The Stage Management Handbook

August 1, 1992
Ionazzi (productions, UCLA School of Theatre) offers this textbook for stage managers and stage management classes. It is arranged logically in four parts following the chronology of production. The last section is devoted to organizational behavior, an area not often developed in such texts. An especially useful section is the appendix containing a dozen clear and useful blank forms. Keeping paper flowing smoothly is an art the text emphasizes. The book is readable and provides many examples, with plenty of graphic illustration. Its major drawback is that it does not address the stage manager's professional union responsibilities. It is not as detailed as Lawrence Stern's similar Stage Management (Allyn & Bacon, 1992. 4th ed.), but it contains a good bibliography. This workable introduction to the stage manager's craft is recommended for academic and large public libraries.-- Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., Mass.

Copyright 1992 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 1992
Stage managing may be the most thankless theatrical job, but according to Ionazzi, it is the most responsibility laden and encompassing. Drawing on expertise as a stage manager, sometime assistant technical director for Juilliard, and current director of productions at the UCLA School of Theatre, he compiles a thorough handbook for those interested in professional stage management. Breaking down his analysis into four sections--preproduction, including research, planning, and auditions; rehearsals; performance; and human behavior, or how organizations are set up and individuals work within them--he sets up an ideal situation, covering facilities, designer considerations, actors' process, personnel needs, etc., noting that every production will be different. Ionazzi's tone is professional, and his perspective is first person, speaking directly to readers. Style assumes that readers are familiar with theater, although boxed glossary terms appear in the wide margins. Definitions are clear but, distractingly, not always relevant to adjacent text. An extensive bibliography of acting, design, and technical theater books is included. Solid treatment for the serious-minded. ((Reviewed Aug. 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)