View a video introduction
from Mary Hunter, Chair.
See what Kristin Hodges,
a stage management student, is working on at YSD.
See what Allison Hall Johnson,
a stage management student, is working on at YSD.
Stage Management
Mary Hunter, Chair
M.F.A. and Certificate
The Stage Management department is designed to prepare the qualified student for professional stage management employment, with the intended goal of assisting the student to recognize and fulfill his or her role as an artistic collaborator and as an effective organizational manager throughout the entire production process. The role of the Production Stage Manager requires a deep commitment to the artistic process and a fundamental desire to serve the work through the creation of an environment in which artistic risks can be taken. The department seeks experienced, well-educated, and highly motivated students who are able to use the resources of Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre to expand their professional abilities and deepen their artistic experiences.
This rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum consists of a balanced combination of required courses which provide a wide range of knowledge and training essential for today’s professional. In addition to the classroom requirements, students are assigned each year to stage management positions for Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre productions that reflect progressively increased responsibilities throughout the plan of study. While the program is structured to prepare the student for work in the commercial and regional theatre, it also provides a strong basis for learning a variety of artistic skills and managerial tools essential for employment opportunities in different entertainment areas such as touring, dance, opera, event management, and industrials. Workshops, seminars, and lectures by noted professionals provide an essential component in the course study.
Yale Repertory Theatre serves as an advanced training center for the department. During the first year, the student may have the opportunity to work at Yale Rep in a production capacity. As part of the second year of study, the student is assigned as an assistant Stage Manager on at least one production. And in the final year, providing the standards and qualifications set forth by the department are met, the student is assigned as the Stage Manager for a Yale Rep production. This assignment fulfills the thesis requirement and provides an opportunity to attain membership in Actors’ Equity Association. Throughout this process, the student is under the professional supervision of the Production Stage Manager for Yale Repertory Theatre.
Plan of Study
First year:
Second year:
Third year:
Suggested Electives:
Photo Credit: Kevin Alan Daniels ('10), Emily Trask ('11) and Blake Segal ('11) in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Yale School of Drama, 2010. Photo by Joan Marcus.
