Meet Your Idol : A Broadway stage manager

I think a lot of people who knew me in the past knew I was a stage manager.

I wanted to at some point in my career hit Broadway because everyone else did. I absolutely idolized those stage managers who reached the absolute top of our career which is, of course, Broadway.

I left theater for a long time, and I later would come back, I would be introduced virtually to a few stage managers, not that many Broadway ones however. Most were pretty cool. Not much in the way of rank pulling. I don’t even know (for the most part) who is full time, who is a volunteer, or sometimes who is even a student.

But I did meet this really cool guy named Matt Stern who does a shitton of stage management education (online of course). He was, in fact, a former Broadway stage manager. Pretty cool in my book.

I would about two weeks ago get to work with him on a project, where I was his assistant and met him in person and work with him for 5 days. This is as close as I’m getting to Broadway folks.

It absolutely was such a privilege. And yes, I would be giddy even if it was not one of the stage managers who has dedicated their lives to stage management education (you all know I love education). And no, it didn’t have to be Matt specifically, realistically I would idolize any Broadway stage manager and be thrilled to meet them.

But man was I glad that it was him since we knew each other and I was taking his event training class, I could spend more time with him (and trying to learn from him) without it being totally weird. I’m just glad he was as sweet as he appeared in his classes, though I think he was way funnier in person.

And I got compliments from him! *cries*

If you end up reading this somehow Matt, seriously, you don’t even know what your words, friendship, and this whole experience meant to me.

Completed : 2023

Meet your Idol – Anthony Galie

Lots of people on the hypnosis circuit know who he is. We actually spoke on Zoom about a project I was working on although I was also asking to know more about the corporate trainer thing that he has as well as his theory about hypnosis which sounds reasonable. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I did appreciate the Hawaiian shirt rather than the suit. He was ok, though being asked for favours to get his friend’s school into my alma mater when my daughter, the legacy, didn’t get in was probably a little much. I wonder what he would have given me had I got her in and I know he didn’t appreciate my thesis and how it was set up, but it was as good as I could do with the Covid pandemic. Plus IRB would not have allowed it.

All in all, definitely an interesting experience.

Completed : 2021

Meet your Idol – Davy Jones

Throw back to the early 1990s.

I actually met one of my musical idols when I was in elementary school. I grew up in a 60s station and even before that I liked The Monkees. So I was brought to work one day and I ended up meeting Davy Jones. He was ok, but was kinda rude because he wanted me to go to a show he was starring in. I just overall was not all that impressed.

Completed : Early 1990s