Finding work can be difficult for anyone, but breaking into the theater world can seem impossible sometimes – especially if you come from a school with no network (cough, cough, Stockton University, cough).

Here are a few resources worth looking into to find a job as a stage manager. Please note that under the paid section, you will find several that offer “free” access, but I’ve found the “free” access is really useless, so unless you pay for their services, you really just waste 30 minutes of your life filling out your resume info and then being unable to get contact info or full details for the job listings.

Free Job Search Sites for Stage Managers

Craigslist

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Daily
• Best For: Anyone with a lot of time on their hands to filter through a lot of bad postings. Filling in gaps with small gigs. Working with smaller theater companies.
• Miscellaneous: Use Craigslist with caution. Be sure to vet jobs thoroughly. Do not take any job that seems questionable or unsafe. That being said, you can find some great one-off or smaller company opportunities here. You can check your local Craigslist, or use the Craigslist search function that’s linked up above and enter “stage manager.” There’s a search engine called SearchTempest too that will let you search “stage manager” within Craigslist and filter by how many miles you’re willing to go.

DC Theatre Tech

• Type of Site: Job Listing Forum (Closed, but you just have to request membership)
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Technical Theatre and Design
• Updates: Several times per week.
• Best For: Any Washington, DC based stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: When you go to the link for the first time, you’ll have to request membership. It also functions as a marketplace where you can buy or sell used theater equipment.

EntertainmentCareers.net

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free to Access Most Postings. Paid to Access Postings Earlier. If you did decide to go for the paid option:
  • Monthly – $4.95 for the first month and then $9.95 each month after that (cancel anytime)
  • 3 Months – $25.00
  • 6 Months – $45.00
  • 12 Months – $70.00
• Listings: Stage Management, TV and Broadcast Jobs, PR Jobs, Advertising, HR Jobs, Any Jobs Related to Entertainment
• Updates: Daily, but Stage Management postings are infrequent.
• Best For: Stage Managers with an interest in other administrative positions or crossing over into other areas of entertainment.
• Miscellaneous: It is not advised that Stage Manager’s pay for this site. The Stage Management postings are infrequent. In the founder Brad’s words, “As far as stage manager gigs, we do get them but not on a consistent basis and not in what I would consider good volume.  As it relates to the membership, since we are not rock solid in this area, I would not encourage people to use the membership if they were exclusively looking for stage manager gigs.  We kill it in a lot of areas but, at this time, this isn’t one of them.  We continue to grow in our theater and live events categories but people are better off saving their $$ for resources that would give them more leads.”

Indeed

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Daily, though stage manager listings are a little more infrequent.
• Best For: Any stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: Jobs here are often more established theater companies looking for resident positions or production companies looking for long term employees. You will have to filter through a lot of postings that have nothing to do with theater, despite searching “stage manager.”

League of Chicago Theatres

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Daily, though stage manager listings are a little more infrequent.
• Best For: Any Chicago based stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: There are a lot of Chicago based listings here ranging from Equity positions to tiny theater company, sad stipend work. A lot of the smaller work is also kind of unique to this site and doesn’t pop up on other job listing sites.

OffstageJobs

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Management in General, Props, Wardrobe, Electrics, Sets, Sound, Arts Administration, Musicians
• Updates: Daily
• Best For: Any stage manager. Jobs range from long-term with well-established companies to wildly underpaid start-ups. Job postings also apply to interns and novices, as well as established professionals. OffstageJobs also posts a lot of smaller budget shows.
• Miscellaneous: You can upload your resume to a searchable database on this site. The site also has a nifty “Last Minute” search functions for companies looking to fill positions immediately. Also note that since their latest update, I get a warning that the site is not secure when I try to access it. I’ve always accepted and continued, but do so at your own risk.

Opera America

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Management in General, Props, Wardrobe, Electrics, Sets, Sound
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: Anyone looking for an opera position. All postings are from opera companies.

Playbill

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Technical, Acting, Administrative, Editorial/Writing, Academic, Design, Directing, Musicians, Other
• Updates: Daily
• Best For: Any stage manager. Jobs range from long-term with well-established companies to wildly underpaid start-ups. Job postings also apply to interns and novices, as well as established professionals.

Quick Change – The Theatre Job Network

• Type of Site: Facebook Group (Closed, but you just have to request membership)
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Several times per week.
• Best For: Any stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: There are a lot of postings for technical directors and scenic positions, but some stage management postings do show up too.

SMNetwork

• Type of Site: Forums
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management
• Updates: Infrequently
• Best For: Varies, though a large number of postings seem to be for ASMs.
• Miscellaneous: SMNetwork is actually an incredible online forum of information for stage managers. While the job postings are sparse, the rest of the forum is pretty active and an excellent place to read up on various stage management techniques and get answers to questions from professionals.

