INTERVIEW WITH ROLT SMITH, PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER FOR THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week’s email:
BROADWAY BEAT- Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, Celia Keenan-Bolger to star in Paula Vogel’s ‘Mother Play’ | How Jocelyn Bioh Is Balancing a Broadway Play and a Newborn | How Broadway Is Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month | ‘Back to the Future,’ ‘The Shark Is Broken,’ and the Secrets of Broadway Video Design
HOT TOPICS - NEA's Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge for High School Students Will Return This Year | Big 10 2023: The 10 Most Represented Colleges on Broadway in the 2022-2023 Season | Even Teachers Need to Go Back to School: Inside the 2023 Broadway Teacher's Workshop | 13 College Scholarships for Theatre and Arts Students
THE BIG IDEA – An Interview With Rolt Smith, Production Stage Manager For The Broadway Production Of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child
REGIONAL THEATRE NEWS - Walnut Street Theatre To Stage North American Premiere of Elvis: A Musical Revolution | The Goodman Theatre to Present Lucha Teotl, About Mexican Masked Wrestling | The Cher Show Will Kick Off National Tour in November
PLAYSCRIPTS FREE READS -Check out The Great American College Tour by Carrie McWethy (McCrossen) and Ian McWethy and The Night Children by Adam Szymkowicz
The Broadway Beat
JESSICA LANGE, JIM PARSONS, CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER TO STAR IN PAULA VOGEL’S ‘MOTHER PLAY’ by Caitlin Hornik, Broadway News - The world-premiere production will open at the Hayes Theatre beginning in 2024.
HOW JOCELYN BIOH IS BALANCING A BROADWAY PLAY AND A NEWBORN by Diep Tran, Playbill - Ten years ago, Bioh made her Broadway debut as an actor. Now she's back as a playwright for ‘Jaja's African Hair Braiding.’
HOW BROADWAY IS CELEBRATING NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH by Playbill - The ¡Viva! Broadway concert at Playbill's Curtain Up Broadway Festival will celebrate the influence of Latin and Hispanic artists in theatre.
‘BACK TO THE FUTURE,’ ‘THE SHARK IS BROKEN,’ AND THE SECRETS OF BROADWAY VIDEO DESIGN by Gordon Cox, Variety - Broadway video design is a lot more complicated than it looks. And it already looks pretty complicated.
Hot Topics
NEA'S MUSICAL THEATRE SONGWRITING CHALLENGE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL RETURN THIS YEAR by Meg Masseron, Playbill - High school songwriters across the U.S. can submit an original song that could appear in a musical.
BIG 10 2023: THE 10 MOST REPRESENTED COLLEGES ON BROADWAY IN THE 2022-2023 SEASON by Natan Zamansky, Playbill - Find out which colleges and universities had the most alumni performing on Broadway during the 2022-23 season.
EVEN TEACHERS NEED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL: INSIDE THE 2023 BROADWAY TEACHER'S WORKSHOP by Janine Papin, Playbill - Go inside the three-day NYC workshop for theatre teachers with this special journal from an attendee.
13 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THEATRE AND ARTS STUDENTS by Molly Higgins, Playbill - This roundup of scholarships is full of resources for students in theatre and performing arts.
The Big Idea
An Interview With Rolt Smith, Production Stage Manager For The Broadway Production Of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child
In a world where the spotlight often shines brightest on actors and directors, there exists a cadre of behind-the-scenes professionals who are the true architects of the theater's magic. In this special series, The Scene takes you on a journey behind the curtain, illuminating the myriad roles that breathe life into theater productions. Today, we delve into the world of stage management, a role often misunderstood yet undeniably pivotal in the theater landscape.
The history of stage management is a story of evolution, tracing its roots back to the early days of theater when productions unfolded in open-air amphitheaters. These ancient stage managers ensured meticulous coordination for seamless performances. As theater evolved and moved indoors, the role expanded exponentially, becoming the linchpin holding a production together.
