Introduction to Stage Management

A pair of hands marking up a floor with measuring tape.

Our Introduction to Stage Management course returned to the National Theatre in October 2023. The course runs online and at the National Theatre, on London’s South Bank. It offers an in-depth and free introduction to the art of stage management, led by our in-house teams.

Applications are currently closed.

Got a question? Please get in touch with our Young People team.

Get in touch

How it works

The Stage Management course is a hybrid course that introduces participants to the role of the stage manager. Sessions may include:

The role of stage management during every stage of the production process
How to get ready for rehearsals, including marking up the set and preparing the props
Managing rehearsals, including production and creative team meetings
Running the show, including management of the company, team, set and crew
What a Deputy Stage Manager does
Observing a technical run of a National Theatre production

Sessions are a mix of online and in-person at the National Theatre.

Two people kneeling on a floor marking it up using a tape measurement.

Recruitment

The National Theatre’s Young People programme is committed to diversity and access.

Therefore, we concentrate our recruitment on young people from groups underrepresented in stage management including:

young people from the global majority;
young people from working class backgrounds;
and d/Deaf, neurodivergent and disabled young people.

Two people wearing headsets sitting backstage with a prompt script.

Our funders

The Young People’s programmes are supported by Bank of America, The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation and the Richard Radcliffe Trust. With thanks to the MAP Fund.

The Mohn Westlake Foundation supports nationwide Learning programmes for young people.

Nationwide learning is supported by Buffini Chao Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation, Tim and Sarah Bunting, Behrens Foundation, Cleopatra Trust and Milton Grundy Foundation.

Find out more about supporting our work