General good ideas for stage managing

Do not be afraid to ask questions! The mast majority of people understand how hard it is as a beginnger, sepecially in a role like stage manager, and are willing to explain things.

Get familiar with several computer programs that are extremely helpful. A spreadsheet program, word processing and calendar programs are all very handy. OpenOffice supplies these for free, as does Google. Google is particulary useful as it allows you to access documents from any computer, plus has email and calander programs attached. Dropbox is another useful program that you to access your files from any internet computer.

Try to be prepared for anything. Know where food and bathrooms are. Have a first aid kit. Have everyone's phone number. A box of tissues. Extra pencils. A spare change of cloths. Something sugary, in case of a diabetic in the cast.

Be friendly with the cast, designers, crew, and director. It makes life easier. Stage managers work better when they are liked by the cast. While it needs to be clear that the stage manager is a higher authority than the cast, it helps if the cast likes the manager. If there are personality conflicts in the cast or crew, having a friendly stage manager can help settle things down. If conflicts occur between the stage manager and others, try to keep calm and be logical, do not do anything stupid, and find a diplomatic way out. That said, avoid getting tangled up in drama. Stage managing takes a lot of time and effort and dealing with the cast's drama is draining. It helps to avoid dating anyone inside the cast or crew. This can be quite hard to do, but it keeps drama down, and avoids playing favorites. After the show closes, go right ahead.

Regular breaks include a coffee break every 2 hours (15 minutes), and a meal break every 4 hours (30-60 minutes)

Be aware that if you're working with a paid crew they will go into overtime (1.5x pay) after 8 hours on the job. They will go into double time (2x pay) after 12 hours or in some cases after midnight.

Be sure to be familar with how and when to give calls. Call serve as warnings for the cast and crew for when house is open, the start of the show, and other important events.

Organization

Have a good system that works for you, but can be understood by somebody else. This will save you time and effort in the long run. My system involves dating and labeling everything in the upper right hand corner, so I know where to look to see what it is, and then storing it in the same place each time, rotating out the old versions. The Prompt book is where all of the papers should be kept, either in a single binder or in a pair of binders. Have a special folder on the computer for all related e-materials. Try to have redundant copies of important documents.

Book Suggestions

There are many more professional guides then mine, but most of them cost money. The one I use is The Stage Management Handbook by Daniel A Lonazzi. It is a text book, but provides many good tips and pictures beyond what I can provide. Another useful book is the Backstage Handbook. Not directly a stage management book, but useful.

Unions

At the amateur level, unions rarely come into play. Being aware of the rules of Equity (the Stage Managers and Actors Union) and using them as guide lines tend to serve many managers well. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees or IATSE is the theater union for virtually all other theater employees. Their rules also rarely apply in amateur situations, but they provide lessons for advancing technical skills in certain fields. Fight Choreograhpers also have their own union, and if any staged combat is in the production it is highly recommended to high one.