How Stage Management Can Set the Stage for a Greener Theatre

A teacher of mine once said that a show looks best when it’s in the dumpster out back.

We’ve all seen it. The curtain closes on a fabulous production, and suddenly an army of stagehands wielding crescent wrenches and power drills emerges from the wings. What was once a world of magical storytelling is quickly reduced to shrapnel and splinters, burnt-out lamps and half-melted gel, and shreds of fabric and thread. The stage becomes empty as the evidence is dumped out in a process that is repeated at performance venues around the world.

Beyond the stage, huddling over their computers beside a tower of printer paper, are the stage managers. Their strike tends to be a bit different. Rather than destroying what was built, they file it. But how much waste did they just create? Months of work on a production boil down to an archive book of impressive proportions, which—along with the paper used during pre-production, rehearsal, and tech—accumulates to an almost embarrassing amount. Just because our discarded materials don’t fall into the dumpster doesn’t mean they aren’t wasteful.

Does this have to be our reality? As a stage management graduate student, what can I do to make my productions more sustainable? Stage managers tend to be creatures of habit, but how can we develop new Earth-friendly practices?
We live in the age of technology. Nearly all of us carry computers in our pockets; and if there is an app, there’s usually a way. It stands to reason that stage management tools can center technology as well.

On a recent production of Jaclyn Backhaus’ Men on Boats at the California Institute of the Arts, my stage management team and I dedicated ourselves to making our production as sustainable as possible. As the production stage manager, it was my responsibility to lead these efforts by example. Our journey began with research about what tools are available to us and how best to use them. We discussed this with the producer and director, explaining that while we would print things if requested, our team was going digital. We were met with resounding enthusiasm from the entire production team.

Stage managers tend to be creatures of habit, but how can we develop new Earth-friendly practices?

A Green Show Starts with a Green Mindset

As part of our pre-production work, we created electronic production packets rather than printed folders. The packet included essential information such as the production calendar, contact sheet, and school policies. I made the documents in Microsoft Word, converted them to PDF, and then combined them into one packet using ilovepdf. While we are an institute rather than an Actors Equity Association-affiliated production, each show within the School of Theater elects a non-equity deputy for stage management and actor representation. For this, I sent the deputy election form to our cast using the sign-and-fill feature in Adobe Acrobat. We collected emergency contact and safety information through Google Forms and deleted that information immediately following the production. No need to shred!

Throughout the production process, we printed only what was directly asked of us, rather than creating excess paper waste by printing more than was really needed. Regarding scripts, we asked the cast if they preferred a printed 8½’’ by 11’’ script or the Dramatists Play Service edition the school had already purchased; all of them preferred the booklet over looseleaf. We traded our cork-and-pin callboard for an all-digital callboard using Milanote. While the software Virtual Callboard is an excellent option for large companies and educational programs, we enjoyed Milanote particularly for its ability to design, just like using a physical corkboard. We were able to select colors, fonts, and shapes, and move things around on the board in whatever arrangement we wanted. The callboard was accessible via links found in each email, daily call, and rehearsal report. Rather than having to go to the theatre in person to see the callboard, anyone could reach Milanote from anywhere they might take their phone—without having to download an app.

When we kicked into rehearsal, our sustainability efforts only increased. Anything that was printed, including two scripts for the assistant stage managers, was double-sided, counted for paper tracking, and subsequently collected for recycling at the end of the process. Those on the team who needed a binder were offered a lightly used one rather than a new one bought just for our production.

Starting Off on the “Write” Foot in Rehearsal

As part of my effort to reduce paper waste, I decided to trade my paper script and pencil for all-digital blocking. Many of my stage management colleagues, while encouraging, thought that transferring from paper to digital was a bit too ambitious. We stage managers sometimes prefer adapting to change rather than creating change ourselves. When they heard that I was turning to Stage Write Software to notate blocking, I was met with more than a few strange looks. Stage Write is an online tool that is compatible for both computers and tablets that allows stage managers to make blocking notation using charts rather than simple text or shorthand. It took part of an afternoon to learn the software’s capabilities and to upload my script and ground plan. The tutorial offered by the software provides only a basic introduction, but there are dozens of informational videos on Stage Write’s website that were incredibly helpful. I put labeled bookmarks at the top of each scene, which made my digital script just as easy to navigate as a paper script with tabs.

