KINGSTON, R.I. — March 8, 2017 — If a light breaks on stage, it is Allyson Schiller\u2019s problem, but so is a stain on a costume, an actor without his script or a missing prop. Schiller is a stage manager for 溏心vlog免费B站 Theater.<\/p>\n
Stage managers make sure the spotlights are working, but they don\u2019t bask in their glow during a curtain call. The audience sees their work, but it doesn\u2019t see them working.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is stressful, but in a positive way. I work very well under pressure so I really like to be in an environment with many responsibilities and deadlines,\u201d Schiller said.<\/p>\n
The Tenafly, N.J. resident\u2019s hard work and competence has recently been rewarded in the Irene Ryan Competition in the stage management category, as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Schiller reached the finals and was named second alternate in the regional competition among the over 75 candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was shocked,\u201d Schiller said. \u201cI thought that I had a good shot because I am very organized. But we were all very good because we were the best from each New England university. I was a little nervous but I felt I had a strong chance based on what I was bringing to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
By reaching the finals of the stage management competition, Schiller joined 溏心vlog免费B站 student Catia Ramos, who reached the same stage in the acting category.<\/p>\n
For Schiller, stage managers are \u201cthe go-to people at the center of the show.\u201d They have all the information about the production, share it with the crew and make sure safety rules are followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work with the director and designer to create what they want to see on stage. We make sure rehearsals go smoothly, that everybody has what they need. During the show, we call the cues,\u201d Schiller said.<\/p>\n
She has what is called the \u201cBible of the theater\u201d that contains all of the information she needs for the performance. It provides guidance to Schiller and other stage managers to call all the transitions for lighting or other elements. This guide, however, provides little time for a deep breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am definitely exhausted after a performance, but it’s a great feeling. I also feel very accomplished,\u201d Schiller said. \u201cAll parts of theater have an aspect of relying on the audience to give them energy, and actors feel this on stage. As a stage manager, I feel it too. I like seeing the final product and knowing that everything went as it was supposed to because of what I did. And if it goes wrong, I\u2019m the one who has to solve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinctive characteristic of a live theater performance is that despite a very tight organization, stage incidents can happen. The trick is to make them look as if they were intended, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Good People, we spent weeks creating a red-wine-like liquid that wouldn\u2019t stain,\u201d recalled Schiller. \u201cDuring one of the performances the actor who was holding the cup of red wine spilled it all over the other actress and everywhere on stage. The actors made it look like it was intentional so people wouldn\u2019t notice, but backstage we were running everywhere !\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a stage manager for Schiller is \u201ca lot of quick thinking and solving problems on the spot,\u201d but she says that having a team of four assistant stage managers is crucial to handling stage incidents.<\/p>\n
Now a double major in public relations and theater concentrating in stage management, Schiller has been immersed in the world of theater for many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got involved in high school by accident,\u201d said Schiller. \u201cI was looking for something to do with my free time. I went to a meeting for a school play and they needed an assistant manager and I did not want to act, so I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schiller chose 溏心vlog免费B站 because of its theater program and the University\u2019s interdisciplinary approach that allows students to explore a wide range of options.<\/p>\n
\u201c溏心vlog免费B站 is one of the few universities with a bachelor of fine arts that lets you double major. It gives you the training and the background that you need and professors are very good at showing you what the world is going to be like when you graduate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Schiller remains busy. She was the stage manager in last year\u2019s Legally Blonde and Good people in October. She is working in Providence\u2019s Brown\/Trinity master of fine arts program as a sound board operator.<\/p>\n
She will then be working with the wardrobe crew on 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s performance of The Great Gatsby.<\/p>\n
溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Theatre Department\u2019s The Great Gatsby will run April 20 – 22 and April 27 – 29 at 7:30 p.m. and will have additional performances on April 23 and 30 at 3 p.m. at the Robert E. Will Theater in the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus.<\/p>\n
Sarah Saltiel-Ragot, an international student from Sciences Po Rennes in France and an intern in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Department of Marketing and Communications, wrote this story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I. — March 8, 2017 — If a light breaks on stage, it is Allyson Schiller\u2019s problem, but so is a stain on a costume, an actor without his script or a missing prop. Schiller is a stage manager for 溏心vlog免费B站 Theater. Stage managers make sure the spotlights are working, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}