The Show Must Go On: Leading Factors in the Burnout of Stage Managers

Stage managers are the key to making theatre move onstage and in the audience. To keep the show, we need to take care of our stage managers. Many have voiced concerns about burnout from their time in the stage management industry (McGraw 2024, 12). Burnout can be defined as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” and characterized by three main dimensions: “energy depletion and exhaustion; feelings of cynicism and increased mental distance related to the individual’s job; and reduced professional efficiency in the individual’s workplace” (World Health Organization 2019). In this study, research and survey data was gathered, aiming to identify the prominent factors leading to “burn-out” in the stage management industry.