Transcript

The transcript below has been lightly edited for readability and clarity. Click any starting timestamp to jump to that exact point in the YouTube video.

Podcast Introduction

[00:00] Don Costante:

Welcome to The Rundown Podcast hosted by Don Costante, a sports and event management expert with over 25 years experience. This unique podcast provides an opportunity to hear from some of the best professionals in the industry. You’ll get valuable insight and perspective on what it takes to deliver authentic experiences, activate brands, and most importantly, connect with audiences. All on The Rundown Podcast. Let’s get started.

Meet Sharon Del Pilar

[00:27] Don Costante:

When it comes to successful events, stage managers play a crucial role, whether in theater or in the sports industry. A stage manager works with a director to support and organize all groups involved in the day-to-day production from rehearsal through performances. Today’s guest is Sharon Del Pilar. Sharon has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. Her experience has taken her around the country touring with the Broadway musicals Flower Drum Song and Legally Blonde before moving to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, she served as a stage manager on multiple shows including Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, Disney’s The Lion King, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Beatles’ Love by Cirque du Soleil, and America’s Got Talent Live. She is currently the production stage manager on Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Live and recently expanded into other areas of entertainment, including set production manager for the upcoming unscripted competition series, Finding Magic Mike, and as a game entertainment representative for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. In this episode, Sharon starts off by sharing her path to becoming production stage manager for Magic Mike Live. During our conversation, she illustrates the differences between stage management and production stage management and provides a behind-the-scenes look

[01:54] Don Costante:

at what she does for the show. Listen as Sharon identifies the skill set required to be successful in this field, outlines her self-development strategy, offers some resources to anyone looking to become more marketable, and much more. I’m ready to get started. Let’s meet Sharon Del Pilar. Hi, Sharon. Thanks for joining me on The Rundown.

[02:15] Sharon Del Pilar:

Don, thanks so much for having me. It’s an honor to be a part of your podcast. I happened to stumble across The Rundown shortly after I believe you got started last year, and I’ve been a fan ever since. So it’s a great honor to be a guest on your show.

[02:29] Don Costante:

I really do. I’ve been looking forward to today’s conversation because in the world of event production, stage managers are so important. They’re essential to facilitating the logistical details that are required to achieve successful show results. Having a person of your caliber and your experience on today’s podcast to share your insights in stage management is so exciting to me. But before we dive into the details, I’d like to begin by having you take a moment and share your career path to becoming production stage manager for Magic Mike Live.

Sharon Del Pilar’s Career Path

[03:05] Sharon Del Pilar:

Yeah, everybody has a different story. And it’s actually one of my favorite things to learn about people is how they got into the business, because everybody has a different story. There’s no one direct path to becoming a production stage manager. But for me, being in entertainment was never something that I considered growing up as a career path. And I actually had gone to college to become a physical therapist. And I would say maybe about a year or so into my college career. I decided that it wasn’t a path that I wanted to take. So in sort of trying to figure out what my next steps were, I actually had come across an ad in the university newspaper that said, Disney’s coming to your campus, come and learn about the Disney College Program. And the Disney College Program is their internship program that they have that they offer both at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. And I would guess that because of the proximity, I was in Chicago at the time, which is where I was born and raised. I was born and raised, they were offering internship spots at Walt Walt Disney World in Florida. So I attended their presentation at our university and they were doing interviews right on the spot. So I interviewed, was accepted into their internship program and did their program in the fall.

[04:22] Sharon Del Pilar:

And you basically get assigned to a different department. I don’t know that if there’s a rhyme or reason behind where they assign you, but everybody gets assigned anything from merchandise to operations to custodial. And I happened to be assigned to the entertainment department. And that really just sort of opened my eyes to a world of possibilities in terms of entertainment being a career path for me. And I did the internship. I loved it. I had such a great time and learned so much that I actually ended up staying in Florida to get on as a full-time job. So I was there for a few years, did everything that I wanted to achieve at Walt Disney World and decided to find the next chapter and the next steps. And I found an internship through a website at the time for a Broadway producing company in New York City. I took that and it was mostly focused on the business side of Broadway. So dealing with contracts, payroll, ticketing. And then on nights and weekends, I would volunteer my time with one of the many, many nonprofit theater companies that were all over the city. And I learned about stage managing. That was my first exposure to stage managing. And through those two opportunities, my internship with this Broadway producing company and my volunteer work, I sort of zeroed in on stage managing and thought that this is something that I really took to.

