Christopher Sadler, associate professor in the University of Oklahoma Helmerich School of Drama, is co-editor and contributor to Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Life, Work, and Career, a book published by Routledge Press with release date set for Jan. 27, 2022.
Co-edited by Sadler and Rafael Jaen, associate professor of theatre and performing arts chair at UMass Boston, Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Life, Work, and Career collects in three sections essays written by a diverse group of stage management professionals and educators and covers the challenges stage managers face on the job, in their lives and in their careers. The publication weaves practical advice with personal anecdotes and serves as a resource to stage management university students and the industry’s working professionals.
“When I first discussed the idea of this collection with co-editor Rafael Jaen and then later in the proposal to the publisher, I pointed out that just about every book written about stage management was procedural — how to stage manage,” said Sadler. “There wasn't a volume out there that was a collection of stage managers' stories: stories that not only showed us the person, but as a whole revealed our art and craft in a completely new way.”
In addition to co-editing the work, Sadler contributed to Part 3: Career, with an essay titled Maxwell, Brown, and Co: Learning from Corporate Management. The chapter explains the process of finding the ideas that crafted the course Advanced Stage Management, taught by Sadler at OU. “Students have told me it was their most valuable class while at OU, and I wanted to share those ideas to a larger audience — what can stage managers learn from corporate management and leadership concepts and apply them to our work in the performing arts?” explained Sadler. “It's not a stretch, surprisingly.”
“Off Headset is a must read for anyone considering a career in stage management,” stated OU Helmerich School of Drama director Seth Gordon. “Professor Sadler and his colleague have done an excellent job of assembling a first-rate group of experts in the field – practitioners at the top of their profession talking about the work.”
According to the publisher’s website, Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Life, Work, and Career starts with the intersectional history of stage managers and the actors’ union. In Part 1: Work, the contributors share a wide range of experiences, from regional theatre and Broadway to operas and cruises – even running with the circus. In Part 2: Life, essays explore the relevance of stage managers claiming their identity, their resilience and practicing self-care. Part 3: Career offers aspirational and business advice, exploring such topics as leadership, networking, unemployment, managing demanding calendars and career planning. The book ends with a on a tech note, a direct response to the ongoing pandemic.
“The contributors ARE Off Headset,” stated Sadler, when asked about the process of working with the diverse group of stage management professionals who contributed to the publication. “All their different experiences really emphasize the uniqueness and value of every stage manager. I was and am humbled by their talent, their stories, their hard work and patience with the process [of contributing to the book]”.
Sadler has led the stage management emphasis in the Helmerich School of Drama since his arrival at OU in 2005. He teaches multiple courses in stage and theatre management and dramatic literature and is the adviser for the school’s theatre minor. In 2019, Sadler was named the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts.
Sadler holds a master of fine arts degree in stage management from the University of California San Diego and a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ithaca College. A member of the Actors' Equity Association since 1999, Sadler has a successful freelancing career, having been part of stage management teams for over 100 productions at theatres nationwide.
An award-winning costume designer, educator and author, Jaen is a United States Institute for Theatre Technology Fellow, the USITT vice president for communications (2019–2022) and a past National Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Design, Technology and Management chair. He is the author of SHOWCASE (2011) and Digital Costume Design and Collaboration (2017) by Focal Press/Routledge, and the series editor for the USITT/Focal Press Backstage series.
Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Life, Work, and Career is available for sale now at several marketplaces, including the publisher’s website.