Staff Me Up

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Production, Producers, Crew, Covid Compliance Officers
• Updates: Infrequently
• Best For: Anyone trying to pivot into television.
• Miscellaneous: Staff Me Up is a job listing site for television and film projects.

Stage Management Jobs in Dance

• Type of Site: Facebook Group (Closed, but you just have to request membership)
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Company Management, Technicians, Administrative, Other
• Updates: Infrequently
• Best For: Anyone interested in dance, especially ballet. There are a lot of ballet postings.
• Miscellaneous: Jobs here are dance related. Occasionally there are postings for conferences related to dance or jobs that aren’t dance. Postings are rare – often less than one a month.

Stage Management Jobs in Opera

• Type of Site: Facebook Group (Closed, but you just have to request membership)
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Administrative
• Updates: Usually a Few Postings Per Week
• Best For: Anyone interested in opera or classical music.
• Miscellaneous: Jobs here are usually opera related, though there is the occasional job posting for something outside the opera realm or for symphonies, classical music concerts – skills that stage managers are likely to have if they have an opera background. Jobs also vary from entry level through skilled professional.

Theatre Jobs NYC

• Type of Site: Facebook Group  (Closed, but you just have to request membership)
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, Technical Positions, Acting, Other
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: Anyone NYC based.

Theatre Philadelphia

• Type of Site: Job Listing Forum
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Nearly Daily
• Best For: Any Philadelphia based stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: There are a wide variety of jobs listed, including some that might fit well in a “survival work” category outside just stage management.

URTA

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: Free
• Listings: Academic – Stage Management, Design, Production Management, Props, Etc.
• Updates: Infrequently – Once Per Month or Less
• Best For: Stage Managers interested in moving into academia.
• Miscellaneous: The majority of stage management lecturer jobs prefer an MFA and Equity experience. 

Paid Job Search Sites for Stage Managers

Art Search

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: $10/month but if you are a college student or recent graduate, check with your college theater department and see if they have a free set up for alumni. I don’t know how common it is, but if you happen to be a Stockton University alumni, I know they are set up to provide free logins to students and graduates. If your school isn’t set up to provide this – ask them why they aren’t!
• Listings: Stage Management, Design, Production, Technicians, Academic
• Updates: Daily
• Best For: Any stage manager.
• Miscellaneous: A lot of the backstage job listings for production and technical are repeats of listings found on Playbill and Offstagejobs (both of those are free); however, it has a lot of unique administrative positions and a lot of academic listings too. 

Bobnet

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: There are 2 tiers:
  • Young Guns (New to Touring): $12/year
  • Touring Pros (3+ Years of Touring Experience): $25/year
• Listings: Stage Management, Tour Management, Bus Drivers, Merch, Company Management, Audio (A LOT of Audio), Lighting, Wardrobe, Other
• Updates: Multiple Times a Week
• Best For: Anyone interested in touring, especially with musical acts.
• Miscellaneous: Bobnet skews towards music groups, but there are listings for theatrical productions too. Young Guns cannot access Touring Pros jobs. Touring Pros have access to both levels of jobs.

CircusTalk

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: There are 2 tiers:
  • Basic: FREE but no access to job postings
  • Pro: $7.99 a month or $71.88 a year
• Listings: Stage Management, Technicians, Performers, Instructors, Musicians, etc.
• Updates: Multiple Times a Month
• Best For: Anyone interested in working in circus.
• Miscellaneous: This is one of the few sites that primarily focuses on circus jobs. The postings run the gamut from entry level to executive managers and there are postings to work in many countries. Joining the website also gives you access to their community, blog posts, podcasts and events.

SETC

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: There are different tiers:
  • Student: $44/year
  • Individual: $77/year
  • Senior: $55/year
  • Lifetime Membership: $1320
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: College and recent graduate stage managers.
• Miscellaneous: Besides it’s job board, SETC also hosts an annual conference that includes a job fair. The 2017 fees for registration ranged from $140 (Student Early Bird) up to $317 (Individual On-Site Registration). Additionally, it has several scholarships available for theater students.

Stage Jobs Pro

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: $14.99/month or $120/year
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Daily
• Best For: Anyone, though it is one of the more expensive job search options.
• Miscellaneous: They have a free service, but it doesn’t let you search any well paid jobs. Those jobs still pop up on your searches though and then the site pitches you to upgrade your membership when you try to view them.

Stage Manager’s Association

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: There are 3 tiers:
  • Student ($20/year, $37 initiation fee)
  • Early Career ($30/year, $60 initiation fee)
  • Professional ($40/year, $70 initiation fee)
• Listings: Stage Management
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: Large city based stage managers, especially NYC (though the listings have begun to branch out more and include many positions outside big cities that offer housing for the duration of the contract).
• Miscellaneous: In addition to the job postings, the SMA has a discussion board and hosts several networking opportunities through out the year. For newer stage managers, they also offer shadowing opportunities, a document library, and a mentoring program. Additionally, as someone prone to letting her membership lapse now and again, the initiation fee is genuinely a one time thing and each time I’ve returned to the SMA, I’ve only been charged annual dues, never the initiation fee again.

