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[0:00] Mason Bray: So we have Kelsey Tippins, who is the current production stage manager of the tour of The Prom. Um, before this tour, she has worked on other tours like Once on This Island, Finding Neverland, A Bronx Tale, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Musical, and so many more. So I haven't had the opportunity to chat with this production stage manager in a long time. So I'm so excited to pull back the curtain on that side of performance. Hi, Kelsey.

[0:22] Kelsey Tippins: Hi, how's it going?

[0:24] Mason Bray: Good, how are you?

[0:25] Kelsey Tippins: Good. I'm excited to be here.

[0:28] Mason Bray: Well, thank you for being here. I'm so happy to get to dive into this because The Prom is beautiful. Um, yeah. So can you start by giving a rundown of your career and how you got to where you are?

[0:41] Kelsey Tippins: Absolutely. So I started out, uh, I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. My dad was a drummer, and so as a kid, I got to tag along to all of his different gigs, and the theater gigs were always my favorite. So I did theater all throughout middle and high school, and then I went to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for stage management. Um, and from there, I've been touring ever since for the last 10 years. So on, you know, various shows. I got my start on the show Shrek the Musical in China, actually. That was my introduction to touring, was going to Shanghai, China, and starting over there, and then from there, one tour has led to the other, and here I am on The Prom.

[1:22] Mason Bray: Yeah. And you talked about Shrek. I love Shrek so much. Um, what is your favorite song from Shrek?

[1:29] Kelsey Tippins: Oh my goodness. Who I'd Be, obviously. I feel like that's a natural choice.

[1:34] Mason Bray: I can see we agree on that one.

[1:36] Kelsey Tippins: Oh, it's just, it's so beautiful. I was jamming out to it with my friends on FaceTime last night. I screen shared and listened to that song. I love it.

[1:45] Kelsey Tippins: I love it. Yeah, that was a long time ago, but that show has a piece of my heart for sure.

[1:50] Mason Bray: Yeah. So we're here to talk about The Prom because it's glorious. Um, how did you get um your position on the tour?

[1:59] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, so I was recommended for the tour by Networks Presentations, which is the producing company of The Prom. And I interviewed with Casey Nicholaw, the director, and I guess, you know, he liked me all right, and here we are. And then we, you know, hit the ground running with pre-production and then rehearsal and opened November 2nd, and we've been on the road ever since.

[2:23] Mason Bray: And the story is so moving. Um, why do you think it's important that this is touring and going to audiences that need it?

[2:31] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, I think what's so wonderful about touring in general is that stories get to reach people who might not ordinarily get to see them, you know. Not everyone gets a chance to make it to New York. And so we get to bring the shows to audiences across the country. And I think a show like The Prom is so important because, you know, it talks about inclusivity and diversity and acceptance, and that's such an important message that everyone needs to hear and everyone can relate to. And I just think it's so wonderful that we have the chance to go all across the country with the story.

[3:06] Kelsey Tippins: And I interviewed um one of your swings, Lexi, and then um Braden, who just got injured, which is awful. Um, but I asked them about tips for the road and um what they would tell people that are going into tours that want to be prepared. Do you have any tips or like things that you say to bring?

[3:29] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, so I think that you have to be prepared for that hotel life, as we say. Um, and for me, cooking is such a big part of that and figuring out how to cook in hotel rooms. Um, I make a mean coffee maker ramen noodle soup, you know, not to brag, but I'm pretty good at that. Um, I travel with a little hot skillet so that I can cook my own food in the rooms. And uh, I like to have candles so that it kind of smells more homey in the room. Um, I bring a blanket and a pillow from home so that the beds feel a little less foreign every time you go to a new place. Um, to me, you know, in the 10 years that I've been on the road, those things have been the most important is just trying to make it feel as much like a home as you can. You know, when everything else is changing, you'd want to have some things that are consistent.

[4:20] Mason Bray: And as the production stage manager, do you call each performance or is that up to one of the other SMs on your team?

[4:26] Kelsey Tippins: I don't call each performance. So typically what happens is I will call the first one or two shows in a new venue. Um, I have two assistants. One assistant focuses on stage left and the other assistant focuses on stage right for those opening couple of shows, helping to train the locals in the new venues about, you know, all the operations. And then what happens for the rest of the week is that we alternate. So they will call the show and be one person on deck. We just call it the one deck when there's only one stage manager needed on deck. So they'll alternate throughout the week and I get to watch the show and note it for artistic integrity.

