It is my belief that the soft skills of stage management are applicable across all fields, and therefore I always teach stage management through the lens of skills such as communication, adaptability, leadership, problem solving, and time management. When working with high school or college students it is important that they not only have a knowledge of the work of a stage manager, how the effectiveness of a of their stage manager can impact all aspects of the production, as well as continue to hone the soft skills necessary for work in stage management that are transferrable to all fields whether they end up working as a stage manager, a designer, a performer, an attorney, a first responder, or following any path that fits their passion. All stage management students don’t become stage managers, but all students can benefit from the study of stage management.

I am a firm believer that the hard skills of a stage manager are best learned both by study and through practice. Therefore, hands on activities are a core pieces of my instruction in all settings. Why talk about HOW to tape a floor, when we can practice by taping a floor? (Even better if you can use sidewalk chalk for the exercise and get a class outside day from it!)

I am happy teaching both semester long courses covering the craft, masterclasses either as an overview or focusing on aspects of the work, as well as masterclasses introducing stage management to high school students. As a young person, I didn’t have exposure to professional stage managers, and I am passionate about opening a door to our work for young people.