Reddit reviews The Stage Management Handbook

Hey friend! Before I start, let me just say I know where you're coming from. When I SM'd in High School, it was very different from what an SM would do on a Regional or Broadway caliber show. The important thing is to realize that that is ok. Community and High School theatre SMs must have a 'the show must go on' mentality, and do a lot of what you described, that is, running the deck, supervising tech. I did a lot of this in High School when I would SM, and it's very different from the real world. However, I now go to college in NYC in an incredible SM program, where I study under Broadway SMs and have shadowed Broadway shows. And you can too, but you need to know how to use your High School's theatre to your advantage.

• Question 1: Like I said, absolutely. The major difference between HS and Broadway is scale. While a large venue may have a Master Electrician, Carpenter team, Shop supervisor and a Production Manager, HS will definitely not (if they did, I want to go!). So, you will find that a lot of this work will fall on you, the SM. While in the world of Equity Stage Management, it is actually against the rules for SMs to be doing the 'dirty work' like construction and stage hand jobs, keep in mind that you aren't there yet.
  
  A huge thing to realize here is that while it seems like a good idea to try to run your SM program like a Broadway show, or like how the text books say, it isn't. High School theatre is its own type of production. Just like Regional Theatre is extremely different from Broadway, HS theatre is different as well. The appropriate way to SM Broadway isn't exactly the same on a LORT show, and furthermore, not the same as HS theatre. What this means is, you need to calmly figure out exactly what functions a Stage Manager needs to fulfill to best serve your HS productions, not if your HS was Broadway.
  
  
• Question 2: There are so, so, so many resources out there for you! First and foremost, books! I got my hands on as many SM textbooks I could find when I was in HS, and they were a TREMENDOUS help to me. I recommend this, this, and this. The Backstage Handbook is a great resource too. There's also a great website called http://smnetwork.org/forum/ which is a forum for stage managers from students to the pros. It's not as active as it used to be, but the info archived on there is invaluable. This subreddit is a great place as well!
  
  
• Question 3: Ok, first the AP thing. Take the courses. It's really going to help to have those credits in college, and I took just as many in HS. If you are dedicated, and can budget your time well (as all SMs should be able to), it will be doable. Now, as for fixing your program:
  
  Ask yourself if going against the grain and uprooting an old system is necessary. It seems that what you have going on is similar to most High Schools, and those systems are usually built out of necessity, or rather, what the HS needs out of an SM. So would you be bettering you HS by making the SM program more like what a Broadway show would be like, or would it impede the production running smoothly. Also, would you be paving the way for future SMs in your school, or just shaping what you want from your school. There isn't a right answer, and it can't and shouldn't fall completely on you to fix everything.
  
  When I was in HS, I knew that I needed to work on skills that I wasn't using in HS, but would need in college. Instead of changing the entire production, I pretended. So while I never really needed a full contact sheet, rehearsal and performance reports, or scene tracking, or properly formatted schedules, I would make this paperwork anyway, and keep it for myself. I made full show bibles, even though I didn't need to, and just kept them for my portfolio. I never called a full show in high school, and I can call a pretty tight show nowadays. Calling is an important skill, but keep in mind that it's only like, 1/10th of what we do as SMs.
  
  The skills you are acquiring while working with the crew and construction will be invaluable to you later on as you do less of that kind of work, but still need to know about it. When it comes time for college, you need to understand the difference between 'real world' stage management and what you do now, and figure out if it's still the job you want (I guarantee, it is very different from what you'll be used to). Also, keep in mind, no one expects you to be able to Stage Manage an Off-Broadway show by now. Keep in mind that you're here to learn just as much as anyone else, and you're allowed to make mistakes.
  
  I hope that covered everything. I would be happy to answer other questions you may have. Best of Luck, and Break Legs!
  
  Edit: formatting

This one was the one we used in college, and it was fairly in-depth. http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Management-Handbook-Daniel-Ionazzi/dp/1558702350/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409457455&sr=1-1&keywords=stage+management+handbook