Stage Managers for FROZEN, SPONGEBOB & JERSEY BOYS to Headline 2018 Broadway Stage Management Symposium

The Broadway Stage Management Symposium (BSMS) is back by popular demand for a fourth year of in-depth panels and networking with Broadway's top stage managers.

The 2018 BSMS will be led by Julia P. Jones, Lisa Dawn Cave, and Richard Hester, who have over 75 combined years of experience on Broadway working on over 50 Broadway productions.

Stage managers bring all the elements of a show together from tracking props and making schedules, to teaching the understudies and calling cues. They do not receive ovations or awards, yet insure that every element of a show is working the way the creative team intended. A good stage manager is critical to the success of any show.

The BSMS brings together the most experienced and highly-regarded Stage Management professionals on Broadway for an immersive two-day program that offers practical insights, instruction and inspiration for anyone interested in stage management. This one-of-a-kind program offers practical career advice for college students and young stage managers alike, and shares deep insights into the why's and how's, that only come with the benefits of decades on Broadway.

BSMS provides a unique forum to engage with these tops professionals. Panelists cover a wide variety of topics from technical skills (calling large scale shows, automation, safety) to philosophical matters (leadership, work/life balance, teamwork). There is always time to interact with the panelists in Q&A sessions, during breaks and at the very popular wrap party.

BSMS is also a great networking opportunity, helping attendees exponentially increase their professional network and opportunities for employment. Past attendees have come from all over the U.S., as well as Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Mexico and Australia!

This educational intensive is open to the public (see website for full details, pricing, group and early bird discounts).

The 2018 BSMS will be held June 2 - 3, 2018 in midtown Manhattan, one week before the Tony Awards.

Julia P. Jones is the Production Stage Manager for the upcoming Broadway musical, SpongeBob Squarepants. Her other Broadway credits include: Bandstand, An American In Paris, Motown the Musical, Ghost the Musical, A Little Night Music, Young Frankenstein, Tarzan, The Producers and Urinetown as well as three National Tours.

Richard Hester was the original Broadway Production Stage Manager for the smash hit Jersey Boys and manages numerous international companies of the show all over the world as Production Supervisor. Other Broadway credits include: Gypsy, Sweet Smell of Success, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, Titanic, The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden, A Delicate Balance, The Red Shoes. Richard also spent ten years with Patti LuPone as her Production Supervisor on the road.

Lisa Dawn Cave is the Production Stage Manager for the highly anticipated Broadway musical Frozen. Other Broadway credits include: Shuffle Along..., Fun Home, Rocky, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Bring It On!, West Side Story, Come Fly Away, The Color Purple, Hot Feet, The Woman in White, Julius Caesar, Caroline or Change, Into The Woods, The Wild Party, Parade, Smokey Joe's Café and Show Boat.

Other Broadway Stage Managers scheduled to participate include: Narda Alcorn (A Raisin In The Sun, Fences and more), Michael Krug (Groundhog Day, Matilda the Musical), Michael Wilhoite (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Finding Neverland, Spider-Man and more), MK Flynt (Once On This Island, Something Rotten, Annie and more), Matthew Dicarlo (The Play That Goes Wrong, The Color Purple, Rock of Ages), Emily Hayes (Groundhog Day, Curious Incident...). More speakers are continually being added to the 2018 roster and will be announced at a later date. Last year featured over 20 Broadway Stage Managers!

Founded by seasoned Broadway stage manager and educator, Matthew Stern who has worked on over twenty Broadway productions including Finding Neverland, On The Town, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Death Of A Salesman (with Philip Seymour Hoffman), Fiddler On The Roof (with Alfred Molina & Harvey Fierstein), Enchanted April (with Molly Ringwald & Jayne Atkinson), The Full Monty, and many more.

Stern is on the faculty of SUNY Purchase and has taught at UC San Diego. Inspired by his students' enthusiasm to learn what it really takes to manage a Broadway show, he brings together his colleagues and fellow Broadway stage managers for this intensive weekend of panels, seminars and lectures, the Broadway Stage Management Symposium.

For more information, visit www.broadwaysymposium.com, or follow on Twitter @broadwaysym, Instagram @broadwaysymposium, Facebook: www.facebook.com/broadwaysymposium, and tumblr: bwaysmsymposium.tumblr.com.