Today, a stage manager's responsibilities are as diverse as they are vital. They oversee rehearsals, coordinate set changes, cue lighting, and meticulously place props. Stage managers are not mere organizers but unsung heroes ensuring flawless performances.
Few individuals embody the essence of a Broadway stage manager quite like Rolt Smith, Production Stage Manager for the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Smith's journey to this esteemed position is a testament to his perseverance and passion for the theater.
In the following two-part interview, Rolt shares insights into the multifaceted role of being a Broadway production stage manager. He discusses his journey from being a student to working professionally and the task of overseeing the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. With a career spanning two decades, Smith has earned a legendary reputation for his leadership ability, attention to detail, and composure under pressure. His journey serves as a testament to the immense dedication required to succeed in this challenging yet rewarding profession.
The following interview has been edited to length and clarity.
THE SCENE - How did you first discover theatre?
ROLT SMITH - Theatre has always been a part of my life. My parents were patrons of the arts; they liked to go to the theater, and they would take me and my siblings along. For a time, we were living in the New York City suburbs, and while we didn't come to New York all the time, it was something that was always available to us. It wasn’t until High School that I got into it seriously. I was never a team sports kind of kid. That just wasn't in my wheelhouse. And although I didn't realize it at the time, I was still craving that sort of team experience of working with other people to create something. And I think that's what got me going.
THE SCENE - Do you remember the first Broadway show you saw?
ROLT SMITH - Yes. My first Broadway show was called The Magic Show by Stephen Schwartz. It was a birthday present. I got to invite a friend, we went into the city, had lunch and saw a matinee.
THE SCENE - That’s a great Birthday present. The Magic Show starred Doug Henning, and if I remember correctly, it had a good run on Broadway.
ROLT SMITH - That's correct; the musical starred Doug Henning, and it did have a good run. I think it did well because of kids like me. We picked the show because of the magic in it, but the show also had music and dancing, so it was a great way to introduce kids to theatre.
THE SCENE - So far, we have established that you grew up going to the theatre and got into it seriously in high school. However, in my research on you, it looks like you didn't go right into the theatre after you finished school. At first, you went in a very different direction.
ROLT SMITH - I did. I tried really hard not to pursue theater, only because everyone was like, “Oh, it's really hard,” “You're not going to make it,” etc. So, I tried doing other things. I worked in a bank for many years, but even then, I still kind of dabbled in community theater. I eventually got to a point where working full-time and going to school part-time was taking forever. I knew I needed to get my college degree, but I also wanted to be done. Simultaneous to all that, I had been taking a theater class as a way of fulfilling a fine art requirement for what, at the time, was going to be my business degree. I had read a lot of plays and did a lot of my own personal research on various shows, so when we had discussions in class, the other students would just kind of sit back and listen to the teacher, and I would talk about whatever play we had just read. One day, this teacher asked if I had ever thought about switching majors to Theatre. It was just what I needed someone to say to me.
Around that time, I found out that they were starting a new stage management concentration at the University of Rhode Island. I went, met with the chair of the department, who became my adviser, and just worked out a plan. I quit my job and went back to school full-time, studying theater in the new stage management concentration. At the time, the concentration had only four students, including me. Several years ago, I went back to the school to do a class for the students enrolled in the stage management concentration program. My adviser was still there and still running the department. I chatted with some of the students, and there were about 25 in the program. I thought that it was really impressive it had grown so much.
THE SCENE - As we have been speaking, you’ve mentioned several people, specifically educators, who have helped guide you along your career journey. Can you tell us a little bit more about those people?
ROLT SMITH - I had a theatre teacher in high school in Connecticut who went on, later in his life, to be a reviewer for some publications in Connecticut. His name was David Rosenberg, and he unfortunately passed away a few years ago. David was very encouraging to me. I had another great teacher named Bob Beatty, and he was not someone who pushed anybody toward a career. He was just trying to give us an opportunity in terms of how to do theater and what you can learn from that, applying theatre to all kinds of life lessons and skills that you can apply to any job. And I think that the important thing about theater education is you don't necessarily have to do it as a career. But it's good what you learn in theater in terms of how to work with other people, how to create something, and how to communicate. I think those are all skills you can apply to almost any job.
