What Should I Put in My Stage Manager Kit

Spike tape, pencils, a stopwatch, a flashlight, safety pins and bandages first: what goes in your kit, part by part.

What Should I Put in My Stage Manager Kit

  1. Spike tape in a second colorOne handbook plans a color for each set of scenery, so the two acts differ.
  2. Glow tapeFor spots the cast must find in the dark; one handbook likes small punched circles of it.
  3. White gaff tapeFor the dark areas of a theatre, where one handbook says glow tape is not appropriate.
  4. Masking tapeOutlines and labels each prop's place on the props table. Not for the stage floor.
  5. Caution tapeFlags a hazard on a set that is still being built.
  6. Tape measureFor taping the ground plan onto the rehearsal room floor.
  7. Cloth measuring tapeThe soft kind, for measuring a person and not a floor.
  8. Scale ruleReads distances off a ground plan that is drawn to scale.
  9. ChalkA mark that wipes away, for a place where tape will not do.
  10. Spike tapeMarks where furniture and scenery sit, and lifts off a floor more cleanly than other tape.

Next step Draw a musical to stage next

All 62 things for the kit

Tape and measuring 10

  • Caution tape Flags a hazard on a set that is still being built.
  • Chalk A mark that wipes away, for a place where tape will not do.
  • Cloth measuring tape The soft kind, for measuring a person and not a floor.
  • Glow tape For spots the cast must find in the dark; one handbook likes small punched circles of it.
  • Masking tape Outlines and labels each prop's place on the props table. Not for the stage floor.
  • Scale rule Reads distances off a ground plan that is drawn to scale.
  • Spike tape Marks where furniture and scenery sit, and lifts off a floor more cleanly than other tape.
  • Spike tape in a second color One handbook plans a color for each set of scenery, so the two acts differ.
  • Tape measure For taping the ground plan onto the rehearsal room floor.
  • White gaff tape For the dark areas of a theatre, where one handbook says glow tape is not appropriate.

Writing and paperwork 22

  • Binder clips For a stack too thick for a paper clip.
  • Clipboard with blank report forms Notes written during rehearsal end up in one place.
  • Correction fluid For the one form that had to be in ink.
  • Erasers Every change to the blocking starts with one.
  • Extra clean copy of the script For the actor or designer who arrives without one.
  • Glue stick Sticks a cut-down script page onto a full sheet.
  • Highlighters One color for each kind of cue keeps a page readable.
  • Hole punch Every new page goes into the prompt book binder.
  • Mechanical pencils Blocking changes, so the prompt book is written in pencil.
  • Paper clips Hold a scene's pages together without making a hole.
  • Pencil sharpener For the box of pencils that comes back blunt.
  • Pens For audition forms and sign-in sheets.
  • Permanent markers For labels on props tables, tape and anything that walks off.
  • Rubber bands Bundle pencils, scripts and rolled plans.
  • Scissors For tape, paper and loose threads.
  • Sharpened pencils to hand out Actors write blocking in their scripts and seldom bring a pencil.
  • Staple remover For the callboard, when old notices come down.
  • Stapler Schedules and sides come off the copier loose.
  • Staples A stapler runs out in the middle of auditions.
  • Sticky flags Mark the pages you must find again fast.
  • Sticky notes A note for the page that is not yours to write on.
  • USB drive Carries paperwork to whichever printer is working.

First aid and comfort 12

  • Adhesive bandages For the paper cut or scraped knuckle of an ordinary rehearsal.
  • Cotton swabs Also used at the makeup table.
  • First aid tape Kept apart from the stage tapes, so nobody mixes them up.
  • Gauze For a scrape that is wider than a bandage.
  • Hand lotion For hands that tear tape and move furniture all evening.
  • Hand sanitizer For shared props and shared pencils.
  • Instant ice pack The instant kind, which you snap to make cold.
  • Lip balm For anyone who talks for three hours under stage lights.
  • Pads A few in a zip bag, so nobody has to ask twice.
  • Rubber gloves Pulled on before anyone cleans up a spill or a scrape.
  • Tampons In the kit, so nobody has to leave rehearsal to find one.
  • Tissues A rehearsal room never has a box of its own.

Tools 8

  • Batteries, in several sizes Match them to what is in the kit and in the booth.
  • Glasses repair kit A tiny screwdriver, for the actor whose glasses lose a screw.
  • Multi-head screwdriver One handle and several tips, for whatever screw comes loose.
  • Multi-tool One handbook lists it with the tools a run crew should carry.
  • Power strip A stage manager's table has a laptop, a lamp and one outlet.
  • Small flashlight For the dark backstage and for reading a script in a blackout.
  • Stopwatch Times scenes and breaks; one handbook recommends one that is not your phone.
  • Wrench For the bolt on a rehearsal piece that has worked loose.

For the actors 10

  • Breath mints A kindness before a scene played at close range.
  • Chewing gum For the break, not the scene.
  • Clear nail polish A dab stops a run in a pair of tights from spreading.
  • Dental floss For after the dinner break; in a pinch it sews on a button.
  • Elastic hair ties For rehearsal skirts, long hair and dance calls.
  • Lint roller Black costumes show everything.
  • Nail clippers For a snagged nail before it catches on a costume.
  • Needles and thread For the button that a safety pin cannot replace.
  • Safety pins The first fix for a costume that gives way before an entrance.
  • Toothpaste For the actor who came straight from dinner.

How it works

These 62 things to put in a stage manager kit cover tape and measuring, writing and paperwork, first aid and comfort, tools, things for the actors and things for the booth.

Read the full guide

Where the list comes from

Most rows are the kit list printed in the Stage Management Handbook of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Indiana University South Bend, with brand names swapped for plain ones. The rest come from the handbooks of five other college theatre departments, named under the list. The pain relievers, ointment and cough drops on the published lists are left off.

Start with one box

The South Bend handbook says the contents of your kit are your choice, and that it may grow the longer you stage manage. Begin with tape, pencils, a stopwatch, a flashlight, safety pins and bandages, in a box you can carry in one hand.

  • Restock the kit the day after closing, while you remember what ran out.
  • Several of these departments lend a stocked kit: ask before you buy your own.

Questions and answers

What is a stage manager kit?

A box of supplies a stage manager brings to every rehearsal and performance. The Indiana University South Bend handbook calls it a host of tools that make rehearsals and performances run smoothly, and says it is typically kept in a tackle box.

What tape does a stage manager need?

Spike tape in more than one color, to mark where scenery and furniture sit; glow tape, for places the cast must find in the dark; and white gaff tape for the dark areas of a theatre, where one handbook says glow tape is not appropriate.

What should a student stage manager have in a kit?

Sharpened pencils to hand out, erasers, sticky notes, a stopwatch, a small flashlight, spike tape, safety pins, hair ties, tissues and adhesive bandages. Add the rest as a show asks for it.

Should a stage manager kit have medicine in it?

Ask your theatre or school first. Published kit lists include pain relievers and ointment, but whether a stage manager may hand them out is the theatre's rule. This list leaves them off.

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