[05:47] Sharon Del Pilar:

I loved being a part of the actual physical production every night and loved being hands on with each evening’s performance. And so with that, the internship at the Broadway producing company also led to a full-time job. And after a few years of doing that and zeroing in on wanting to stage manage, I’d spoken to our general manager and said, you know, I really want to pursue stage managing as a career. And she was so incredibly supportive and said, great, well, we have these opportunities as a production assistant on some Broadway shows that are going to be opening soon. And really gave me that opportunity to pursue what I felt was my passion. And I was able to become a production assistant on a show that was just opening on Broadway. We had done a few readings, which is basically just a bunch of actors and the creative team sitting down at a table reading the script. And this is a chance for the show to develop. This is a chance for them to find investors and producers before taking it to Broadway. And for this particular one, it was a show called Hairspray, which had been developed over multiple years. And when I first jumped on board, the show was only one act. It was a completely different director. It was a completely different cast. And to watch the evolution of the show was really incredible from table reads in a small studio all the way to our very first performance in front of an audience in Seattle, where we did our out-of-town tryout.

[07:19] Sharon Del Pilar:

And so that opportunity as a production assistant led to another opportunity as a production assistant on another Broadway show, which then led to opportunities to become an assistant stage manager. So if somebody were to be out sick or take a vacation, we would get the call and step in and be a part of that show for that length of time. That led to opportunities to become a full-time assistant stage manager on various shows, which is how I ended up in Las Vegas. And I got phone calls that would say, hey, we’re doing this Broadway show that you’re familiar with from doing it in New York, and we’re going to do it here in Vegas. Would you mind coming out to Vegas and helping us open the show? Again, it was one of those things of Las Vegas was never a place that I considered a place for employment or a place that I would call home. And I said, sure, you know, I happy to do it for about three months. Come in, come to Vegas and open the show, go back to New York. And one thing led to another. And I ended up staying here full-time, ended up doing the entire run of the show. And in that case, it was a musical by the rock band Queen called We Will Rock You. And I ended up doing the entire run here in Las Vegas. One show closed, another one was about to open. I got asked to be on that one.

[08:39] Sharon Del Pilar:

And before I knew it, 17 years later, I’m still in Vegas and loving every moment of it. I just feel like it’s become home. I’ve been so fortunate to work on a wide variety of styles of shows. And that’s basically because of being in Vegas. There’s just so many different types of shows that are offered in this city that’s very unique than anywhere else that I’ve lived in or worked in or have experienced.

[09:07] Don Costante:

I love that. Everybody has a different story and a different path. And I think that’s why I ask everybody on this podcast to go through their career path, because it shows people who are listening, maybe in school or those that maybe they’re in a career choice right now. It doesn’t matter. I mean, you just got to take the right steps and eventually you can get to wherever you want to be. Now, you’re working with Magic Mike Live. Can you just briefly describe what that show entails for those that may not be familiar with it?

What Is Magic Mike Live?

[09:33] Sharon Del Pilar:

Sure. I will say, first off, that it’s not what everybody thinks it is. So Magic Mike is actually a film that was released in 2012. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and starred Channing Tatum. It was actually inspired by Channing Tatum’s life for the short time that he was actually a stripper prior to becoming an actor. And the film did really, really well. And a few years later, Channing decided that he wanted to develop a live show inspired by the film. And one of the biggest things for Channing for this live show was that it’s about what women want and uplifting women, making them feel really good. It really sets the bar because a lot of people, I will say, walk into our show thinking they’re going to see one type of show. But they leave completely surprised by what they’ve just witnessed.

[10:24] Don Costante:

That’s awesome.

[10:25] Sharon Del Pilar:

Our cast are professionally trained dancers. They come from the commercial dance world. They’ve toured the world with artists like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga, so on and so forth. Some of the biggest names in the music industry. Our cast, they sing. They play musical instruments. They do aerial acts. So it’s so much more than what people think. And our cast is so incredibly diverse and so incredibly talented. It’s a really, really great show that showcases not only the incredible talent that we have on the stage, but has a way to make the people who attend the show just feel really great, inspired, and empowered.

[11:08] Don Costante:

Oh, I love that. Sounds like a great show to be involved with. I saw recently that you were promoted from a stage manager to production stage manager. So can you take a moment and illustrate the difference between the two?

Stage Manager vs. Production Stage Manager

[11:23] Sharon Del Pilar:

Yes, absolutely. Well, it can vary from show to show depending on the size of the team. But basically, the production stage manager is the lead. This is the person that will make a lot of the big decisions. We’ll act as the liaison for certain things like if we’re sharing the venue, if there’s a client that wants to come in and use the venue for some other event. The production stage manager becomes the liaison for arranging technical needs for that particular event. The production stage manager will also be the liaison between all the different departments that are involved in the actual production. So our lighting department, our sound department, our automation department, so on and so forth. Production stage manager will also deal with any disciplinary actions that need to be taken within the company. The production stage manager also helps to maintain the vision that the director has. So when the director comes in and sets up the show and then leaves to go do other projects, it’s the responsibility of the production stage manager to maintain the show. Because, you know, hopefully the show will run for a very long time and we want it to be the exact same vision as the director left it. Whereas a stage manager in some shows could also be referred to as the first assistant stage manager, basically is a support system for the production stage manager.

