Stage & Production Management

Students sit at tables in a darkened theater, with computers and technical equipment; one student stage manager, wearing a headset, is lit by a computer screen light.

Where Artistry Meets Logistics

Carnegie Mellon’s stage and production management program trains the unsung architects of theatrical magic. A vital part of the School of Drama’s collaborative community, stage and production managers bring order to artistic processes, shepherding creative vision to realized production. With faculty who work professionally in the field, and a tight knit alumni community spanning the country, students are set up for success not only with their training, but also with a built-in industry network upon graduation.

Two student production managers wearing white hard hats sit at a table in a black box theater, working on their laptops.

Stage & Production Management Curriculum

Students study and practice both stage and production management, honing their communication and leadership skills alongside their technical and organizational knowledge. The School of Drama’s ambitious production season offers stage and production managers a multitude of opportunities to put their education into practice.

Click the link and navigate through each program’s curriculum using the gray menu on the right hand side of the screen.

curriculum

Student Work

A student wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and a white hard hat stands at a table in a black box theater, preparing cables, during a production load-in.

Hands-On Opportunities

Stage & Production Management student Alexander Farrell (Class of 2025) working on load-in for the School of Drama’s production of “Dance Nation” in the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater, December 2023.

A student stage manager wears a headset and sits at a tech table with his production book open, and a microphone in front of him.

Production Experience

Benjamin King (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2018) calling a show in tech rehearsal.

Three students, wearing dresses, stand on a staircase in the lobby of the Purnell Center for the Arts.

Special Projects

Megan Hanna (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2024), Maureen Pace (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2024), and Akshatha Srivastava (Technical Direction, Class of 2024) were the leadership committee of Playground XXI.

Maureen served as Festival Manager, Akshatha as Technical Supervisor, and Megan as Festival Producer.

Playground is a week-long festival of independent student work that has become one of the School of Drama’s hallmarks. In addition to providing opportunities for students to create their own artistic work, it also provides students a valuable festival management and producing opportunity.

Playground
A group of students pose with arms out and big smiles, in front of the Universal Studios globe statue in Los Angeles.

Career Connections

The Stage & Production Management Class of 2024 toured Universal Studios as part of their Creators’ Expo.

Each year, the graduating class has the opportunity to travel to New York and LA to meet our alumni networks, tour shops and studios, showcase their portfolios, and more.

A large group of students pose for a picture, smiling, under a large sign that says ARENA.

Field Trips & Guest Artists

Stage & Production Management students took a field trip to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh to meet with the stage management team of the touring Cirque du Soleil company presenting “Crystal,” which was artistic directed by School of Drama alumna Crystal Manich (Class of 2004).

A student wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and a white hard hat stands at a table in a black box theater, preparing cables, during a production load-in.

Hands-On Opportunities

Stage & Production Management student Alexander Farrell (Class of 2025) working on load-in for the School of Drama’s production of “Dance Nation” in the Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater, December 2023.

A student stage manager wears a headset and sits at a tech table with his production book open, and a microphone in front of him.

Production Experience

Benjamin King (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2018) calling a show in tech rehearsal.

Three students, wearing dresses, stand on a staircase in the lobby of the Purnell Center for the Arts.

Special Projects

Megan Hanna (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2024), Maureen Pace (Stage & Production Management, Class of 2024), and Akshatha Srivastava (Technical Direction, Class of 2024) were the leadership committee of Playground XXI.

Maureen served as Festival Manager, Akshatha as Technical Supervisor, and Megan as Festival Producer.

Playground is a week-long festival of independent student work that has become one of the School of Drama’s hallmarks. In addition to providing opportunities for students to create their own artistic work, it also provides students a valuable festival management and producing opportunity.

Playground
A group of students pose with arms out and big smiles, in front of the Universal Studios globe statue in Los Angeles.

Career Connections

The Stage & Production Management Class of 2024 toured Universal Studios as part of their Creators’ Expo.

Each year, the graduating class has the opportunity to travel to New York and LA to meet our alumni networks, tour shops and studios, showcase their portfolios, and more.

A large group of students pose for a picture, smiling, under a large sign that says ARENA.

Field Trips & Guest Artists

Stage & Production Management students took a field trip to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh to meet with the stage management team of the touring Cirque du Soleil company presenting “Crystal,” which was artistic directed by School of Drama alumna Crystal Manich (Class of 2004).

Photo of Ben King - a white man with light brown hair and beard, wearing glasses and a black t-shirt.

“The production framework of the School of Drama, which is modeled after both regional and commercial theaters and scene shops, provided me with management experiences that I still draw upon in my professional career everyday.”

-Ben King, Stage & Production Management Class of 2018

alumni stories

Photo of Alana Clapp, a woman with long dark hair wearing a black shirt.

Alana Clapp

 Photo of Ben King - a white man with light brown hair and beard, wearing glasses and a black t-shirt.

Ben King

 View More

Featured Faculty

Black and white photo of Tina Shackleford, a white woman with curly blonde hair.

Tina Shackleford

Teaching Professor of Stage Management

Tina teaches Stage Management and Production in the School of Drama, and currently serves as Area Chair for Production Technology and Management.

Read Full Bio
Photo of Miso Wei, an Asian woman with medium length dark hair, wearing a cream colored sweater, smiling.

Miso Wei

Assistant Teaching Professor of Stage & Production Management

Miso Wei is a member of the Production Technology and Management department. She teaches courses such as Stage Management, Production Management, Communication, International and Cross-Cultural Management, and Embodiment Leadership.

Read Full Bio
Photo of David Holcomb, a white man with a bald head and white facial hair, wearing glasses and a blue collared shirt with a paper airplanes patterns.

David Holcomb

Associate Head, Director of Production

Having been at the School of Drama since 2003, David’s primary focus is the operation of the production laboratory experience. He teaches upper-level production management classes and mentors students in PM positions in their production lab experiences. He also consults on and/or manages data systems used to keep the School of Drama operating efficiently.

Read Full Bio
Photo of Sayantee Sahoo, an Indian woman with short dark hair, with a light streak, wearing large hoop earrings and a collared shirt.

Sayantee Sahoo

Production Manager

Sayantee Sahoo is the Production Manager for the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University.

Read Full Bio
View all Faculty

Are you ready to take the next step toward your dreams? Learn more about our application, audition, and interview process.

Apply Today
train with the experts.