The house lights die down, the chatter stops and the massive green curtain opens with a flourish to a stage holding its breath, everything in place but waiting for the cue. The stage lights flood back on, and the show begins. All of this is cued–which means giving the signal to begin the designated action–and prompted by the stage manager, an orchestrator behind the scenes. At the beginning of her high school career, Genna Ray ’25, never thought that she would be the one with the headset.
“If you asked me, like my eighth-grade year, what are you gonna do in high school? I would’ve said, ‘I’m gonna do swimming, and I’m gonna be a thrower, and that’s what I’m gonna do, and I’m going to stick with it all four years,’” Ray said.
Katy Nahra, one of West High’s theater directors and an English teacher, recommended the assistant stage manager (ASM) position to Ray freshman year, saying that she should give it a shot. The next thing Ray knew, she quit those said sports, fully committing to theater. She got accepted as one of the assistant stage managers after she tried out, an impressive position for a freshman. Her freshman, sophomore and junior years were spent as an ASM, leading to her senior year, where Ray is now a stage manager.
“SM is one step above being an ASM, it’s the closest you can get to being director,” Ray said.
It isn’t easy being an ASM or SM. There are so many moving components that need to be taken into consideration when helping run a show, such as stage blocking for set pieces, props and people, timing for calling off cues, and generally making sure everything runs smoothly. Ray goes to nearly all the rehearsals and tech preparations, including the pit orchestra, the band that plays the show music.
Two key traits that are important to have when in a managerial role such as ASM or SM are responsibility and dedication. There are multiple tasks that get right down to the nitty-gritty, tasks that seem small but, in the long run, really matter. One needs to be dedicated to the show and involved in the many gears that complete the performance. It takes a lot of organization, and stage managers have to be ok with high levels of stress. Responsibility is another key component; it’s important to take accountability for mistakes or missteps, something that is important for any leadership role, in theater, and in life.
“I’m grateful that I keep and am continuing to gain these opportunities of being in charge and learning from them and from other people.
Ray isn’t just by herself, she has a whole team of people to help make sure the show runs smoothly, including a co-SM, Flora Zhu ’25, ASMs and tech heads.
“So we’ve worked together for a really long time, and we’re like a really good pair together. We kind of balance each other out of good cop bad cop at times,” Ray said about Zhu
With two SMs, it can get slightly confusing when multiple voices are speaking through the headsets, and communication can sometimes get jumbled in the mix. Thus, Ray isn’t going to be giving the cues for “Chicago,” the fall musical; that will go to Zhu. During the actual performances for “Chicago,” Ray is going to be in the Pit, where the musicians play the music belonging to the “Chicago” soundtrack. But before the show dates, she will be helping out as much as she can in the tech departments, with the actors and more.
Ray is a senior, meaning that “Chicago” and “The Sound of Music” will be the last two shows of her high school career, with “Chicago” being performed as the fall musical and “The Sound of Music” as the spring musical. Being in the Theater West program for so long, it will be hard to say goodbye to such a big community, but time passes, and her work won’t be forgotten.
“I started doing theater and found a home that I never thought I was going to be a part of, and I’m so beyond grateful for the experiences that I’ve been given,” Ray said.
There are so many opportunities for everybody in theatre, from managerial positions to crew members and actors. As stage manager, Ray gets to work with all of these groups, watching as they slot into place to put on an amazing show.
