Sessions for 2025 - It's all about CONNECTION

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• Team Connection  

  • ​Cody Renard Richard and Jhanaë Bonnick are the PSM and 1st on the long-awaited Broadway production of The Last Five Years. The connection between a PSM and the 1st Assistant is key to a successful team. In this chat Cody and Jhanaë interview each other, sharing how their unique paths, dreams, philosophies, and more help them build a strong connection.

• Nurturing Connections: Best Buddies 

  • Our collaborators can become our best friends. Tony Honored stage manager, Beverly Jenkins and company manager, Lizz Cone developed a connection that fuels them professionally and fills them personally. There is a unique connection between the stage manager and the company manager, and in this session these 'Broadway besties' share how they support each other through the challenges of work and life.

• Connection to our Community, the Legacy of BCEFA 

  • For a generation, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS has helped members of our community near and far. Meet the current and recently retired executive directors of BCEFA along with the stage managers and trustees who are the glue between BCEFA and theater companies around the country. Learn about the great work (past and present) that BCEFA and stage managers do together that connects our entire community in the act of caring.

• Connecting to  MJ, the Musical on the West End 

  • ​Clear-Com connects stage managers to the entire production team. In this session, we will connect with the DSM on the West End production of MJ: The Musical and listen to them call the opening number… LIVE! Explore the incredible possibilities available with Clear-Com. We’ll cross the Atlantic together and hear how a connections can be made to production teams across the globe.

• Making Connections - Networking

  • Networking is crucial for making a career in the theater. But how do you network? What is it networking really and how can do we do it? Kenny McGee, Amanda Spooner, and Matthew Stern share techniques and strategies that can make networking easier and more effective. By making connections through networking, we build relationships that can propel us to success. We will also put these skills into immediate practice in breakout sessions designed to make connections with fellow attendees (online and in NYC).

• Show Calling - MJ, The Musical & Beetlejuice

  • ​Calling a large musical with lights, automation, fly cues, and cue lights is complicated. In this session, Sharon Polcanos and David Sugarman breakdown the calling of a musical number from, Beetlejuice and MJ: The Musical. All the details are explained and the process of learning the call is revealed. Get a behind the curtain look at how the magic happens from these two seasoned Broadway stage managers.

• The Mentor Connection

  • ​Mentorship has a long tradition in the theater. One generation passes along it’s knowledge and wisdom to the next. Narda E. Alcorn, PSM of dozens of Broadway shows and chair of stage management at Yale University. has been a mentor to Kamra A. Jacobs. She has already worked on nine Broadway shows and is building an amazing career of her own. Together, they will share the journey of their unique connection from mentor/mentee to colleagues and friends.

• Connect to the World with Non-Profits & NGOs

  • Stage managers can serve much more than a theatrical production. They have the skills to provide valuable services to important organizations around the world. Join Broadway stage managers as they discuss their experience with non-profits and NGOs and the impact of that connection. Tanya Gillette (Tarzan), Amy Marsico (Gypsy), and Molly Braverman (Wicked) share their work in the US and around the world, connecting their SM skills to the services that are helping people outside our theater community.

• Connected Careers: Broadway Legends Chat

  • From the 1980s to 2022, Arturo Porazzi (Come From Away) and Gwen Gilliam (Walking with Ghosts) have worked on over 35 Broadway shows. But never together, a connection was missed. These two Del Hughes Honorees sit down together to reflect on their careers, experiences, the challenges and successes, all the while finding the connection that eluded them for so long.​

• Import & Exports: Connecting Across Oceans

  • ​US and UK stage managers share their stories of managing shows from the opposite sides of the Atlantic. We import and export shows and actors across the Atlantic, but our stage managers usually stay put. What are the challenges? The differences? The similarities? What can we learn from working in different fashions? Let’s connect with Jill Cordle, The Ferryman, Diane DiVita, Prima Facie and others to share notes.

• Connection with Ourselves

  • For the final session of the weekend, we turn inward to our connection with ourselves. Our wellness and mental health are important to care for. Since our work comes with unique challenges, wouldn't it be great to have a mental health expert who really understands our industry? Well, here they are! Professional actors, producers, and stage managers who are also professional therapists share their unique perspective on our mental health journey. This promises to be eye opening and inspiring session.

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BONUS DAY - ONLINE ONLY

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• Your Community

  • We start of the day with an introduction to the leadership in our communities. Broadway, SMA USA, SMA UK, and more. We can build connections with these orgs in our local communities and between them.​​​

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• Going Paperless?

  • Stage managers have been trying to reduce or eliminate our heavy use of paper. With new technologies, there are ways we can do just that. What practices, programs and adaptations are stage managers using in their communities to be greener? In this session, we explore a variety of ways, as well as the challenges of ‘going paperless.’

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• Networking Breaks

  • Networking Break: Thoughout the day, we have time to network. Explore the green room, chat, or click the networking button (yes there is a networking button!) and make connections! You can also check out the online expo of amazing companies with products and services for stage managers!

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• AI & Technology

  • AI is showing up in every industry and every profession. So how does it show up in our industry and for stage managers. What are the challenges and concerns with using AI and other technologies? Together we explore this fascinating topic.

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• Connect To Your Body

  • Let’s get physical! Stage managers spend hours sitting or hours standing. Taking care of our bodies can be a challenge in our profesion, which is a mostly sedentary job. Yet we all know we need to take care of our bodies. Join stage managers, Claudia Hodgson (TheatreFit, UK), Sydney Golden (American Psycho, Broadway), and Nikki Hyde (founder of Yoga for Stage Managers) as they share their experience as coaches and trainers and give us actionable tips to help us care better for our bodies.

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• Be Propared

  • Hundreds of theater companies and festivals around the world use Propared: Ballet Jorgen du Canada, the Auckland Theatre Company, and the Guthrie Theater are just a few. Being well versed in this great production planning and scheduling software can be a big help in getting hired. This special training session with Propared founder (and former stage & production manager), Ryan Kirk, provides in-depth training on how to use Propared’s many functions and features. Put this on your resume and it just may be the bit that gets you the job!

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• Looking Forward

  • In our final session Andy Rowley, Matthew Stern and other special guests share their vision for the future of stage management in both the near and long term. What can we become? How can we thrive? How can we change the world? Join and find out!