Course in stage management
Workshop in production management
Executive Master’s in sponsoring and fundraising for the arts
T
he Stage Management course provides training for those intending to undertake a professional career as a stage manager for opera, ballet, plays, musicals, and other market sectors of relevance. A stage manager supervises and coordinates all technical and support activities for a staged performance or event, working in close collaboration with the stage director, music director (musicals and opera), and ballet director (for dance performances).
HIGHLIGHTS
01.
EXPERT GUIDANCE
The course is led by Teatro alla Scala stage managers and other professionals and complemented with a broad review of theatre and the international context.
02.
PRACTICE
Hands-on experience is a fundamental element in the curriculum: lessons in theory are complemented by practical exercises in the classroom, rehearsal room, and on stage.
03.
PROJECT WORK
The course includes a final exam, which involves the preparation and rehearsal of a management plan for an opera or ballet.
04.
INTERNSHIP
The 300-hour internship at Teatro alla Scala or other prestigious Italian institutes is a key element of the course.
Recap 2024-25
Teaching units and staff
CORE SUBJECT
Stage Management Theory and Technique
Stage Directors Luca Bonini, Andrea Boi, Davide Armati Battistelli, Barbara Patruno, Laurent Daniel Gerber, Luisella Caielli, Pietro Paolucci, and Lucio Mazzoli
- Organizational and technical role of the stage director in opera, drama, and concert theatres.
- Regulation of stage activities in indoor and outdoor venues.
- Observation and Direction of rehearsals and performances.
- Music theory, solfège, score preparation.
COMPLEMENTARY SUBJECTS
Introduction to the professional figures in the performing arts
Umberto Bellodi, La Scala Academy coordinator
- Professional profiles in the performing arts.
Institutional nature of producers and/or host organizations
Mariano Festa, Institutional Relations, Teatro alla Scala
- Opera and Symphony foundations.
- Policy, institutions, legislation.
Field Project
in collaboration with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano
PTM professionals
- Focus on production and stage management in drama theatre.
Production Organization
Maria De Rosa and Nadia Ferrigno, Teatro alla Scala Department of Production Organization
Michele Sciolla, musical services director, Teatro alla Scala
Andrea Minetto, consultant and project manager
Paolo Belluso, tour manager
- Production organization for opera, festivals, and tours.
- Focus on production organization and planning, Teatro alla Scala
- Musical services and the role of the assistant conductor/piano accompanist.
Introduction to the role of assistant stage manager
Marco Monzini, collaborating stage manager, Teatro alla Scala
- The role of the assistant stage manager in opera
Elements of stage technique for stage management
Oscar Frosio, lighting designer
Andrea Ferrario, sound designer
Giuseppe Tolva, Stagehand Department, Teatro alla Scala
- Teatro alla Scala department heads
- Theatre lighting
- Sound technology
- Meetings with Teatro alla Scala department heads: makeup, costumes, sound, stagehands, props, footwear
- Stage organization, coexistence during performances
- Specific terminology
PERFORMING ARTS CULTURE
Music history and repertoire analysis
Fabio Sartorelli, musicologist
Paolo Piazza, assistant conductor, Teatro alla Scala
- Requisite knowledge of musical repertoire for stage managers
- Music itineraries, aspects of dramaturgy
- History of Italian opera from its origins to the early 20th century
- Analysis and study of selected opera titles
Stagecraft
Ruggero Bellini, Head of Set Design Workshops, Teatro alla Scala
Stefania Cavallin, Assistant to the Technical Director, Teatro alla Scala
- Elements and terminology of stagecraft
- Specific nomenclature
- Two-dimensional technical design, reading and understanding plans and sections
- Special effects in the theatre
- Comprehension and reading of sketches, figurines, and theatre models
- Tours of former Ansaldo workshops, Teatro alla Scala
- From design to execution, from the stage to the performance
History of ballet
Fabio Sartorelli, musicologist
Vito Lentini, dance and ballet historian and critic
- Notable La Scala ballets, music, choreographer, performers
- Advanced contemporary repertoire from the 1990s to the present day
History of theatre costumes
Chiara Donato, costumer
- Historical development of theatre costumes
- Stage props and costume shop tools
- Stage organization for costume changes
History of theatre stage set design
Leila Fteita, set designer
Stefania Cavallin, Assistant to the Technical Director, Teatro alla Scala
- History of set design
- The creative process from sketches to construction drawings
- Set designer – stage manager relations during set construction and setup
- Guided tours
CAREER ORIENTATION
Teamwork for teaching
La Scala Academy staff
- How to manage interpersonal dynamics in a learning group.
