stage Manager) deal with being an employee? How do you figure out and document your daily hours for regular work, overtime and statuary holidays? How is your pay cheque calculated? What provincial employment rules apply in each province, in terms of overtime? During the session, we will look at actual examples of various workweek types, and where overtime does and doesn’t occur. You may find it most useful to be using examples of your own work weeks.

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.

In the world of musicals, opera, and ballet, musical scores replace the text-based script. If you know how to follow along with the music, join us to learn how to prep your prompt script to integrate a score with the libretto, add blocking and cues, and finally call from a score.

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”?

There is an increasing interest and curiosity about authoring a Digital Prompt Script.  This course focuses on what to consider before taking the leap and strategies to get you from prep week to closing. The aim of this session is to explore several approaches to working digitally and foster a dialogue around how you can take your existing methods and apply them to a digital format. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of various digital methods, and focus more in-depth on one particular model. This course uses Pages and Numbers for Mac, but many methods are transferrable to other programs.

A Stage Manager must be able to incorporate, coordinate and call the various technical cues for a production. We will look at some of the techniques used to ensure that the lights, sound, special effects, flies, and many other important technical requirements are executed properly.

A study of the Stage Management clauses in the 2021 – 2024 Canadian Theatre Agreement. This course answers the questions: What is it? How do I read it? How does it change over time? Every Stage Manager working on a CTA production must be very familiar with this document in order to plan and maintain a production.

Are you curious to see how other Stage Managers create paperwork? This course covers the many ways Stage Managers can organize, document and communicate information to their teams. We’ll discuss paperwork principles and templates, effective communication techniques and a variety of paperwork samples to add to your repertoire!

An exploration into the art of giving notes to cast, crew, and production staff. The course will feature actors and a hands-on opportunity to evaluate different situations and challenges when giving notes to performers. This skill is very important to the well-being of a production and its collaborators, and is often one of the most difficult techniques to be learned as a Stage Manager.

A study of the role of the Stage Manager in anticipating, identifying and resolving health and safety concerns during rehearsals and the run of a production. The discussion will include health and safety legislation, roles, rights and responsibilities, risk assessment and resources.

The Apprentice Stage Manager position is a chance to learn the job of a Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager while working directly on a production, and gain credit towards joining Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. What can you do to make the most of this learning experience? What are the expectations of you, and what can you expect of the experience? How can you get valuable feedback about the quality of your work?

You’ve prepped all your paperwork and you’re ready for the first day of rehearsal … now what?

From daily rehearsal hall tasks to different blocking styles to being on book, this session will discuss and offer practical tips for managing your rehearsal hall. Participants will practice skills in small group breakout rooms and larger group activities.

Great for new and more experienced SMs, this hybrid class is best experienced on a laptop with paper and pencils nearby.

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.

The purpose of this course is to give stage managers a crash course on how to follow a score (not read the notes, just be able to follow along so they can call cues).  This is the perfect course for a stage managers who does not play instruments or sing in a choirs and therefore does not understand what all the chicken scratching on a score means.  It is also great refresher on how to follow a score so that you can call cues. Basic music terminology. will also be covered.

Every Stage Manager should have the necessary skills to read and interpret a scale drawing of a set, and use a scale ruler to translate scenic elements to an accurately marked floor for rehearsal. This course will include understanding conventional elements of scale scenic drawings, tips on using a scale ruler, orientation of a rehearsal space, and the two most common methods of accurately marking a rehearsal floor. Practical application of both methods (triangulation and X/Y) will be included – please bring a 25’ to 50’ tape measure, and an architect’s (Imperial) scale ruler if you own them.

A discussion and practical application of how production elements affect day-to-day and week-to-week scheduling and planning from Prep Week through Opening. What are the myriad of considerations to prioritize when devising a rehearsal schedule and a production schedule?

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.

This course will cover an overview of Cirque du Soleil stage management with focus on roles & responsibilities, the differences, required skills and how to gain experience to best prepare for this career path. There will also be a section related to aerial show calling with calling examples and a general understanding of how to call an aerial act. This course is for anyone with a higher level of stage management looking to work on large scale productions in a high-stress environment in a unique style of stage management.

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.

How do you stage manage a dance program? Where can you gain the experience? Where are the dance companies in Canada? The last two hours of this session will include a dancer which will allow the participants to gain first hand knowledge about blocking and calling a dance piece.

What skills and information are unique for the Stage Manager to know when working on an opera? A presentation of paperwork, prompt scripts, and learning to call from a score will be a part of the session.

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.

Touring…the idea sound glamourous and exciting. Who wouldn’t want to take their show on the road and travel to far away exotic places? But is it as easy as just doing the same show but in a different venue? This course is a discussion about ins and outs of the stage manager’s role in prepping and executing a tour. Louisa Adamson, who is used to wearing an alphabet of hats (SM / PM / TD / LD), will walk us through the preparation, packing and execution of touring a show. She will share best practices, tips and tricks which she has picked up from over 15 years of travelling across North America and around the world.

Not a stage manager’s assistant, but a unique job in itself.  A discussion of the various skills and duties required of an Assistant Stage Manager. How can they successfully work with the Stage Manager, cast, and crew? What is an effective strategy for planning your daily and weekly activities? And just what are they up to behind the scenes?

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.

What should be in your cover letter and on your resumé? How should your resumé be organized? How does one search for a job? Please bring a copy of your current resumé and sample cover letter with you to the class.

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).