[5:04] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah. Um, yeah, and then I'll call the final show of a week. But usually, so usually I call about three, three or four shows a week.

[5:13] Mason Bray: Yeah. Um, and you talked about integrity and um keeping it consistent, and that is a very hard thing, especially on tour when you're going to new venues. Um, how do you navigate that with your team and with the cast to make sure that you're delivering the same performance month after month?

[5:29] Kelsey Tippins: That's a great question. You know, I think that first and foremost, um, we look at the artistic integrity of the physical production when we're loading into a new space. It's always a little bit of a battle trying to make everything lighting-wise and audio-wise and scenically look, sound, and feel the same everywhere we go. Um, and we sort of navigate that during the load-in process. Then during the course of the week, we have our dance captains who are fantastic and they're responsible for maintaining the artistic integrity of the choreography. And they'll watch the show and they'll give notes throughout the week. Same with our music director, you know, he notes the show throughout the week for the music.

Um, me, I get to watch the show two or three times a week, and I give notes to the performers, but also to the stage crew. You know, if something sounds a little funky or if, you know, that light cue just isn't landing right in this venue for whatever reason, we'll talk it over and we'll make some adjustments and maintain that artistic integrity that way. So yeah, it's kind of a, it ebbs and flows with each new venue. And, you know, it also depends on who's in the show. We've had a lot of people in and out of the show in the last few months with um injuries or illnesses and yeah, it's just about, you know, adapting to every new challenge as it comes.

[6:53] Mason Bray: And are those type of conversations like you have a scheduled meeting in a venue to make sure everything is going okay, or um is that like a conversation that you go up and have um when you have time?

[7:05] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, so it's a little of both. Um, at a new venue, we always have what we call our cast orientation meeting. And at that meeting, I will explain to the company what's different in this venue that we know about. Um, for example, we're playing a venue where the wardrobe gondolas, where they make all the costume quick changes, those are located downstairs instead of on the deck. So we talk about those types of things during that orientation meeting and talk about, okay, so your quick change is gonna have to be downstairs, or your quick change is actually gonna be out of a laundry basket on stage left when normally you would change in the wardrobe gondolas. So we have those kind of conversations weekly at the start of a new venue.

And then, you know, I check in with the crew on a daily basis before the show, and we talk about any notes from the night before, technically speaking. And then if there are any notes that happened, you know, for the performers, we just talk about those individually as well as they happen.

[8:03] Mason Bray: Yeah. So you talked about having your um company meeting, and from past experiences where I've um stage managed or assistant directed for local shows, I find it hard for um myself to find the power or like um voice to be able to talk to people and communicate. So do you have any tips for people wanting to um work their way more into stage management and um get a voice for themselves in the production?

[8:29] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, that's such a great question. I think it begins with having the confidence in yourself and in your own abilities and just knowing that you're good at your job. I know that's a really difficult thing for some people to know and to feel, but you know, if you've done your homework and you're prepared, you just have to own it. And I think as well, um, you know, that old saying about you can't manage a group, you manage individuals. I think that's so true. I think it's not about, you know, commanding a room and being in charge as much as it is about being able to connect with individuals and being able to know, okay, when I need to give a note to so and so, I know how to approach them because I already have a specific individual relationship with that person.

And I think creating those individual relationships with certain people really helps build that respect and helps build that trust. And so the company has that trust in you. And so when you do need to speak to the group, they listen because they know that you have their best interest in mind.

[9:32] Mason Bray: Yeah, absolutely. So you also have some experience with um production management on that side of um tours and shows in general. Um, what is that role?

[9:43] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, so it's so different depending on if we're talking about production management for a tour or production management for a regional theater. But in general, it's um being responsible for the technical aspects of a show and making sure everything comes together technically in the creative process and going into the technical rehearsal process. You know, it's helping to facilitate communication between all the different designers and the director and making sure everyone's on the same page before you load into a theater, you know, into a new space. Um, it's a lot of budgeting on that side of things, and it's a lot of um, yeah, just coordinating the labor of who's gonna help physically build everything and load everything in. So it's similar to stage management in terms of facilitating communication and sort of being that link between different departments.