- How to gauge learning in specific moments in order to assess progress of each individual toward general course objectives.
Career Orientation
Marco Aldo Amoruso, Teatro alla Scala HR Director
La Scala Academy staff
- Presenting oneself professionally
- Characteristics of the job market
- Professional contracts
- Internship orientation
English for the performing arts
Polly James, native speaker and teacher of English
- English for the performing arts
Interpersonal and organizational competencies
Rita Cannata, HR specialist
- Individual interviews and the expression of motivations, expectations, and interpersonal relation style in the teaching team and in the future working team.
- Get a snapshot of each participant’s expectations and goals at the beginning of the specific learning process.
- Motivational questionnaires will be used for each participant.
Workplace safety
Michela Songini, Health and Safety Director, Teatro alla Scala
Sergio Antonio Tasca, safety trainer
- Information on workplace health and safety
- General and specific training: low risk activities
International focus
Performing arts experts
- Basic knowledge and competencies of a stage manager in the performing arts on the international level.
Meetings with experts
Performing arts professionals
- Stage managers and professional figures with whom he/she interacts.
Stage Management Theory and Technique
Stage Directors Luca Bonini, Andrea Boi, Davide Armati Battistelli, Barbara Patruno, Laurent Daniel Gerber, Luisella Caielli, Pietro Paolucci, and Lucio Mazzoli
- Organizational and technical role of the stage director in opera, drama, and concert theatres.
- Regulation of stage activities in indoor and outdoor venues.
- Observation and Direction of rehearsals and performances.
- Music theory, solfège, score preparation.
COMPLEMENTARY SUBJECTS
Introduction to the professional figures in the performing arts
Umberto Bellodi, La Scala Academy coordinator
- Professional profiles in the performing arts.
Institutional nature of producers and/or host organizations
Mariano Festa, Institutional Relations, Teatro alla Scala
- Opera and Symphony foundations.
- Policy, institutions, legislation.
Field Project
in collaboration with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano
PTM professionals
- Focus on production and stage management in drama theatre.
Production Organization
Maria De Rosa and Nadia Ferrigno, Teatro alla Scala Department of Production Organization
Michele Sciolla, musical services director, Teatro alla Scala
Andrea Minetto, consultant and project manager
Paolo Belluso, tour manager
- Production organization for opera, festivals, and tours.
- Focus on production organization and planning, Teatro alla Scala
- Musical services and the role of the assistant conductor/piano accompanist.
Introduction to the role of assistant stage manager
Marco Monzini, collaborating stage manager, Teatro alla Scala
- The role of the assistant stage manager in opera
Elements of stage technique for stage management
Oscar Frosio, lighting designer
Andrea Ferrario, sound designer
Giuseppe Tolva, Stagehand Department, Teatro alla Scala
- Teatro alla Scala department heads
- Theatre lighting
- Sound technology
- Meetings with Teatro alla Scala department heads: makeup, costumes, sound, stagehands, props, footwear
- Stage organization, coexistence during performances
- Specific terminology
PERFORMING ARTS CULTURE
Music history and repertoire analysis
Fabio Sartorelli, musicologist
Paolo Piazza, assistant conductor, Teatro alla Scala
- Requisite knowledge of musical repertoire for stage managers
- Music itineraries, aspects of dramaturgy
- History of Italian opera from its origins to the early 20th century
- Analysis and study of selected opera titles
Stagecraft
Ruggero Bellini, Head of Set Design Workshops, Teatro alla Scala
Stefania Cavallin, Assistant to the Technical Director, Teatro alla Scala
- Elements and terminology of stagecraft
- Specific nomenclature
- Two-dimensional technical design, reading and understanding plans and sections
- Special effects in the theatre
- Comprehension and reading of sketches, figurines, and theatre models
- Tours of former Ansaldo workshops, Teatro alla Scala
- From design to execution, from the stage to the performance
History of ballet
Fabio Sartorelli, musicologist
Vito Lentini, dance and ballet historian and critic
- Notable La Scala ballets, music, choreographer, performers
- Advanced contemporary repertoire from the 1990s to the present day
History of theatre costumes
Chiara Donato, costumer
- Historical development of theatre costumes
- Stage props and costume shop tools
- Stage organization for costume changes
History of theatre stage set design
Leila Fteita, set designer
Stefania Cavallin, Assistant to the Technical Director, Teatro alla Scala
- History of set design
- The creative process from sketches to construction drawings
- Set designer – stage manager relations during set construction and setup
- Guided tours
CAREER ORIENTATION
Teamwork for teaching
La Scala Academy staff
- How to manage interpersonal dynamics in a learning group.
