Professional Stage Manager Interview Report

Professional Stage Manager Interview: Peggy Dahlquist On October 30th, 2015 I interviewed Equity/AGMA Stage Manager Peggy Dahlquist over email. Peggy shared a variety of experiences and advice for anyone with future plans to become a professional stage manager. From this interview I developed a clear understanding of what the job entails and that having passion and experience for this type of work is the key to being successful. I came to this understanding through the first hand account of her career path, where and how she works on productions, and how she develops relationships and overcomes challenges.
Peggy’s career path provided insight into what kind of a person is fit to go into this career. She got into stage-managing, as she put
Peggy described that her most rewarding experience derived from her time at the Opera House. According to Peggy, “nothing can prepare you more than working with one hundred choristers, huge orchestras, elaborate costumes, sets, lighting, props and “divas”. My first thought was, “how does she handle all of that?” After I asked this question her sense of humor shined through. She said, “I drink, but no one finds that funny”. Peggy said that if stage managers immerse themselves into the task at hand it would just flow. Here it became clear that personality had a lot to do with how a person works in this field. Peggy is very passionate and has a laid-back sense of humor about the work. She described her work as “more organic, but still organized”. Some logistics she said that you couldn’t live without were, reformatting the script, looking out for things you might have missed before, and flow charts that document any problems that arise during a
She said, “Yes, I am very happy every day I walk into a theater. There are some basic things to remember. When starting out (especially while in a new situation)—Listen, don’t talk. Inexperienced stage managers tend to want to share their experiences, proving they know something, when in fact it’s a red flag—showing insecurity. Also always use the pronoun “we”. We need, we want, we disagree… basically it helps you not look like you’re on a power trip or a nag”. That quote beautifully captured Peggy’s personality and what kind of person should take on this job. You need to be someone who is passionate and willing to learn. It is important to remember that you are not going to know everything because every production is a new experience to learn