After a couple of hours and some practice, I was marking down blocking in rehearsal just like I had done dozens of times before. Not only that, but I was faster and more legible! I was able to link charts to specific cue lines and then click through the charts and see exactly where the performers moved. In the charts, I could list performers with whatever symbol, color, or shape I wanted. The icons of those not involved in a scene were left in the “Greenroom,” a pulldown bar within the software, where every character could wait on an un-cluttered screen. The same went for set pieces, which I could move and rotate however I needed. Stage Write comes with a very large library of common set pieces such as beds, benches, platforms, and tables; however, I chose to import custom scenic elements directly from the ground plan. I didn’t have to start over every time I made a new chart. I only had to duplicate the one before it and then move the icon of whichever actor had new blocking. And when blocking changed, as it always does, all I had to do was move the icons to their new place or delete the chart and make a new one.

With Stage Write, no longer was I squinting at swift, tangled scribbles in my script, comparing them to a key and trying to understand what I wrote the day before. Blocking notation was swift and easy as a click here, an arrow there, and boom—a new blocking chart.

Another benefit of using Stage Write was its collaboration capabilities. Our rehearsal process happened to be scheduled before and after Winter Break, meaning that after two weeks of blocking, everyone was going to be leaving campus for a month. Over break, actors were memorizing lines and new blocking while separated from everyone else in the company. Stage Write allowed me to share our blocking charts with every member of the company, giving them the most up-to-date script changes and blocking charts. And when our director had to leave rehearsal for two weeks after we returned, I was able to share the Stage Write blocking with the new associate director. Without Stage Write, I would have been scanning my blocking script every single day to keep everyone updated, but with my digital blocking charts, every update connected both directors across thousands of miles. While there is always a learning curve with new technology, the fact is that Stage Write has more capabilities than my paper script ever will.

In the end, rather than a five-inch-thick paper archive book, we had a 411-page PDF that no one had to scan, print, or store.
 

Then, there was tech. At this point, most expected me to ditch the laptop and print out a calling script. Instead, I swapped my computer for my tablet and uploaded my script PDF from Stage Write to GoodNotes, an affordable app available for all Apple, Windows, and Android users. Goodnotes is a popular note-taking app among students, which allowed me to write and highlight with a variety of shapes, textures, and colors. It has sticky-note shapes that I can size and place wherever I want. Moving cues and standbys was a breeze with the select tool, which enabled me to shift entire chunks of text with just three easy taps. I was able to mark down cues, highlight cue lines, write notes, and make in-the-moment changes faster than ever before. Sharing my cues with designers was as simple as saving the GoodNotes document as a PDF and sending it in an email, rather than scanning pages, making a chart, or passing off my script altogether. Every night, I uploaded my updated calling script to our Google Drive, just in case something happened and someone else would need to call the show. (I am fortunate to have a tablet and stylus to make the calling script process easier, but a similar product can be created on a computer using Stage Write, which has cue-write capabilities, or even Adobe Acrobat.)

The assistant stage managers maintained a digital run sheet in Microsoft Word that they were able to send to our crew members via PDF for the few cues they had. Their scenic tracking sheet was sent to the cast, who used it to mark shifts in their script booklets. I followed the same protocol for our photo call by sending the document as a PDF to the entire company so that they could prepare accordingly. Those who preferred hard copies made the personal choice to print, rather than having our team make that choice for them.

As I admitted before, I tend to be a creature of habit, and one of my habits is posting a company sign-in sheet beginning at technical rehearsals. I use this so I can quickly see who is present rather than hunting them down throughout the building. But even this task can be digitized. Signing in has never been as easy as a QR code connected to a Google Form, which gave me an exact timestamp of when each person signed in. At the end of the night, I was able to check the sign-in sheet and delete that day’s responses, and then it was ready for the next day.

