Welcome to Half-Hour
Learn the craft. Lead with clarity, and Level up your backstage leadership with tools, insights, and strategies built for the real world of live entertainment.
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Stage Management 101:
The Complete Guide
How to Advance a Show
in Live Entertainment
Building a Career:
The Long Term Playbook
How to Safely Stop a Show
A Stage Manager’s Guide
Check out the latest articles
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Ever wonder: What Does an Assistant Stage Manager Actually Do?
A grounded, real-world look at Assistant Stage Manager responsibilities across every phase of production, from prep to performance and everything between.
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What We Practice We Become
In theatre and leadership, What We Practice We Become. The rare moments of truth in rehearsal rooms remind us that showing up with presence is enough.
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Connection: The True Currency of Leadership
Connection is the heart of leadership. Explore how stage managers build trust, community, and resilience at the Broadway Stage Management Symposium.
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We Need to Redefine Professionalism
What if professionalism isn’t about being polished—but about being present? This piece explores how the old rules silence creativity and how backstage leadership could look radically more human.
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Why I Created a Personal Code of Ethics as a Stage Manager
🎧 Listen to Ep 10: Living the Code where I take a closer look at my own values and how this has made an impact on my leadership style and perspective. Before I knew what a personal code of ethics was, I was already living one, just not consciously. What’s kept me in this work
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Culture, Burnout, and Why People Stay
Culture Burnout and Why People Stay shows how leadership and workplace culture shape burnout and loyalty in high-pressure creative environments.
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Emergency Preparedness Is Leadership: What Happens When You’re the Calm in the Chaos
Emergency Preparedness Is Leadership: What Happens When You’re the Calm in the Chaos. Leadership shows up when the plan fails and presence steadies the room.
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5 Powerful Lessons About Leadership When You’re Not in the Room
These 5 powerful lessons about leadership reveal how your systems, culture, and influence show up when you’re not in the room. True leadership lasts in your absence.
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Leadership When You Are Not in the Room
What happens when you step away? Leadership when you are not in the room is about systems, trust, and clarity that let your team thrive without you.
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The Micromanagement Myth: Why Hands-On Leadership Isn’t Always the Enemy
Micromanagement is often framed as a leadership flaw—one that stifles creativity, breeds resentment, and undermines trust. While excessive control can certainly create dysfunction, dismissing micromanagement entirely overlooks its role as a strategic leadership tool in stage and production management. In high-stakes environments where safety, precision, and consistency are non-negotiable, hands-on leadership isn’t just helpful; it’s
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Asking for a Raise and Countering in Negotiations
With The Four Rules of Negotiation now let’s take a deeper look how to approach salary negotiations with new offers or with a position you already hold. All very important tactics and tips for advancing your career as a leader in entertainment. Timing Matters Asking for a raise or negotiating your salary isn’t just about
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The 4 Rules of Negotiating
Negotiating your salary isn’t easy, but it’s vital for a sustainable career. Here’s how stage and production managers can approach pay conversations with confidence.