Stage Manager job description.
A Stage Manager coordinates all technical and logistical elements of a live production, from rehearsals through performance. They serve as the communication hub between the director, cast, crew, and designers, ensuring cues, scene changes, and schedules run smoothly and safely.
The Stage Manager job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 8 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Stage Manager Reports to: Production Manager or Director
A Stage Manager coordinates all technical and logistical elements of a live production, from rehearsals through performance. They serve as the communication hub between the director, cast, crew, and designers, ensuring cues, scene changes, and schedules run smoothly and safely.
- Schedule and run rehearsals, tracking attendance and blocking notes
- Call cues for lighting, sound, and scene changes during performances
- Communicate director's notes to cast, crew, and designers
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
8 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
4 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
5 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Production Manager or Director
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Schedule and run rehearsals, tracking attendance and blocking notes
- Call cues for lighting, sound, and scene changes during performances
- Communicate director's notes to cast, crew, and designers
- Maintain the production book and prompt script
- Coordinate backstage crew and manage set changeovers
- Track props, costumes, and technical elements for continuity
- Enforce safety protocols backstage and onstage
- Liaise with venue staff on logistics and load-in/load-out
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 2+ years of stage management or production assistant experience
- Strong organizational and multitasking ability
- Working knowledge of theatrical lighting and sound cueing
- Clear, calm communication under time pressure
- Degree or training in theater/production management
- Experience with cueing software or digital prompt books
- Union (Actors' Equity or IATSE) experience
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Stage Manager job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Stage Manager job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The mid band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Production Manager or Director) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- Is a Stage Manager a creative or technical role?
- It is primarily technical and logistical—Stage Managers execute the director's vision rather than shaping creative content themselves.
- What's the typical career path into stage management?
- Most Stage Managers start as production or stage assistants before advancing to managing full productions.
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A Production Director leads manufacturing or production operations, overseeing scheduling, quality, staffing, and output targets across one or more production lines or facilities.
This Stage Manager job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.