[10:39] Mason Bray: Since you are an equity tour, um, I feel like both of those jobs you have a lot of guidelines to follow as far as that. What are some things that you have to learn going into working on equity productions as a stage manager?

[11:00] Kelsey Tippins: There are rule books for each individual contract. There are things like, you know, we take breaks, a five-minute break after 55 minutes of rehearsal or a 10-minute break after an hour and 20 of rehearsal. There are rules about how long the rehearsal day can be, how many rehearsal hours a week you can rehearse, things like that, which is important for me to know because when I'm scheduling rehearsals and everything for the week, I look at that and I say, okay, well, this person can only rehearse this many hours this week, otherwise they're in overtime. You know, this person can rehearse a little bit longer because they're an understudy. And if you're an understudy, you get four extra hours of rehearsal a week, things like that. So it's just about familiarizing yourself with the different rule books that pertain to each production.

[11:49] Mason Bray: That's so interesting. From the moment that you get a job on a show, what are your steps to read through the script and then get all your stuff organized for rehearsals and then into opening night?

[12:03] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, that's a great question. For me, because I usually work on musicals, my first step, I listen to the cast recording nonstop, constantly. If I'm showering, I have it playing. If I'm getting ready in the morning, I have it playing. If I'm cooking dinner, I have it playing. I think the more you can familiarize yourself with the material, the better off you're gonna be. So I start with that. Reading the script, obviously. I like to talk to the director and figure out exactly what their expectations are for the first day of rehearsal and figuring out what type of dynamic they prefer with the stage manager. You know, there are some directors that really like to take the reins and do most of the leading of the room themselves, and they prefer a stage manager who's more of a supporting background character.

There are other directors who really prefer a stage manager to drive a room and to be the face of things. And so I like to familiarize myself with the director's style. Then, yeah, getting ready for the first day of rehearsal. I'm such a list person. I write everything down. I take all sorts of notes. Yeah, I have to. I'm a paper and pen kind of girl. So, you know, I haven't gotten on the digital bandwagon there. But so I have all my notes, my to-do lists, my checklists. I revise my to-do list every morning going into the day. And then in the rehearsal process, you know, it's a little bit of a lot of different things. It's about running the room and maintaining the room, and it's also about taking a whole bunch of notes about all the things that happen during the day.

And it's also about, you know, making sure you're learning as much as you can about the show as it progresses so that you can be that liaison between all the different departments. So you're kind of like studying while you're running the room as well. Then during the technical rehearsal process, you're putting together all of the pieces along with all of the different departments. It's my favorite part of the process because it's kind of like I have a friend who calls it poetry in motion, which I love. But it's about taking the director's vision and fusing all of the different moving parts and pieces and lighting cues together with the music and making it all come together, which I think is really beautiful. And as the stage manager, you really get a hand in facilitating all of that. And then, you know, opening night running the show.

[14:43] Mason Bray: Yeah. So I know as far as actors, there's a half hour, which is their usual call time other than rehearsals and stuff like that. For you and your teams, what are your call times and hours that you're at the theater?

[14:55] Kelsey Tippins: Hours that we're at the theater, it depends on the day or it depends on the week. But normally, so for a show, we usually come in one hour before half hour, so an hour and a half before curtain, which is when the crew is in. We'll show up probably a little before then because we come up with what we call the in-out, which is a little slip of paper that has who's in and out of the performance as well as any notes that pertain to everybody. We'll come up with that piece of paper and we'll distribute that to the crew as the crew is starting work at hour before half. During that time, we are going around to the different departments and giving notes and getting prepared for the day. If there's any split track things that are happening, which is when we have multiple people out and not enough people to cover all the people that are out, we do what's called a split track, which is where our swings or our understudies cover multiple different roles all at once.

So we'll work on those while we're at the theater as well. In addition to that, we have rehearsals lots of afternoons. A typical week, Monday is travel day, Tuesday is load-in day. So it starts at around 6 a.m. and we're at the theater from 6 a.m. until the show is over at night, doing load-in and doing the show. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, usually it's just evening show times. And in those afternoons, those are rehearsals, and often those are 12 to 5. So you'll show up to the theater at 11:30, and usually we stay the whole time, stay through that dinner break and then go straight into show call. Then Saturday and Sunday, we usually have two shows each. So it's a lot of time at the theater, depending on what's going on in the week. There are some weeks that we don't have rehearsal, but a lot of times we have rehearsal just for brush-up purposes or for understudies or for new company members like this week.

