stage manager

American

noun

a person responsible for the technical details of a theatrical production, assisting the director during rehearsal, supervising the lighting, costuming, setting, prompting, etc., and assuming full responsibility for the stage during a performance of a play.

stage manager British

noun

a person who supervises the stage arrangements of a theatrical production

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

stage managership

noun

Etymology

Origin of stage manager

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He’s been a studio sound engineer, a studio manager, a stage manager, a drum tech and a crew chief.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Back in Glasgow in the late 1940s, Baxter worked at the Citizens Theatre as assistant stage manager, and appeared in Macbeth and in Tyrone Guthrie's 1948 Edinburgh Festival production of The Thrie Estaites.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

“My stage manager goes, ‘Oh no, we’re done, Steve, we’re done.’

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025

At DanceAfrica, N’Goma is a stage manager; Normadien is assistant stage manager.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

I slip on one shimmering ruby shoe and, tugging on the other one, hop over to the control panel, where the stage manager is calling cues into her headset.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023