THE SCENE - I can completely agree.
ROLT SMITH - Finally, when I was in college at the University of Rhode Island, I had two teachers, one of whom was a woman named Paula McGlasson, who is still there at the university. Part of her stage management training included a class where you learn how the skills and training you received in stage management can apply to any element of your life in terms of just how to keep yourself organized or on a schedule. And then, as I said, there was this one teacher who I had in this class at the extension campus who was the one who initially suggested that I think about switching my major. That was definitely a turning point for me because up until then, I hadn't really allowed myself to think it was possible.
THE SCENE - After graduating, how did you get yourself a job working as a Stage Manager?
ROLT SMITH – At the time, there was a small theater company called Theatre by the Sea. Through various sequences of events, I ended up becoming the theatre's general manager, which again was not something I wanted to do, but it did enable me to incorporate some of my banking training with my own love of theater. I was able to be successful at that job without ever really planning on it. We made it up as we went along, but we also learned a heck of a lot. After doing that for about five years, I was really missing being an integral part of actually making theater. It was around this same time the theatre was in the process of expanding, sending out a small non-equity tour of The Wizard of Oz. I convinced them to hire me to be the stage manager for the tour production. And so, I did that. I didn't really have any assistance on the show or a team of any sort. It was just me. But it was also a great training ground. It was after that experience that I finally came to New York. I was already in my early 30s, so I didn’t come to the city as a kid fresh out of college. I had a little experience of the world, and that is something I think is important. Everyone's going to come and do their thing on their own in their own time. Had I come to New York sooner than that, I would not have been ready. I would not have managed that well. So, that timing just worked out well for me. And that's the thing I try to tell young people is that you have to kind of do what's going to work for you.
THE SCENE - Your first Broadway gig was as the assistant stage Manager on the original Broadway Production of the Cy Coleman musical The Life. What was your experience like on that show?
ROLT SMITH - Working on The Life was a really special experience. It was a show that, for a variety of reasons, had been in development for many years with the same people. I had not been a part of that process, but most of the cast and creative team had, so when they arrived at rehearsals, they were already a family. It was a really lovely group of people and a great way to sort of get an intro into Broadway Theater and how that works.
THE SCENE - Between working as an ASM on The Life and your current role as Production Stage Manager for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, you worked on a variety of Broadway shows and national tours. How did you break into stage managing on Broadway?
ROLT SMITH - I got really lucky, and this is another thing I try to tell students as they're learning: so much about our business is about luck and being in the right place at the right time. My very first job in New York City was for a new musical version of A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. Alan Menken wrote the music; it was directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Susan Stroman. I had just moved to New York City in the fall of 1994 as they were starting rehearsal. The show was massive, and I don't think anyone really knew what they had on their hands. I heard through the grapevine that they were looking for a production assistant, and I thought, well, I don't really know what that means or what I'm going to have to do, but it's connecting me to stage management somehow, and I know that's what I want to do. So, I went in for an interview, and I told them I just wanted to come learn and make connections, so I'll work for free on this show. They looked at me like I was crazy, but they took me on as the production assistant.
THE SCENE - That’s smart.
ROLT SMITH - Not long after coming on board as a volunteer, I was told they needed another chaperone for the 15 or so kids they had in the show. And because the job involved working with kids, it actually paid $600 a week. So, I basically stage-managed the kids in terms of getting them to learn their lines, their tracks, and getting them to where they needed to be. Working in that role solidified my relationship with the PSM of that production. After that Christmas season was over and A Christmas Carol closed this same PSM was next going to be working on a small off-Broadway play. He asked me to assist him, and that’s how I really got into it. The PSM I’m speaking of is Steven Zweigbaum. Steve is a very long-term, kind of big-deal stage manager in the Broadway community. He became my mentor, and all the shows that I did for years after that were because of Steve. He was the PSM of pretty much every show I did up until The Wedding Singer. So that was really just about luck. Had Steve not been doing that little off-Broadway show, then I never would have made that connection in any further way. It's important to remember you can't feel down about yourself if you are not getting those breaks because so much of it is luck, and it doesn't mean you're not good at it.
