About Us
OUR MISSION:
Cultivate community and share experience through
workshops and panels for stage managers of all levels.
What is SM COllective?
A series of workshop classes and panel discussions for Stage Managers in the Seattle area, SM Collective is focused on offering continuing education, building community, and exploring current topics. We aim to nurture a culture of mentorship, knowledge sharing and mutual support. By creating a space for new and seasoned stage managers to mingle and develop connections, we also hope to build better access to work opportunities and create a more accessible career pathway that isn't reliant on formal education.
We are currently in a pilot phase, with the hope of continuing to expand our programming soon. We welcome all feedback as we figure out the best format for this community. For the time being we are focusing on three core aspects:
Free Events
Programming will be free for all attendees, in an effort to remove cost as a barrier to participation and to discourage an attitude of consumerism.
During our pilot phase, events will include workshop classes and moderated panel discussions. Future programming will also include structured mentorship and shadowing opportunities.
Rotating Venues
Workshops will be hosted at a variety of theaters and performance spaces around Seattle, to broaden accessibility and discourage any one group from asserting ownership. We also hope to foster a collective sense of pride and responsibility, and provide an opportunity for stage managers to share with each other the various performance spaces we each call home.
Community Speakers
We have such a wealth of local knowledge and expertise, and not enough opportunities to pass it on. Workshops will be taught by people in our community, rather than a dedicated group of instructors.
Why now?
The last three years have caused many of us artists to question our relationship with theater. As we come back to work, we are different people with altered perspectives and priorities. We desire to be intentional in how we work, who we work with, and how we interact, and these changes require discussion, practice, and community support.
As another result of the pandemic, we have a shortage of qualified SMs living and working in Seattle. Many people retired, moved, or changed careers during the shut-down and there have been limited opportunities to train up the next generation. Local college programs are almost extinct and internship opportunities are rare, resulting in sparse access to even basic SM education. This lack of access to education is forcing theaters to hire young people into positions they are ill-equipped to succeed in.
For Seattle theatre to thrive we have to address these issues. By creating a space for continuing education and mutual support, SM Collective intends to train up the next generation of SMs, remind us to learn from each other, and engage with the issues facing our greater community.