[12:45] Sharon Del Pilar:

And you can have, in our case at Magic Mike Live, there are two of us. So me as a production stage manager and I have somebody who serves with me on the team as a stage manager. But bigger shows will have as many as five, six, seven stage managers. And everybody can have a different title. It could be production stage manager or in the Cirque world, it’s known as the general stage manager. In the UK and in Australia, that lead stage manager has a different title. And then below that, you’ll have one stage manager or multiple stage managers. And then another level from that is an assistant stage manager. I would say that a lot of the roles will be fluid and everybody kind of shares in those responsibilities. And again, it depends on the production in terms of what those specific responsibilities will be. But all in all, we are the glue that holds the production together. And we’re all speaking to all the different departments, getting everything organized, getting everything cohesive and everybody on the same page nightly.

[13:45] Don Costante:

You are definitely the glue that holds it all together. Now that you’ve defined the difference between stage manager and production stage manager, I think it would be interesting for you to give those listening an inside look as to what a show day behind the curtain looks like for you at Magic Mike Live.

Behind the Scenes of a Magic Mike Live Show Day

[14:02] Sharon Del Pilar:

Sure. We have regular rehearsals that we do. So within the show, our cast, they know multiple roles. So of course, they know the role that they do in the show nightly. But should we have somebody out either sick, injured, on vacation or whatnot, our cast knows other people’s parts in the show. So we have regular rehearsals to just make sure that they’re up on the choreography, the blocking, anything else that they might need to know. So that if in a moment’s notice somebody is out, they can step in. And it’s a really big puzzle piece for us to figure out how we move people throughout the show so that they know where they’re going. They have enough time to do a costume change. They have enough time to safely get where they need to go for the next number if we’re adding stuff to their normal track, so to speak. So that’s what we do for rehearsals is we sort of prep them for that. And then we’ll go into the actual performance, the nightly performance. And we’ll be doing as stage managers, typically one of two things. We’ll be doing the show call, which is basically the best way that I can explain it is you’re sort of like air traffic control for a show. You’re telling the lighting department when to change the lights. You’re telling the audio department when to take certain sound cues.

[15:21] Sharon Del Pilar:

You’re talking to the automation department when to move certain pieces of scenery and doing that as best as you can in a safe manner while keeping the show flowing. Whereas the stage manager or assistant stage manager will have backstage maintaining the safety of our performers, our crew, dealing with any changes that might be happening in that moment so that everybody has the information and is also helping to keep the show going. Should we have one of those last minute changes that’s happening right as the show is going? Safety is a big thing. And it’s because we have so many moving pieces and parts. And in our particular show with Magic Mike Live, the entire venue is the performance space. We have performers dancing, not just on stage, but all over the venue. We have them ziplining through the venue. We have them swinging from what we call the Harken rail, swinging from one side of the venue to the other in a matter of seconds. We have them dancing in the aisles. We have them everywhere.

[16:26] Don Costante:

You’re immersing them into the audience. That’s so cool.

[16:28] Sharon Del Pilar:

It’s completely, completely immersive. So it doesn’t matter where you’re sitting. You feel like you’re in the show. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in the last row of the mezzanine or the front row. Everybody in our venue gets involved.

Show Times and Pre-Show Preparation

[16:43] Don Costante:

I love how you’re immersing the audience into the show. Just for perspective, what time are your shows usually? Are you doing multiple? Are you doing one? And what time are they taking place?

[16:53] Sharon Del Pilar:

We do. Yeah, we do multiple shows, especially on the weekends. We’ll do shows five days a week. Typically, our first show will start at 7.30. And if we do a second show, the second show will be at 10 o’clock.

[17:05] Don Costante:

Okay. So if it starts at 7.30, what time is the cast and stage managers along with yourself showing up?

[17:11] Sharon Del Pilar:

If we’re not doing a rehearsal that day, typically our call time as stage managers will be about 5.30. And that gives us the opportunity to relay any information to the various departments of any changes in our cast for the day. Who’s performing, what technical changes might need to happen.

[17:31] Don Costante:

Right.