THE SCENE - That’s a great story and a great lesson for all of us to remember.
ROLT SMITH - The other thing I try to instill in young people is this: no matter what the experience is, good, bad, or different, try to always leave the production on good terms. When the show ends, you need to have good connections to get the next job. Having people speak highly of you is important because so much of our industry is about networking.
THE SCENE - Now, let's move on to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. How did you come to work on this show?
ROLT SMITH - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was already up and running in London, and the producers wanted to bring the show to Broadway. A New York production company was hired to manage the Broadway production, which includes, among other things, hiring the staff for the show. I had worked with this production company on a couple of other shows before; they called me and said, do you want to be considered for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? I was working on Kinky Boots at the time. I really loved working on that show, and I was not looking to leave. I eventually got a phone call from London that they wanted to meet me. I met with their technical production supervisor, who was overseeing all Harry Potter and the Cursed Child companies worldwide. He and I chatted for a while; we talked about the show, and he told me what it was going to be like. It was a lovely meeting, but after it was over, I thought, well, that was that. I won't hear anything back. Then I got a call from the production management team, saying they wanted me to meet with the show’s director. They also let it slip that the job was now between me and one other person. It was right around this point that I started to come around to the idea that something might be happening here. I met the director and the same technical director from my previous interview over Zoom. We had a nice conversation, but again, I just thought, you know, I don't get these things. Then, the same local production manager called me back a few days later to say they wanted me for the job. I did not expect that, but that's sort of how that all came about. It started with having worked with some people who knew me, liked me, and recommended me for the position.
THE SCENE – So you've been with this production since the very beginning of the Broadway run?
ROLT SMITH - Yes. They first sent me to London to spend a week with the team there, kind of learning as much as I could about the show before we started rehearsals in New York.
THE SCENE - What is a typical day like as PSM for Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?
ROLT SMITH - The day doesn't start when I go to the theater; the day starts when I wake up. For example, let's say I wake up on a Saturday when we have two shows. If I were to wake up at eight, there would already be text on my phone from actors who are not feeling well or are having some issue that needs to be addressed. It’s basically like putting together what the lineup is going to be for the next performance. And we are lucky in that for many of our roles, we have three understudies. So, it's also a question of determining who else is available, who's not on vacation, who doesn't have a day off for some reason, and who can cover a given role. It’s a lot about figuring out the logistics of how we're going to do the show tonight or this afternoon. In addition, we have some kind of press event happening that needs some attention. There are always emails and texts that are piling up, and those need to be addressed. I try to deal with things in the immediate so that nothing gets missed. So that's just what happens during the course of the day before I even get to the theater.
When I arrive at the theatre, it then becomes about going through the routine of making sure everything is where it's supposed to be in order for the performance to happen. After five years of working on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it's a very structured and very orderly process. The preparations we go through to make sure the show is ready for performance; you have to be precise even as you're checking things before we actually get to perform the show.
When I was a student, the thing they taught us was that the stage manager is responsible for everything. Anything that goes wrong is the stage manager's fault, and anything that goes right does not get the stage manager extra credit. However, what I’ve learned, particularly with Harry Potter, is that it's impossible for one person to carry that. And so, you have to have a team of people that you rely on. There's a whole team of stage managers that make all that happen. And often, for me, I will go in, and there's a whirlwind of activity, and I just get briefed on it. So, I know what's happening and can offer an opinion if I happen to have one. With that said, my team of Stage Managers have all been a part of this show from the very beginning with me. So, they know the show in many cases better than I do. And so, as issues come up, I will say to them, all right, this is happening. What do you think of this or tell me what we should do? What do you think is the best way to handle this? The point here is just that it does take a team, and this is not just Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It’s impossible for one person to do it all. It's very much about the department of stage management as opposed to the stage manager,
THE SCENE - As the Production Stage Manager, you oversee the entire Stage Management Department. For our readers who might not understand the difference between the roles, could you explain the difference, if any, between being a Production Stage Manager (PSM), Stage Manager (SM), and Assistant Stage Manager (ASM)?
