The job of stage manager is considered one of the most challenging roles in theater. Lillian Hayward, a theatre production major with an emphasis in stage management, knows this well. From running rehearsals to facilitating communication between the director and the actors, Hayward has to do a little bit of everything as a stage manager.
“Stage managers are expected to know things before they happen,” she explained. But for her, the challenge comes naturally. “I love getting my hands in every pot and understanding the pace of theatre from every angle.”
Hayward has truly gotten the full 360-degree view of theater and stage management at UW-Milwaukee — not just in campus productions, like “Macbeth” and “Pericles,” but in other projects, too. She did undergraduate research work in dramaturgy, diving into the historical setting and other context for the play “The Moors,” which is set in the 1840s. She also studied abroad in Paris and England and even worked as a production assistant for Season 21 of “Top Chef.” But as Hayward focuses on what comes after graduation (a role as production assistant for the American Players Theatre), she’s also set the stage for future UWM students to find success in theater.
Concessions that pay it forward
Since Hayward began at UWM, she’s been part of five stage management teams at the Peck School of the Arts: three times as assistant stage manager and twice as stage manager. But off-stage, she realized there was something fundamental missing from UWM’s theater performances. In her sophomore year, Hayward launched a concessions program for UWM productions to raise money for the department — and keep theatergoers satisfied. “It’s standard for professional theaters to have concessions at their shows; I wanted UWM to have that, too,” Hayward explained.
So far, the concessions program has raised nearly $4,000, which the department uses to fund scholarships for students to attend workshops at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The fund also provides snacks and refreshments to student actors and tech teams during long rehearsals.
Theater that inspires
Hayward interned on stage management teams for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and Renaissance Theaterworks. Her courses and campus work experience, she says, prepared her to work in professional theater productions. But she especially credits Ralph Janes, the UWM theater professor who mentored her, for her personal and professional growth. Along with supporting Hayward in her classes and launching the concessions program, Janes took extra time to help her find internships in Milwaukee.
“It means the world to me that he believes in me,” Hayward said. “He really balances being a mentor and treating me as a colleague with skills and abilities to work in the professional field.”
Hayward sees her future in stage management as one that will make a difference in the world through art. She recalls working as a stage manager for the last stage show she managed at UWM, “Pericles,” a story about a prince on a journey of shipwrecks, lost love and reunions.
Before the first night, Hayward delivered a speech to the actors and production team. “I told them all, ‘We’re so lucky to get to create art that inspires people that life goes on, even during hard times. It’s our responsibility to tell these stories of hope.’”