[17:31] Sharon Del Pilar:

That gives everybody the opportunity to make those changes while they’re doing their pre-show checks, making sure that all the equipment is working properly, making sure that everything is preset where it needs to be. All of our zip lines are in the correct positions. All of our automation pieces are in the correct positions for the start of the show. Our ushers come in and front of house staff come in to set all of our chairs in the venue because we don’t have typical theater seats.

[17:58] Don Costante:

Right.

[17:58] Sharon Del Pilar:

Our seating ranges anything from couches to booths to, you know, physical chairs.

[18:04] Don Costante:

Very relaxed setting.

[18:05] Sharon Del Pilar:

Yeah. Everything has to be set so that it’s presented in a really nice, clean way. And coming in those few hours before the show begins gives us that opportunity to get all the information out, give us a chance to get everything set. It gives wardrobe an opportunity to set all of the costume pieces to where they need to be to maintain all of those wardrobe pieces and get everybody set for the show. Now the cast will be called about 30 minutes before the show. That’s their official call time.

[18:34] Don Costante:

Gotcha.

[18:34] Sharon Del Pilar:

But many of them will arrive well before that to warm up, stretch, and to do whatever they need to physically be ready for the performance that night.

[18:44] Don Costante:

That is so cool. I definitely got to make my way out there to see this show. What’s really interesting about you, in addition to Magic Mike Live, you also assist the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders with game-day entertainment activations during home games, which is so cool. Can you talk a little bit about your role with the Raiders and why working game days is important to you?

Working Game-Day Entertainment with the Las Vegas Raiders

[19:04] Sharon Del Pilar:

Actually, working for the Raiders and in professional sports is something that’s brand new to me. It was something that, again, it was one of those things that I never considered sports as something that was very similar to what I do in entertainment. And it was in this last year and a half that I was sort of introduced to that idea. And I really loved the idea. Being in Vegas, we are now sort of getting more and more professional sports and these kinds of entertainment options in our city, which wasn’t the case when I first moved here. So it was sort of just really great timing for me to kind of dive into this and see what it’s like. I have experiences that I would love to be a part of. And having this opportunity with the Las Vegas Raiders has been really, really great for me to kind of dip my feet into the world of professional sports and game-day entertainment. As somebody who is a game-day entertainment representative, we do a lot of different things and it varies from game-day to game-day. Our first preseason home game. We did a presentation with 200 first responders.

[20:10] Don Costante:

Oh, so cool.

[20:11] Sharon Del Pilar:

And it was really, really incredible and very emotional. Quite surprising to me. We had everywhere from police, fire, EMS, to military, to grocery workers, to people who worked for Allegiant Stadium, who cleaned every seat. Anytime that they actually did have people in the stadium during the pandemic. And it was a great way to honor them and to recognize them for the work that they’ve had done, especially in these last year and a half. Being able to talk to them and to rehearse with them. This is where you were going to stand. And then at this point, we’re going to move on to the field. And to be able to work with them and have this presentation was really incredible. To have it topped off with this really incredible performance of the song Rise Up with the artist Judith Hill.

[21:00] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[21:00] Sharon Del Pilar:

Backed with the choir was really touching. And then we move on to our first regular season home game. Again, it’s really emotional because it’s the first time we have fans in this brand new stadium. 61,000 people and world-class entertainment. I mean, Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. So there’s a lot of expectations in terms of what we’re going to do. So having some really incredible performers, well-known names, this last halftime show that we had, had Ice Cube and Too Short performing halftime. Quite to the surprise of all of the fans because it was never announced. So just to see them there all of a sudden, the place erupted. It was really, really incredible.

[21:38] Don Costante:

Oh, I can imagine.

[21:39] Sharon Del Pilar:

So, yeah. Again, as a game-day entertainment representative, we’re doing different things game-day to game-day. And part of our responsibilities was to sort of maintain crowd control for that halftime show because we knew people weren’t going to be expecting this high caliber artist to be performing at halftime. And just making sure that our performers, our talent are safe, getting from where they need to be. We also did a presentation on the field with some of our PSL holders, basically our season ticket holders, unfurling this gigantic flag on the field while Gladys Knight sang the national anthem. And again, it’s rehearsing with these fans, these season ticket holders, when we’re going to be unfurling the flag, where we’re going to be positioned, getting them all set up, getting them checked in for the day, making sure that they know where they need to go, making sure that they are okay, getting them back to their seats and sort of the front of house area after the presentation is over. Really, really great to be a part of all of these experiences. And I’m so looking forward to learning more and diving into more of these game days as we go through the season.

Theater vs. Sports Stage Management

[22:48] Don Costante:

I just think it’s such an interesting dynamic. You’re in the world for years and years in the theater, and now you’re into the sports industry. I think a lot of people understand in stage management, there’s a lot of similarities there. But what’s really interesting, what are the differences, right? What, in your opinion, is the big difference between stage managing for a show like Magic Mike Live versus stage managing for an NFL game?