TheatreArtLife

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: You can access The Market (the part of the site where the jobs are) if you join as a Professional for $5.99/month or $60/year fee. Students can also apply for an annual membership for $48 US dollars a year.
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: Any stage manager. This site is also particularly useful if you’re looking to work internationally.
• Miscellaneous: TheatreArtLife has some additional perks if you sign up at the Professional level. You can access unlimited articles, use the Professional Development section, and you get 50% off all paid Education courses.

USITT

• Type of Site: Website
• Cost: There are different tiers:
  • Student: $67/year
  • Early Career (Within 3 years of Leaving School): $78/year
  • Individual: $112/year
  • Professional: $165/year
  • Senior: $90/year
• Listings: Stage Management, All Other Arts Jobs
• Updates: Several Times a Month
• Best For: Any stage manager, though the subscription comes with many discounts and can be especially worth it if you plan to attend their annual conference anyway.
• Miscellaneous: USITT also has an annual conference that includes a job fair with many of the largest theaters and entertainment companies in America (and even outside the country). The next conference will be March 14-18, 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Admission to the conference and expo floor costs several hundred dollars, but USITT members receive a discount.

Additional benefits to joining USITT includes the following discounts:

• 10% discount on Art Search subscriptions.
• Discounted monthly premium membership for Stage Jobs Pro USA to $9.99
• 5% off Virtual Callboard
• $100 discount on ETCP Certification Exams
• $75 discount at the Academy of Production Technology
• 5% off at Enterprise Rent-a-Car
• 10% off at National Car Rental
• And More

Alternative Ways to Find Jobs for Stage Managers

Alumni Networks

• Type: Groups set up by your college.
• Cost: Varies from school to school. Official school alumni networks often have a fee. Your department may have an online alumni group that’s free (or you could start one).
• Best For: College and recent graduates, though if the network is free, there’s no reason not to join at any point in your career.
• Miscellaneous: Google “SCHOOL Theatre Alumni” and see what comes up. Your school may have a page on their site to help connect you with former alumni from your department or something simple and informal like a Facebook or LinkedIn group may pop up.

Broadway Stage Manager’s Symposium

• Type: Annual Multiple Day Conference
• Cost: There are multiple options:
  • $299 + Tax
  • Additional Broadway Show and Post Show Q&A – Additional $80 + Tax
  • In the future, there are early bird specials that have already expired for 2017.
• Location: New York City
• Date: June 3-4, 2017
• Best For: College and recent graduates really interested in working on Broadway.
• Miscellaneous: In addition to phenomenal networking opportunities, there are 11 sessions covering various stage management topics, meal breaks, a wrap party and the opportunity to see a Broadway show and attend a Q& A after.

Google Alert “Stage Manager”

• Type: Daily Email
• Cost: Free
• Best For: Any Stage Manager
• Miscellaneous: Set up a Google alert for “stage manager” and have a daily digest sent to your inbox. Not only will this occasionally pick up job postings that might not turn up in any of the other job search sites, but it will also help keep you up to date regarding news in your field.

Individual Companies Sites

• Type: Company Websites
• Cost: Free
• Best For: Any Stage Manager
• Some Examples:
  • ArtsPower
  • Busch Gardens
  • Cedar Point
  • Celebrity Cruise Line
  • Circus Smirkus
  • Cirque du Soleil
  • Dragone
  • Feld Entertainment
  • Herschend Family Entertainment
  • Holland America Cruise Line
  • Live Nation Entertainment 
  • Mills Entertainment
  • NETworks
  • Norwegian Cruise Line
  • P&O Cruises
  • Phoenix Entertainment
  • Sight & Sound Theaters
  • Six Flags
  • Theatreworks USA
  • Troika Entertainment
  • Universal Studios
  • Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

LinkedIn

• Type: Website
• Cost: Free
• Best For: Any Stage Manager
• Miscellaneous: Follow any companies you’re interested in working for on LinkedIn. They often post job listings that will show up on your feed once you’ve followed them. It will also keep you up to date on news related to that company, which can help you write well informed cover letters when applying for jobs with them.

Where to Find Jobs as a Stage Manager: Conclusion

I highly recommend starting with all the free options and only paying for subscriptions if none of them pan out. Additionally, the majority of sites that require subscription fees often duplicate a lot of the listings found on free sites or have listings that a young stage manager is not likely to land.

Speaking from personal experience, I’ve had a lot of success finding gigs on Playbill and OffstageJobs. Most of the bigger companies I worked for, I applied directly through their sites. I also find that the Stage Management Jobs in Opera Facebook group is a great way to break into that field. There are also a lot of ASM postings there for shorter operas that can be great for filling gaps in your calendar.