ROLT SMITH - Yes, a lot of that is just names, and it's a way of kind of identifying the different positions. Someone has to be in charge, and so that's going to be your production stage manager. But there are situations in which you are the production stage manager, but they don't call you that. For example, when you work at Lincoln Center, they just don't call people by that name, and it may just be the rule included in the Actor’s Equity rulebook. The equity contract only identifies a stage manager and an assistant stage manager. Those are the only two names they give to anybody. So, the title of Production Stage Manager tends to sort of indicate sort of a more overall supervisory position. The stage manager is technically what we would call someone on a Broadway contract. That's a unique thing to Broadway: the way the contract is structured. The contract doesn't have to work that way anywhere else, and in many cases, it doesn't. What I would say for sort of helping educators understand the difference is that typically, when you're in rehearsal and putting the show together, the PSM is the one who's going to call the show, who's going to sort of oversee everybody else. But their main job during the run of the show is to call it. Your first assistant stage manager is going to be supervising the deck. Whatever changes and things might be happening on stage, that person would be the one who would sort of coordinate with the PSM. So, for example, if you're in tech and you're in a pause, and you need to go back and restart the scene, the PSM will say to the first ASM, I want to pick up from this moment, and the ASM’s job is to get everyone who’s on the deck ready to take it from that particular place in the script. As PSM, I will be informing the ASM to communicate about what piece of scenery we want to have ready, what props need to be set up, where cast members need to go, what they need to be dressed in, etc. This is why we have a team of ASMs because the PSM frequently needs to communicate with many different departments. With the PSM on deck: Instead of the PSM doing the nitty-gritty of all that, the ASMs on deck are going to make sure that, for example, that glass is filled with the right amount of water and that those eyeglasses are back in their case. It's all of that sort of intricate detail stuff that the team works together on to make sure it all happens seamlessly.
END OF PART 1
Part 2 of our interview with Rolt Smith, Production Stage Manager for the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will appear in next week’s edition of The Scene.
Please note: This interview occurred prior to the announcement that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be available for licensing to high school and secondary school theatre programs worldwide starting in 2024. Please visit LicenseCursedChild.com for more information.
Don’t forget to share this article with your Students… especially your aspiring Stage Managers!
Regional Theatre News
WALNUT STREET THEATRE TO STAGE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION by Margaret Hall, Playbill - The bio-musical is authorized by Elvis Presley Enterprises and features many of Presley's most popular songs.
THE GOODMAN THEATRE TO PRESENT LUCHA TEOTL, ABOUT MEXICAN MASKED WRESTLING by Kerry Reid, Playbill - The play about ‘lucha libre’ is hoping to bring in new audiences to the Chicago theatre.
THE CHER SHOW WILL KICK OFF NATIONAL TOUR IN NOVEMBER by Stephi Wild, Broadway World - Performances begin at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR, on November 19.
FREE READS
Read entire plays for free! Free Reads titles are perfect for your theatre, school, and competition performances. Click on the play’s title to be taken to the Play’s page; once you are there, click the "READ NOW" button, and enjoy!
The Great American College Tour
by Carrie McWethy (McCrossen) and Ian McWethy
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Comedy One-Act | 35 - 45 minutes | 2 W, 2 M, 12 Any (6-22 actors possible: 0-22 W, 0-22 M) | Set: Flexible
THE STORY: West is stuck. His friend Dara died in a car crash, and he doesn’t want to face his grief—or the feelings he had for her when she was alive. So instead, he breaks out his typewriter and starts chronicling the experiences of the students at his school. This is one day in the lives of the Day Children and the Night Children as they navigate death and love.
Drama | 45 - 60 minutes | 10 Any (10-60 actors possible) | Set: Minimal