Sustainable Practices to Quantifiable Results

By the time the curtain fell on our final performance, my archive work was nearly complete. All of our documents had already been uploaded to Google Drive, in folders that we organized based on the kind of document. By diligently maintaining those folders throughout the process, our post-show archive work was minimal. I imported my finalized calling script to Stage Write, so my blocking and cues were combined into a single PDF. This PDF featured my script and cues on the right page, and my blocking charts on the left. In the end, rather than a five-inch-thick paper archive book, we had a 411-page PDF that no one had to scan, print, or store. Our strike consisted of making rounds to collect any pieces of paper ready to be recycled, which we had done through the entire rehearsal process. During our show process, we collected over 300 pieces of paper for their new home in the recycling bin.

Of course, true sustainability is a team effort. Our scenic designer and technical directors used a majority of existing stock items for construction and kept the scenic elements that could be used in other shows. The costume designer used pieces that the institute already possessed, repurposing scraps and other fabrics rather than purchasing all new. Our institute is in the process of switching all of its lighting fixtures to LEDs, which use less energy and last longer. Some of these sustainable fixtures were featured in our show’s lighting design. Many of the props used in the production were pulled from storage, and those that were purchased are now part of props stock for future shows. Our show featured a variety of food props that were never fully consumed, so our stage management team collected the leftover scraps and deposited them at a local compost site. Front of house offered digital programs to guests via the school’s website, and the printed programs and posters were collected for recycling. And sound… well, sound is already predominantly digital.

It was important to measure the outcome of our efforts. I asked a colleague, Clara King (third-year MFA stage management resident), to serve as a control by counting the paper output for a show she was stage managing. My production printed a total of 463 pieces of printed paper. In comparison, King’s traditionally stage managed show created 4,135 pieces of paper: over eleven times more than my production.

To put this into perspective, according to the website 8billiontrees.com, King’s show printed enough paper to make up almost half of a tree. While that might not seem like much, with seventy-five League of Resident Theatres (LORT) member theatres producing multiple shows each year, over forty Broadway theatres, and thousands of educational and touring theaters, this quickly adds up (before even accounting for the wood used in set construction that is literally designed to be destroyed).

My digital stage management process was not only faster; it was cheaper, simpler, and more collaborative than paper has ever been.
 

In a brief survey of cast and crew after the production closed, every respondent said that my stage management team’s use of digital resources influenced our production positively. On a personal level, I have never been more organized, successful, or confident. And not only does digital stage management offer capabilities that are simply too difficult or impossible with just pencil and paper, but it is also cheaper. Printing the amount that we would have if the show were stage managed traditionally would cost our institute approximately $278. In comparison, utilizing our digital tools of Stage Write, Google Suite, GoodNotes, Microsoft Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Gmail, iLovePDF, and Milanote for three months only cost $41.95. Imagine if our entire institute did the same.
Every piece of paper printed takes two to six weeks to decompose, but recycling experts predict that the ink cartridges will take an astounding five hundred to one thousand years. Why would I want to create more waste when sustainable options are not only available, but so effective and easy to learn? My digital stage management process was not only faster; it was cheaper, simpler, and more collaborative than paper has ever been.

I don’t expect every stage manager to ditch their printers and take the plunge like I did, but there are many hybrid options to explore. On your next production, you can create a digital callboard or try your hand at Stage Write. Make a QR code that links an electronic sign-in sheet, or simply ask for the number of copies you need before printing extras that will just be tossed out. Even printing double-sided is progress toward improving sustainability. Our industry is one that flourishes and thrives with innovation, even though stage managers can sometimes be resistant to that change. But I will tell you what my dad would tell me when I was hesitant to try something new. Try it at least once! Pick one digital option that interests you and go for it. If each working stage manager makes an effort towards sustainability, that makes our world measurably greener than it was yesterday.

A teacher of mine once said that a show looks best when it’s in the dumpster out back. But I disagree. I think it looks best when it is digital—where the show can live forever in ones and zeros, rather than gather dust or slowly decompose in print.