Tuesday, August 12, 6-7pm
TLC Talk:
The Magician Behind the Scenes …
Stage Managers Do It All
Tuesday, August 12 6-7pm (Doors open at 5:30)
Cost is free, donations are gladly accepted
Teatro Paraguas, 3205 Calle Marie Suite B, Santa Fe
Expert Presentation • Panel Discussion • Q & A
Suzanne Burstall Cross (Classic Theater), Lara Terrell (Santa Fe Playhouse) and Steven Wilson (Actors Lab), will discuss the varying roles of the stage manager. From auditions and initial casting to managing rehearsals. From collecting and placing props to managing lights and sound. From to calling “places!” at the top of each performance to striking the set at the end of the run. The stage manager is truly the magical glue that keeps it all together!
Suzanne Burstall Cross started out in theater helping her English father learn his lines for the Springfield Little Theatre in 1960 and has pretty much been involved ever since in every aspect of community theatre except lighting design. For 25 years she was an actor/director across five states; then she went into “front of the house” support and in Santa Fe became grant manager for Santa Fe Classic Theater, where she is a co-founder.
In 2015, after 25 years away from stage management, Robert Benedetti brought her on as Stage Manager for his first season, which polished off a lot of rust! She worked with Beny for the first three seasons of New Mexico Actor’s Lab, also stage managing for Ironweed Productions, Incite Shakespeare Company (King Lear in 2018) and Santa Fe Classic Theater (Romeo and Juliet in 2019), as well as others, racking up 15 gigs in 4 years. She then realized she was turning 70 and found an easier line of work in retirement!
Suzanne’s first stage managing job was at the Petit Theatre de Vieux Carre in New Orleans (The Rainmaker 1981) – she’s certainly seen the profession change over time. It hasn’t altered her opinion that, for good theater, you need a stage manager close to God. Or perhaps who IS God.
A secret - her favorite gig was stage managing GYPSY in a galaxy far, far away.
Lara Terrell is a native of Santa Fe and a graduate of Southwestern University with a BFA in Theater. As a former Actors Equity Association stage manager, she's worked with various theatres including Barrington Stage Company (Great Barrington, MA), The Duke Theatre, Queens Theatre in the Park, The Helen Hayes Theatre, The Gallery Players (New York) and Riverside Theater (Vero Beach FL).
Some of her stage management highlights include The Who’s Tommy, Man of La Mancha, Oroonoko, The Lost Boys, The Last 5 Years, Breaking Legs, Hair, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Sisters of Swing.
After a gap in her theatrical career, she returned to stage management with the Santa Fe Playhouse in 2024. Working with Christine McHugh; You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Vanessa Rios y Valles; Laughs in Spanish and Anna Hogan; Something Rotten!
Steven Wilson is thrilled to be back on the Santa Fe theatre scene.
During the early ‘90s, he was actively involved with Santa Fe Playhouse, New Mexico Repertory Theater, and Shakespeare in Santa Fe. Steve then pursued an MFA in Directing from the Actor’s Studio, further honing his craft.
He spent 16 years at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, serving in various key roles such as Associate Show Director, Entertainment Manager, Stage Manager, Production Stage Manager, and Event Production Stage Manager. His dedication and skill were recognized with an EMMY® award for his contribution to the 2013 Disney Christmas Parade. In 2021, he accepted the position of Director of Entertainment for Sky Railway, where he created and developed the entertainment experiences for the short-line railroad.
Following a year-long tenure as a Stage Manager aboard the Disney Magic with Disney Cruise Line, Steve celebrated his homecoming by stage managing Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf for Santa Fe Classic Theater. His current project is A Subtle Kind of Murder with NMAL after his success there with Bike America.
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