Annual Salary
£22,000 to £48,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Stage managers make sure the sets, equipment and props are ready for the opening of a performance.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
0.5% more Stage manager jobs in 2027.
In this role you could:
You could work in a theatre, at a TV studio or at a film studio.
Your working environment may be noisy, physically demanding and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through:
You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in stage management, or a related subject like:
You can search for approved courses through the Stage Management Association and the Federation of Drama Schools.
You'll often need practical backstage experience to apply for a course. You can get relevant experience from:student, amateur or community theatre; working as a casual stagehand in local theatre venues
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, for example:
The skills you'll learn on these courses could help when you look for a trainee assistant manager job with a stage or production company.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to do a creative industries production management degree apprenticeship.
You'll usually need experience in production management or production accounting to do this.
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
You may be able to move into stage management after training as an actor. You could also work your way up if you have several years' experience as a backstage theatre technician.
You can join the Stage Management Association for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
You can find out more about becoming a stage manager from the Stage Management Association.
You can get more information on working in creative careers from Get Into Theatre and Discover Creative Careers.
With experience, you could manage a theatre company, become a theatre producer, or move into TV or film production.
You could run your own business providing services to theatres like props or lighting design, or become a theatre consultant.
You can find out more about becoming a stage manager from the Stage Management Association and Creative Choices.
You'll need: