Thank You, Places...Production Stage Manager DANIEL DeVAULT

What's a stage manager? What do they do? What's their job? Seriously. Perhaps no job in the theater is as hard to define as that of a production stage manager and it's that blend of mystery, fear and total dependence that makes actors, directors, crew members, producers - you name it! - hold a really great stage manager in total awe and to revile someone who is (how do you say it, without offending anyone?) less than stellar in their position?

According to Wikipedia, "Stage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel (e.g., between director and backstage crew, or actors and production management)." And that's a pretty good definition, to be sure.

However, it doesn't quite do justice to the amazing stage managers who can make a good production a great one. As they ride herd over everyone connected to a show, while maintaining the integrity of what has been created, the stage manager's responsibilities are many and varied, and by the wave of a hand or the pointed gesticulation of a colored marker or highlighter, they can work miracles that oftentimes save a production from certain failure.

Yet despite their magical powers and all the wizardry they can summon at any particular moment, stage managers seldom get the attention, the adulation or the respect they so richly deserve...because they are simply so good at their job that they seamlessly move from one task to the next, one project to the next that they don't call attention to their awesomeness.

With this - our latest regular feature - we hope to rectify that and shine the spotlight on the individuals who make the shows run with the precision of a Swiss timepiece. Thank You, Places... is our opportunity to edify the theater-goer by introducing you to some of the best production stage managers to be found on the planet.

Today, we introduce you to PSM Daniel DeVault, whose latest project - Sister Act, The Musical - opens Thursday at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre. Clearly, he is one of Tennessee's finest:

What was your first stage management gig? And your most recent? My first gig outside of school was the professional stage management internship with the Nashville Repertory Theatre (then called the Tennessee Rep). I was on staff as the ASM for the 2011-12 season. For the past two years, I've been the Production Stage Manager at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre. I'm currently overlapping shows (as usual) running performances for Beau Jest and rehearsals for Sister Act, for which I'll be designing lights as well.

How did you get into stage managing to begin with? When I was a sophomore in high school I wasn't cast in the fall play, but my best friend was the Stage Manager. I basically made myself her assistant without any invitation so I could still be involved. I showed up to every rehearsal, helped every way I could, and when tech week came around and they were handing out headsets I said, "Where's mine?" Little did I know that that decision would follow me all the way into a career. I guess not getting cast in a play at 15 turned out to have a profound impact on my life - in a great way.

What's the biggest misconception most people have about stage managers I frequently hear that Stage Managers are mean, or are supposed to be, but that's not true. They're just your managers like exist at every job. They can enjoy their jobs and still be firm when necessary. That's one thing that makes a good Stage Manager. They're the only person who understands every aspect of any production, and they are in communication with every department. I've said a few times that a big part of my job is taking bad news and making it sound better than it is.

What's your favorite "the show must go on" moment? A few years ago I stage managed a show where several minutes before the end of Act One, which concluded with voiceovers and sound effects, the computer I was running sound on shut itself off for no apparent reason; we were all baffled. After getting my light board op to run to his car, get his laptop and try to download the sound cues from my thumb drive on to his computer (there just wasn't enough time), I sent the director backstage to cue the percussionists to pick up the sound cues. They did, the lead actress realized what was happening, spoke her lines that were supposed to be voiced over, and we went to intermission with the audience none the wiser. We got everything up and running properly for Act Two.

How do you prepare for a new production? Even before auditions or rehearsals start? Before production, I like to talk to the director to see if there's anything special or particular they're going to need from me for the show. I put together actor scripts, rehearsal schedules, contact sheets, dramaturgical information (if necessary), and any other important documents. Being on staff with the same company for an extended period of time and running shows nearly every single weekend of the year, some of these things just become second nature.

What's the most outlandish thing ever asked of you as a stage manager? Good question. Honestly, some of the most ridiculous things I've had to do were just a part of the job. Mixing fake vomit and crawling under the stage every day to hook up the "vomit machine" would rank up there. My favorite might be driving Jerry Lewis' electric scooter through TPAC to make sure he got it when he was supposed to. But under things that weren't supposed to happen, I once had to run out of the booth to help an actor move a set piece during a scene change when another actor was late and somehow made it back to the booth before the next cue. The rest of the cast had no idea until after the show.

Daniel DeVault is an actor, director, stage manager, and Nashville native; he has been stage managing at Chaffin's Barn since April 2015. Prior to joining the Barn staff, Daniel stage managed the 2014 production of Spirit in Adams, Tennessee, was a Production Assistant on the world premiere of The Nutty Professor Musical at TPAC, and was a Professional Stage Management Intern for Nashville Repertory Theatre. Selected directing credits include Clybourne Park (Circle Players), Arsenic and Old Lace (ACT 1), and The Woman in Black (Nashville Repertory Theatre); selected acting credits include Equus (KB Productions), One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Circle Players), and Ded Herring (Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre). Daniel was also recently featured in American Theatre Magazine for his local work promoting empathy and crucial conversations through theatre and the arts. He has a B.A. in Theatre Performance and Design from Roanoke College.

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