[23:12] Sharon Del Pilar:

First off, just from the optics of it, Magic Mike Live, we seat about 500 people in our theater versus an NFL game, which is 61,000 people. And that doesn’t even include the 4,000 people that are actually working that game-day. So your stage, in a sense, is huge. It’s enormous. So getting from place to place, it takes time. And you need a really big support staff to get from all these different places, to take care of all these different entertainment activations that are happening all over the stadium. It’s the optics of that, just looking at it. With Magic Mike Live, because the show essentially is the same every night, you will sort of get to that point where it just sort of becomes routine. Of course, barring anything that might happen technically, any technical issues or any cast changes that may happen throughout, essentially it is the same show. Whereas a game, you never really know what’s going to happen at any given moment. You’re also dealing with live television if it’s being broadcast. So there is that aspect of having to deal with those changes on the fly because of broadcast requirements or a team took a timeout or there was an injury on the field or something like that. Having to shift and adjust very quickly to whatever’s happening with the game.

[24:30] Don Costante:

You make some great points. With Magic Mike, it is consistent and you’re trying to maintain that consistency. And in sports, you never know what is going to happen. Well, I can tell you they are very lucky and very fortunate. I’m talking about the Raiders to have you and your experience from the theatrical side. Because I think in sports, a lot of times we have tunnel vision. And to steal a phrase from Duncan Wardle, who I interviewed on this podcast, he talks about river of thinking. Our biggest barrier to innovation and creativity is our own knowledge. We get into this mode of this is how we always do it and we can’t do something different because that’s not the way it’s done. But to have someone like yourself to bring in outside ideas into the sports industry from the theatrical side, I think it only helps and it will only enhance the overall experience for everybody. So I’m very, I’m very envious of them having someone like yourself on their team. Now, I’m sure there are people listening right now who are very interested in becoming a stage manager. In your opinion, what is the ideal skill set that’s required to be a successful stage manager?

The Ideal Skill Set for a Stage Manager

[25:32] Sharon Del Pilar:

Well, I would say having some technical know-how. You don’t have to know every last bit of detail when it comes to audio or lighting or automation. But at least having an idea of those elements and where they come from, how they’re being implemented in your particular show or particular activation really helps when you’re communicating with that department.

[25:58] Don Costante:

Knowing the work that goes into it.

[25:59] Sharon Del Pilar:

Knowing the work that goes into it. A huge thing for me is empathy. I feel like that’s, you know, while it’s a soft skill, it’s a very important one to have because in your role as a stage manager and you’re leading the charge, having empathy and understanding for all the various departments, all the various types of people who have different backgrounds. And being able to support them is crucial, not just for that evening’s performance or that day’s game. It’s just for the general well-being of the entire department, the entire production. Everybody’s working so hard no matter what they’re doing. And we have to recognize that. But it’s also important to recognize that people have lives outside of what we’re doing. And sometimes things go on in their personal lives that they might bring in or might affect the work that they’re doing. So being that person who can spot that and being able to reach out to them and understanding how to approach that is really, really important in just sort of maintaining the overall feel and vibe of the production behind the scenes. Because ultimately it will reflect out into the public and into the performance and into what those front of house will see. Another really important thing is communication. You’re dealing with so many different departments.

[27:25] Sharon Del Pilar:

So you want to make sure that you have constant communication with the various departments, understanding what they’re working on, what they need, how we can support them. Another great thing that I value is integrity. And it’s knowing that you’re doing the job even when people aren’t looking. So it’s always so much easier for anybody to say all the bad things that have happened, right?

[27:50] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[27:50] Sharon Del Pilar:

Versus talking about the good things because you might not even notice it, but those good experiences will all add up to this overall, like, I had a great time going to Magic Mike Live. I had a great time at the Raiders game. All those things, all those little, little things, and it comes down to the integrity of what you’re doing will ultimately add up. Empathy, communication, integrity, those I believe are ideal skill sets for any industry anywhere.

Self-Development and Becoming More Marketable

[28:18] Don Costante:

Now, whether you’re new or you’re already in the industry, continuous self-development is key to achieving success and longevity in one’s career in any industry. Now, I know during the pandemic, I saw you were very active in self-developing, whether it was listening to my podcast, other podcasts, and other things. Sharon, talk about your self-development strategy and identify some of the resources you would recommend for someone looking to make themselves more marketable in a competitive job market.

[28:49] Sharon Del Pilar:

Well, I have to say this last year and a half has really shifted for me in terms of my self-development. You know, working in this industry, you sort of get caught up in just the everyday workings and just sort of living that life.

