Think of yourself in 10 years. Okay... depending on your age, 15 or 20 years from now. Just take a moment.
You are successful now (or about to be) and your entire future is yet to come. Maybe you are just hitting your peak. (So, you are what, about 38?) You are doing the best work of your life and as the years go by you just become better. Everybody wants to hire you! Everyone has heard of you and wants you for their show. You can't accept all the offers, you make choices that keep you closer to home. You've been to NY and London and back again. You are listed in published scripts as THE stage manager. (You are listed in Who's Who in America.) You teach your profession to the next generation.
Then, time passes and you get older. You keep stage managing shows. You are, of course, wiser. You have more experience than anyone else. You are GOOD. Somehow, you've become less welcome. You look at your career and wonder why. You look around and see the people you've trained get the jobs you need to pay your mortgage and earn your health insurance. There is no rancor here. You are proud of your students. You are happy they have entered into this strange weird work force.
But you wonder. Why not me?
Your recommendation means more than your own resume. Why? The answer can only be youth. Think about it for a sec. Really.
Does management look at one as being a little too long in the tooth?
I thought I was in a business that was age-proof.
I was wrong.
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Oh Mary. For me, I'm not sure how much it was about age, but how outspoken I was, am. After as much experience as I had, I couldn't sit idly by as a relatively big Chicago theatre production manager required me to run both sound and lights (not told about this until right before tech) without offering any additional pay AND taking 2 weeks to get a rider to my contract re: the board operating. I think as the directors get younger, they seek younger stage managers, not on Broadway really, but other places. Or more tractable ones? In any case, please know this: You are wonderful. Truly wonderful. I would hire you, if I was in a position to do so.
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