Keeping Us All in Line

Now that LeapFest is over, a few words from Christopher Thompson, the heroic soul who kept it all together and moving forward.


You're the LeapFest stage manager. Many people may not know exactly what a stage manager does, so could you give us a quick job description?

Basically, a stage manager works closely with all of the members of the production team; directors, producers, actors, designers, and anyone else involved with the show. One of their main jobs is to organize all of the information passed around from all of the groups and make sure that the individuals that the information is meant for receive it. I also run the rehearsals, if a production requires it (because of LeapFest’s unique nature, I was not needed at the rehearsals and was brought in for tech). Tech is an extremely important time for a stage manager, as it is the culmination of all the designers work. The stage manager takes detailed notes pertaining to the Light and Sound Cues, specific visual cues, and any other technical aspects that pertain tithe performance (such as projectors in two of the LeapFest shows). Wit hall of the information gathered over the tech days, the stage manager gathers it all in his script book, and should be ready for the performances. In some cases, it is required of a stage manager to run the cues that he would normally be calling. With LeapFest, the light,sound, and projection cues are all run from the booth (in the Upper Stage Left Corner of the space), by myself. Sometimes there are other operators on the light and sound boards, and in those cases, the stage manager would do what is known as “calling” a show. This means that they would call the cue out loud so that the other operators know when to run them. In a nutshell, those are the basics of stage management. There is also the setting up before anyone arrives, making sure everyone has everything that they need, and shutting down/closing up the space after each use.



Tell us a little bit about your background and what drew you to stage management.

When I was in high school, I spent the majority of my time on the stage.I was fortunate enough to be in a class that was very theatrically inclined and during my sophomore year, we were able to start an All-School Musical each year. I performed roles which I will never have a chance to play again, like Adam/Noah from Children of Eden, Jean Valjean from Les Miserables, and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Although I love performing on stage (both singing and acting), I was drawn into the backstage aspects during my final year of high school. I stage managed a musical called Thoroughly Modern Millie and was in love ever since. I have always believed that I was a very organized person (sometimes to the extreme of OCD), and stage management allowed me to use those skills along with my ability to interact with people well. When I arrived at Loyola, I continued acting, but took up stage management as well and have been going at it ever since.



LeapFest consists of five different plays performed over three weeks. That's a daunting schedule. What drew you to this project, and what's the greatest challenge?

I first heard of Stage Left’s need for a stage manager through an email and met with Artistic Director Drew Martin soon after responding. After reading up on both Stage Left and LeapFest, I gained an incredible respect for the work that everyone puts into bringing these plays to the next level. Whenever you see a show, or work on an older piece, there is much more available for reference. Chances are, the lines are not going to be changed halfway through the rehearsal period, as I’m fairly sure that Eugene O’Neill or Tennessee Williams would not appreciate changes to the text. And even if there are changes, they will most likely be small, perhaps a word or phrase change. LeapFest offers the working space to improve a work in progress, making it performance ready. I had never worked on a new play proj challenge, although I wouldn’t call it a challenge is the shortness of my involvement with the shows. In the usual situation, the stage manager is in the production process from the very beginning, and in LeapFest, I was present starting at tech. This creates no major problems, but the connections that I would have usually made with a cast, production team,and director is cut short in this festival. Although I have enjoyed every moment working with everyone involved, it has been a short process.



From your perspective, how would you describe LeapFest?

Well, taking a little from the above section, LeapFest is exactly how it sounds, a festival dedicated to giving new plays that leap into the next step towards becoming a full production. One of the greatest things that I believe LeapFest offers is the Talk-Back session at the end of every show. Audience members give their perspective of the play, including what they did not understand, what could be clearer, etc. Through this,playwrights are able to see how their play affects a wide range of individuals, giving them a greater insight into their play. LeapFest offers the playwrights this unique chance.



What's next for you?

After I leave Stage Left at the end of May, I will be packing my bags for the sunny beaches of South Caroline (Myrtle Beach) and vacationing for a week and a half with my family. Then it will be back to the good ol' city of Chicago where I will be taking summer classes at Loyola University Chicago. This will only last through a portion of August, however, as I will be studying abroad in London, England for the fall semester of this year. If we really want to jump ahead of that, the road that is laid before me leads to the LSAT and law school.