The Stage Manager Perspective
By Barbara Eifler for The Stage


For several decades now Flyman and his colleagues have been leaning over the railings of the fly floor to muse on aspects of backstage life. Surely it must now be time for the stage manager to be heard. Our life in the prompt corner and the wings of the theatre gives us a different perspective to that from the lofty heights of the fly floor. We are nearer to the actors, the director, the designers and the green room.

And these days, yes, we are mostly women. Not that this was always the case. When the role was still known as stage director it was a profession dominated by men, as, on the whole, technical work in theatre still is.

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Role of the Stage Manager
By Barbara Eifler for The Stage


Someone who works in a senior position closely related to theatre recently asked me what exactly a DSM did and what ‘being on the book’ means. This slightly took me aback but why should it have - it serves us stage management right for always skulking behind the scenes and not pushing ourselves into the limelight, literally or figuratively.

It’s not just that our work takes place on those parts of the stage that aren’t lit.

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