The stage manager owns the last three metres before the performance. On a festival stage they are the reason a 20 minute changeover works.
What the job covers
- Running the schedule on stage, minute by minute
- Changeovers between artists: what comes off, what goes on, who moves it
- Calling the artist to stage and getting them on at the set time
- Keeping people out of the wings who have no reason to be there
- Signalling time left, and cutting a set that runs long
Festival and venue
At a festival the stage manager works for the festival, not the artist, and their loyalty is to the running order. Many clubs have no stage manager at all, in which case the Tour manager or the house engineer does the job between other tasks.
Working with them
Give them the set length, the input list and the changeover plan in advance. Ask when the stage is free. Then be ready five minutes before they ask for you.