I was recently thinking about one of my favorite parts of stage managing and for me, it has definitely been travel. You get to be a part of some of the most exciting productions in the world, working with talented performers, designers, and technicians to create unforgettable experiences for audiences. One of the biggest perks of the job, however, is the opportunity to travel. Whether you’re on tour with a Broadway show, working at a regional theatre in another state, or even overseas, traveling as a stage manager can be an incredible experience.

Traveling as a stage manager allows you to see the world. You get to visit new cities, experience different cultures, and explore new environments. Without this career, I doubt I would’ve seen a fraction of the world that I have. I only have one state left to see in America (someday, North Dakota, someday) and have been lucky to travel the Caribbean, Europe and Central America pretty extensively during the cruise ship years. I even got to spend a bit of time in the Middle East thanks to this career.

As a stage manager, you need to be able to adapt to new situations quickly and effectively, and traveling can help you develop those skills. You’ll learn to navigate new cities, communicate with people who speak different languages, and find your way around unfamiliar venues. These are all valuable skills that will make you a better stage manager in the long run. Working with different cultures has been a very, very cool aspect of the career. I think it’s opened my eyes to a low of the flaws to the American way of living but also made me appreciate some of the things that really do make America great. I also realize those things, especially our can do personality, is actually bigger than our political or geographical differences. This is never more obvious to me than when I run into another American abroad. We don’t really talk about our differences, which are often probably manifold, only our shared home.

Another benefit of traveling as a stage manager is that it allows you to work with different companies and learn from different professionals. Every theatre company has its own way of doing things, and working with different companies will expose you to new techniques, technologies, and philosophies. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet and work with different directors, designers, and performers. This can be a great way to expand your network and make connections that could lead to future opportunities. This also gives you a fantastic opportunity to steal. Within reason that is. And what I mean there, is that if someone has a great system for doing something or some fantastic practice – steal it. Add it to your stage management bag of tricks. I ASMed an opera once and the PSM color coded the name tags for the first day of rehearsals by principals and then voice types. So obvious but I’d never thought to do it before.

Traveling can also be a great way to build your resume and gain valuable experience. If you’re just starting out in your career, touring with a show can be a great way to gain practical experience in a variety of venues and settings. You’ll learn how to work with different crews, adapt to different schedules and routines, and troubleshoot problems on the fly. Some of the places I’ve wound up at on tours have been… unique areas. I remember trying to problem solve a large broken prop issue in the middle of nowhere Canada that pretty much just had a weird old general store. The problem solving got pretty creative and we were able to get through the show.

And I was left with another good story for interview questions regarding how I deal with difficult situations.

Finally, once in a blue moon you actually do get to check out the area you’re in. Tours with longer sit downs allow you time to explore the area you are in. Cruise ships often repeat the same itineraries for weeks at a time (not always, but often). Sometimes you can arrange to fly in a few days early or stay a few days late in an area and explore before the gig begins or after it ends.

Do you travel for work? Where are some of the best places you’ve been?