Editing Theatre technique (section)

== Stage management and stagecraft ==
The [[stage manager]] has to work with the director, and ascertain whether both the director's objectives and the perceptions of the [[stage designer]]s are compatible and realistic. They are usually the link between the director and the rest of the company, and are responsible for the director's visions being passed down to each [[actor]] and member of the [[running crew]]. They are also responsible for [[safety]] and running an orderly backstage area. They maintain the prompt book and the [[call board]], to which [[rehearsal]] schedule notes are affixed for the cast.

[[Stagecraft]] overall has to address the various shortcomings of the stage's spatial and physical limitations. For example, the stage alone cannot be expected to provide wide and distant [[Panorama|vista]]s, or vast spaces where armies gather or huge masses of people congregate. Natural phenomena such as [[thunderstorm]]s or [[wind]]s, that are often part of the drama, cannot be recreated in their original form. Furthermore, because of the distance involved, it is difficult for actors to portray the feelings, tensions and passions of their characters to the [[audience]] with much distinctiveness.

It is for these reasons that special technologies and techniques have been developed from classical times onward to supplement and augment the effects that are to be realised. Technical specialists help to implement these techniques by providing expertise in various areas of the production. The stage manager and their team must ultimately draw all these separate techniques together to create an effective and successful stage production.

*[[Theatrical scenery|Sets and sceneries]] have to be designed and created in the [[workshop]]. They include outdoor and indoor scenes, or special types of constructions, and must also usually achieve the appearance of depth and distance within the spatial limitations of the [[Stage (theatre)|stage]].
*[[Stage lighting]] has to be provided to set the moods and sensitivities of the play, and to permit the showing of the emotional charge in the face of the actors, possibly reinforcing the pallor or vividness of their faces.
*[[Costume design|Costumes]] have to typify characters from the moment they appear on stage and signify the period or the social milieu in which the characters are to be seen. They can also indicate the characters' circumstances (whether they should appear rich or poor) or even whether they should be seen as [[comedy|comic]] or [[tragedy|tragic]] personae.
*[[Sound design|Sound effect]]s have to convey natural phenomena, such as wind or storm. However, it is also their function to call forth moods and feelings the audience will recognise.
*[[Special effect]]s have to deliver the imitations of physical actions on stage, such as explosions, fireworks, fog, or even earthquakes that are often part of the story.
*'''Rigging''' is an important aspect that is not often visible. All sound and lighting features and their cabling and wiring have to be held in a safe position, above both the stage and the auditorium, and therefore require specialist temporary and permanent fittings to be installed.
*The [[technical director]], especially in larger theatres, has the responsibility of overseeing the rigging and construction of the stage scenery. They create working drawings from the scenic designer's drawings in order to pass on the designs to the scene shop.