[29:06] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[29:06] Sharon Del Pilar:

That you kind of forget about wanting to grow and not just in the industry, but also as a person. And having this last year and a half has really reminded me of take those opportunities, take those moments to continue to grow as a person, to learn new things. I’ve spent this last year and a half before coming back to work, listening to several different podcasts, such as The Rundown, where I’ve learned so much about event management and game-day presentation. Again, it opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that I didn’t know were even possible for myself and my experience. I’ve read a lot of really wonderful books. One that you even recommended to me, which is Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull.

Books and Resources for Professional Growth

[29:51] Don Costante:

Oh, yeah.

[29:51] Sharon Del Pilar:

It’s actually one of my most favorite books.

[29:53] Don Costante:

It was one of the first ones that I read. It’s fantastic.

[29:56] Sharon Del Pilar:

Yeah, it’s really, really great. Great lessons in storytelling, in leadership. And I have since read many other books that I have really, really enjoyed that have sort of helped me look at leadership and other skill sets in a different light. Another book that I would recommend is Think Again by Adam Grant, which I really, really enjoyed as well. The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger, who was the former CEO of the Walt Disney Company. Again, really great stories, really great shared experiences. For someone who’s actually interested in getting into stage management for musical theater, a very dear and longtime friend and colleague of mine wrote a really wonderful book called Production Stage Management for Broadway. And that’s Peter Lawrence who wrote the book. Years and years of experience on Broadway and on tour. Just a wealth of information for how to set up a Broadway show. And it can be translated into a college production. It can be translated into a regional theater production. It doesn’t have to necessarily be for Broadway, but it’s a great wealth of information for anyone who wants to get into stage management, particularly in theater. Other than that, I took a lot of courses. There are so many different opportunities that don’t cost a lot of money. I know money is tight for everybody.

Learning New Skills and Improving Operations

[31:14] Sharon Del Pilar:

And finding these resources that are either free or low cost. Things like I took a course in mental health first aid. And all of this stuff has really just sort of helped me become, hopefully, a better stage manager in terms of dealing with different types of people and recognizing any struggles that they might be having. I’ve learned how to build a website that we now use for our company at Magic Mike Live for private information. If somebody wants to sign up for physical therapy. We have, you know, regular physical therapy sessions. They can do that all on this website now. We have opportunities if somebody wants to ask for a day off. They can check the calendar that’s on this private website. Who’s got days off and when there are opportunities for people to take a vacation or take a personal day. Then they can fill out a digital form that goes straight to an email. Sort of developing those things on a technological aspect has been really great. It’s made things more efficient for us in terms of the daily operation of the show. And all of this stuff was things that I probably would not have even thought of had it not been for having a year and a half at home to learn these new skills, to have the time to learn these new skills, to be able to talk to stage managers from all over the world and bounce ideas off of each other.

[32:37] Sharon Del Pilar:

And how can we improve? What can we do to make our various productions better, more efficient, a more enjoyable place to work? It’s been a really good and productive time to develop all of these new things. And my hope for me is that that will continue as I’ve now returned to work and back to that daily grind. But also wanting to make sure that I’m continuing to grow. I’m always setting goals for myself anywhere from a week out to as far as 2028. There are things that I would love to accomplish and wanting to start now and building those skills. To hopefully accomplish those goals down the line.

The Value of Job Shadowing

[33:19] Don Costante:

Well, I can tell you the pandemic as bad as it’s been. You’re absolutely right. You know, it gave us all time to think. It gave us time to build connections and to self-develop. Now, I’m a huge advocate for job shadowing. I truly believe it’s a great way to gain some valuable experience while building your professional network. I encourage everybody who wishes to work within the entertainment industry to shadow a theater director. To me, I think shadowing a theater director during their tech rehearsal is special. It’s really interesting. I just learned so much. That said, I’m interested as to what your thoughts are about that.

“Steal With Your Eyes”

[33:54] Sharon Del Pilar:

Oh, I’m a huge, huge supporter of that. When I was first getting started in this business, there were some really wonderful people who gave me that opportunity to just follow them around. One really fantastic production manager gave me an opportunity to just sit in and watch a show load in and then another show load out of a theater because it was a tour. And he gave me probably the single best advice that I carry with me through all these years in my career in entertainment. And he told me to steal with your eyes.

[34:27] Don Costante:

Oh, I love that.