- How to gauge learning in specific moments in order to assess progress of each individual toward general course objectives.
Career Orientation
Marco Aldo Amoruso, Teatro alla Scala HR Director
La Scala Academy staff
- Presenting oneself professionally
- Characteristics of the job market
- Professional contracts
- Internship orientation
English for the performing arts
Polly James, native speaker and teacher of English
- English for the performing arts
Interpersonal and organizational competencies
Rita Cannata, HR specialist
- Individual interviews and the expression of motivations, expectations, and interpersonal relation style in the teaching team and in the future working team.
- Get a snapshot of each participant’s expectations and goals at the beginning of the specific learning process.
- Motivational questionnaires will be used for each participant.
Workplace safety
Michela Songini, Health and Safety Director, Teatro alla Scala
Sergio Antonio Tasca, safety trainer
- Information on workplace health and safety
- General and specific training: low risk activities
International focus
Performing arts experts
- Basic knowledge and competencies of a stage manager in the performing arts on the international level.
Meetings with experts
Performing arts professionals
- Stage managers and professional figures with whom he/she interacts.
Length
The course will last from November 2024 to June 2026.
The attendance is mandatory, from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm - and not more than 8 hours per day.
The attendance is mandatory, from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm - and not more than 8 hours per day.
Admission requirements
- 18+ years old;
- Three-year university degree, equivalent performing arts studies, and/or at least two years of experience in the performing arts; - Fluency in Italian.
- Three-year university degree, equivalent performing arts studies, and/or at least two years of experience in the performing arts; - Fluency in Italian.
Selection process
Applicants must pass a two-part
selection process to be admitted to the
course:
- a written test;
- personal interview.
Two selection sessions are planned: May 15 or 16, 2024, and October 14 or 15, 2024.
Those enrolling in and passing the first session will be entitled to a tuition discount. Those who enroll in the first session but do not pass may enroll in the second session but will no longer be eligible for the discount.
Both selection sessions will take place in Milan at the Academy facilities at Via Santa Marta 18.
- a written test;
- personal interview.
Two selection sessions are planned: May 15 or 16, 2024, and October 14 or 15, 2024.
Those enrolling in and passing the first session will be entitled to a tuition discount. Those who enroll in the first session but do not pass may enroll in the second session but will no longer be eligible for the discount.
Both selection sessions will take place in Milan at the Academy facilities at Via Santa Marta 18.
Scholarships
Scholarships, tuition exemptions, student loans, and other forms of financial aid bring training of the highest artistic quality complemented by direct practical experience in the chosen field within the reach of all.
Scholarships.One or more scholarships covering all or a part of tuition are available to students who pass the selection process and request one. Students whose ISEE (Equivalent Financial Status Indicator) is 20,000 euros or less are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Application instructions will be provided at the end of the selections in a specific announcement.
Merit loans and student loans. Thanks to the collaboration of certain banks, Academy students in good standing may also benefit from other forms of financial aid to cover tuition or lodging costs.
For further information, please contact the teaching office: segreteria.didattica@accademialascala.it
Scholarships.One or more scholarships covering all or a part of tuition are available to students who pass the selection process and request one. Students whose ISEE (Equivalent Financial Status Indicator) is 20,000 euros or less are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Application instructions will be provided at the end of the selections in a specific announcement.
Merit loans and student loans. Thanks to the collaboration of certain banks, Academy students in good standing may also benefit from other forms of financial aid to cover tuition or lodging costs.
For further information, please contact the teaching office: segreteria.didattica@accademialascala.it
You must apply within:
April 26, 2024 for the first round of selections
September 27, 2024 for the second round.
Register and/or login to the Academy enrollment platform at iscrizioni.accademialascala.it.
Your email and the password you choose will become your login credentials [username and password] that can be used again for subsequent visits. You will also be asked to read the privacy notice. APPLICATION:
After registering, enter the information requested for the specific applicant following the step-by-step. You will asked to download, sign, and attach the Terms & Conditions “Condizioni di contratto per la partecipazione". This step is necessary to proceed with the application process.
ATTACHEMENTS:
- 1 passport-sized photo;
- your full cv.
TUITION:
You will be asked to pay the application fee of 100 € directly online via credit/debit card or credit transfer. The payment must be made online directly through the enrollment platform (do not close the page before paying).A summary of entered data is generated at the end of the above steps.
APPLY NOW
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