[16:48] Mason Bray: And you mentioned swings going on and having split tracks. In my interview with Lexi, we talked about DC, where they had to restage the show. What did that look like from your perspective of being able to continue the show and keep it up on its feet?

[17:05] Kelsey Tippins: Absolutely, that's a great question. I think when someone calls out, I look at the numbers, I look at the sheets, I look at the paper, and I figure out, okay, can we still do the show? Do we have enough understudies? Do we have enough bodies? Yes, we can. Okay, great. Then I'm on the phone with the dance captains like Lexi and Josh, figuring out, okay, how do we make the show look good when we're down so many people? How can we keep that artistic integrity and tell a great story when we're down a bunch of people? And it's quite fascinating, actually, what the dance captains do because they do a lot of respacing. And the formations for the choreography are so beautiful to begin with. But then when you're missing a bunch of people, you have to recreate those formations so that it still looks beautiful and still tells that story.

And then on my end, it's reassigning some lines sometimes. As you know, in The Prom, there are a lot of ensemble members who have featured parts. And so when we're down a bunch of people, it's like, okay, you so-and-so in the ensemble, can you actually take this line today? Can you actually, instead of crossing from stage right to stage left, I'm gonna keep you on stage and can you take this part today? Yeah, it's kind of fascinating. I mean, I don't hope that we're down a lot of people ever, you know, but when it does happen, it's a pretty cool experience. It really highlights the collaborative nature of theater because we all have to come together and work as a team and figure out how we're gonna put on this show.

[18:44] Mason Bray: Absolutely. That's fascinating. Oh my goodness. And you guys make it work, like a wonderful team effort.

[18:51] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, absolutely. So getting into some of my final questions, do you think that your education at the University of, was it North Carolina?

[18:53] Kelsey Tippins: Yes. Do you think that was more beneficial or your experience on the road continuing to do tours?

[19:09] Kelsey Tippins: Oh goodness, I think it's both, honestly. I think that the program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is so extraordinary. And it really prepared me for a career in stage management, absolutely, without a doubt. I think that part of the beauty of life and also theater is that there are always new things to learn. So I think that, you know, continuing on the road in the last 10 years, I'm constantly learning. I'm learning all the time how to be better at my job, how to be better as a person, you know, just constantly learning and growing and evolving. And I think that's so important. So, you know, I would say I learned a ton at school and I've learned a ton on the road.

[19:55] Mason Bray: I love hearing those answers. I will never stop asking it. After the pandemic, what was your first show that you either got to see or got to work on?

[20:07] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, great question. So, sort of during the pandemic, while the pandemic was still happening, I actually got to direct a production of Once on This Island.

[20:17] Mason Bray: That's exciting.

[20:18] Kelsey Tippins: Yeah, in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. There's a community theater there called Players by the Sea. And they wanted to do a production that was fully masked, and they wanted to film it and stream it for audiences to watch. And that was fascinating because I had just come off of the tour of Once on This Island, which was canceled when the pandemic started. And I reached out to that director, Michael Arden, and I said, this is a weird question, but I've been approached about directing a production of Once on This Island. How would you feel about that? And he was like, go for it, girl. It's like, okay. Yeah, so it's just so cool to get to put my own spin on that story and get to tell it in my hometown.

And, you know, it was widely available for anyone who wanted to stream it, which is fascinating. And then after that, you know, the next big project that I worked on was The Prom. Once on This Island, those two shows are both so beautiful. Oh my goodness. Those stories are so powerful.

[21:23] Mason Bray: Oh, good choice on work.

[21:26] Kelsey Tippins: Absolutely. I got lucky for sure.

[21:29] Mason Bray: Is there anything else that you want to add before we wrap up?

[21:34] Kelsey Tippins: No, I don't think so. Thank you so much for having me.

[21:37] Mason Bray: Well, thank you so much for being here. It was so exciting to get to hear your side of The Prom and taking a lot of people to prom every single night and every single week in new cities.

[21:48] Kelsey Tippins: Absolutely.