[34:28] Sharon Del Pilar:

And it’s just being that fly on the wall. There’s so much to observe. Sure, you might think that, OK, yeah, I’m just sitting here and I’m not really doing anything. But actually, you are. It’s really taking in what’s happening around you, seeing how those things are taking place. What the process is. There’s so much that you can learn. And for me, I’ve always said that every experience is a good experience because you take something away from it. It’s almost always a positive thing. There’s something that you enjoyed about that particular experience. But it’s also the stuff that you might not enjoy.

[35:04] Don Costante:

Exactly.

[35:04] Sharon Del Pilar:

Because what you take away from it is, OK, I don’t want to do it like that. Or it’s another learning opportunity for you to find out what works for you, what your passions are, maybe what your passions aren’t. And then you can pursue that other avenue. But having those opportunities for job shadowing is so critical because it gives you an understanding of what those various roles do. Sitting in with a theater director is a great lesson in storytelling.

[35:33] Don Costante:

Exactly.

[35:33] Sharon Del Pilar:

And how a show is put together from the actual storyline and all the way through how we’re adding in all of these technical elements, how we’re adding in enhancements of projections, whatever the case may be. Anything that enhances the techniques, anything that enhances the story and how all of that is developed is really an eye-opening experience. One of my favorite experiences was, like I mentioned earlier, was being a part of Hairspray and its development. Because we went from pages in a script in a binder, everybody just sitting around at a table, through developing in a rehearsal studio, everybody on their feet with props and costumes, watching our director move people around. And how those simple movements created this emotion that nobody expected. And then moving into that next phase of having an audience and not knowing if the work that you had put in for all that time was going to be received or understood. And to hear that crowd cheer, laugh, cry, there’s no replacement for that. It’s just an incredible experience. In my role on Hairspray, I really had the opportunity to watch all of this happen. Sure, I was taking food orders, lunch orders, or grabbing coffee or sharpening pencils. All those things that you might think are mundane, but it’s giving you an opportunity, to quote the musical Hamilton, to be in the room where it happens.

Learning Through the Development of Hairspray

[37:02] Sharon Del Pilar:

And it’s up to you, as that person, to take advantage of that opportunity and see what each department does. Ask those questions. Gain a little bit of knowledge of the different roles that everybody plays and how it all gets put together into one really magnificent production. Because there are so many things, even for myself, when I started off in this industry, I never knew what a stage manager was. And it wasn’t until I had those opportunities where somebody introduced me to it that I really took to it. It fit my personality. It fit my skill set. It had just become a passion. It’s something that I love and I’m so grateful and so honored to be able to do. It’s a privilege to be able to be in this industry and to be able to be in it for as long as I have been to continue to work and be on all of these amazing productions that I’ve taken away so many different things from. from Broadway musical theater and moving on to things like Cirque du Soleil. I’ve had an opportunity to work for Cirque du Soleil and learned so much from that experience because it’s completely different from working on a musical theater show, which is completely different from working on a magic show, which is completely different from working on America’s Got Talent Live, which is the winner from the television show gets his own show in Vegas. And putting that

Learning Across Different Types of Productions

[38:18] Sharon Del Pilar:

together, it’s different every year, which again is different from Magic Mike Live, but it’s taking all of those different experiences, putting them all together, taking the best parts and doing, you know, as best of a job as you can do. I keep circling around, but it all comes down to that job shadowing because I had those opportunities. I got to see what I enjoyed. I got to learn all the different aspects of what people do. And I highly encourage it. I know sometimes it’s a little bit difficult right now, given the current situation, but those opportunities are coming back. This is also a really great time to make those connections to do job shadowing, if not right now to do them in the future when they become available. It has been a really great time to do things like that. People have become more available through social media channels, through email, through different webinars and podcasts and things. You really just have to put yourself out there and let them know you’re interested in job shadowing. You will find that there are so many people who are so open to it and so would love to welcome you and would love to talk about what they do for a living. You really could

[39:28] Don Costante:

get lots of experience just job shadowing alone. No question. I mean, you can bridge the gap of if you don’t think you have the experience to do a particular job, we’re all visual learners. And I mentioned, you know, theater directing and going to a tech rehearsal because it is a great path to understanding storytelling, how they do it in that setting and how that can translate to on the field.

[39:49] Sharon Del Pilar:

Sure.

[39:49] Don Costante:

Any opportunity you can get though. I’m not saying theater is the only way, but any opportunity to shadow is a great opportunity. I have people shadow me all the time. And so I strongly encourage anybody listening who is in a position to allow people to shadow, to give people that opportunity, especially young professionals for sure, because they’re trying to find what their niche is. And this is a great way to, to hone in on if this is an area of interest that is going to stick and be passionate for them.

