I get to do some really cool stuff.

So I have been looking for a reason to start blogging again and it came upon me in kind of a surprising way.

A friend was in my apartment reading American Theatre Magazine, which is the Theatre Communcations Group publication and one of my favorite trade papers. It has some of the most useful information I can find about new works and big upcoming projects without the specificity of some of the design magazines. Beside the point. My friend happened upon an ad for UMD's theatre program.

This is it, a full page ad, and the large image is from the last show I stage managed. I looked at the picture, said to my friends, "that was a really hard sequence to call," then promptly had a small revelation. My job was to make what happened in that picture happen. I made sure we had the costumes, props, crew and actors to set the stage for that moment. I made sure the lighting and sound were right for that moment. Then I started the chain of events that led to that moment.

And that. Is. Awesome. I have the coolest job in the world.

I really cherish the moments when I get to realize that, because it makes the really hard ones so worth it. I've been thinking about the job a lot, because two of my closest friends are taking the stage management course at school. All the discussion has lead me to the following conclusion:

The bulk of my job is to ask myself, "How am I going to make sure this happens and how am I going to help make it easier for everyone to accomplish?" It really changes my outlook for the better when I can think about things in terms of how I can help instead of what I have to do and that's way easier when a picture of one of my plays is in a national theatre publication. Hey. I gotta take the recognition where I can... even if I'm taking it by force.