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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