[40:13] Sharon Del Pilar:

And that was something that you did. You went down the path of having the opportunity to meet some really incredible people who allowed you in and it started to ignite that flame of interest in this area. And it’s benefited you for sure. For myself, even though I’ve been in the entertainment industry for quite some time, even I am still interested in job shadowing. You know, I would love to shadow you or anybody that’s in the sports world. I would love to just learn more. That’s my hope is that when we’re able to travel a little bit more freely that I would be able to take advantage of these opportunities and learn about our similarities, our differences, how different people operate in these roles. So yeah, whether you’re just getting started in the industry or you’ve been in the industry for a while, I still think job shadowing is beneficial for everybody.

Final Thoughts

[41:00] Don Costante:

No question. We all have different learning styles, visual, audio, kinesthetic and shadowing. It exposes you to all of that. And so it really is helpful. So Sharon, we’ve come to the final question of the day. And for those listening to today’s discussion, what are your final thoughts?

[41:19] Sharon Del Pilar:

Gosh, I feel like there’s so much, you know, we could talk for hours and hours, days and days about this industry and philosophies and entertainment, but I would reiterate what I said in the beginning, you know, everybody has a different path. There’s no one direct way to any particular role. Everybody has a different story. It’s just going to be whatever your path is. As long as you have that determination, you have that drive, you’re willing to work for it, set those goals for yourself. And in the world of stage managing, for me, my philosophy on stage managing is that stage managing is a position of service. It’s not a position of power. We are there to service the show. We are there to service the people who we work with. We’re there to be their support. We’re there to be their liaison. We’re there to make the show be the best that it can be. We’re constantly learning, no matter if we’re in college or in the industry for decades, constantly learning, constantly evolving, trying new things, some of it will be successful, some of it won’t. But that’s how we learn. And that’s how we evolve is just trying new things and continuing to grow. I would say having just sort of a wide range of opportunities and experiences will only benefit you and just make you a more well-rounded person. So go after those

[42:43] Sharon Del Pilar:

different opportunities. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, connect with people. It’s so important. And it’s wildly available now to be able to connect with people and find people such as yourself, Don. I found you through social media. I found you through LinkedIn. So having that opportunity, I just don’t know how I would have connected with you any other way. There are so many different opportunities now to find people in the industry that are behind the scenes that years ago might have been a little bit more difficult to track down or learn about. Those opportunities are there. You

[43:18] Don Costante:

just have to be willing to search it out and do the work. I can’t agree with you more. Well, Sharon, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time today to share your thoughts and experience in the world of stage management. I’m sure everyone who has been listening have found your insights beneficial. Thanks,

[43:34] Sharon Del Pilar:

Erin. It’s been great talking with you. Thank you for this opportunity. I feel like your, I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but your podcast was exactly what I needed and like at the right time because I was just looking for information about what it’s like in event presentation and other forms of entertainment that aren’t what I’ve been exposed to. It was right up my alley. It was exactly what I needed. You’ve had some really incredible guests that I’ve really enjoyed and learned a lot from. So thanks for having me.

Don Costante’s Key Takeaways

[44:08] Don Costante:

What a great conversation with Sharon. It’s not every day. I get the opportunity to visit with somebody so experienced in stage management. Now we covered a lot of material in our conversation today. Here are three points that stood out to me the most. First, when I asked the question pertaining to the ideal skill set required to be a successful stage manager, I love that Sharon mentioned having some technical know-how. Not that you need to know every last detail when it comes to audio lighting or automation, but at least having an idea of those elements, where they come from, how they’re going to be implemented. Having that type of understanding really helps when you’re communicating with the tech department. Another skill that Sharon pointed out was empathy. Empathy is huge in your role as a stage manager. Having empathy and understanding for the different departments made up of various people who have unique backgrounds within those groups and being able to support them is crucial. Not just for one show or game, but for the well-being of the staff and the entire production. Next, as we discussed the idea of job shadowing a theater director, Sharon shared what she considers the single best advice that she’s ever received. Steal with your eyes. I really love that phrase. It’s about being a fly on the wall that there’s so much that you can learn from just observing. And finally, I appreciate what Sharon shared in her final thoughts. She said, everyone has a different path. Everyone has a different story that there’s no one direct way to any particular role. But if you have determination and the drive to work hard for what you want, anything is possible. I love that.

[45:50] Don Costante:

Well, I could go on, but those are just some of the highlights from our discussion that resonated with me. As always, I hope you found the information covered beneficial. I want to thank Sharon again for being on the podcast and for sharing her thoughts and best practices with all of us. Well, that wraps up this episode of The Rundown. As always, I encourage you to reach out to me and share your thoughts and or questions and send them to [email protected]Email The Rundown. That’s [email protected]Email The Rundown. Also, I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe and share this podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. And until the next time I’m Don Costante.