The hum of the stage lights fills the auditorium as Sabrina Stefanik (’26) opens the Bible — the stage manager’s script — and runs her fingers through the endless lines. As she scans, one of the actors on stage shouts, “Line. Line!”
Stefanik is one of Madison’s stage managers and is serving that role in the current play. She started as an assistant stage manager her freshman year, and working her way up the ladder, became stage manager this year as a senior.
“I like being a stage manager because I love being able to watch a show come together from the bottom up,” Stefanik said. “It’s really cool to see and help manage all the individual aspects slowly come together to create art.”
MAD Drama is putting on “A Groovy Midsummer’s Dream” for their fall play. An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, it explores themes of boundless love and everything in between. The surprises never end, however, with the play integrating hippy ’70s music and vivid sets with well-thought-out props.
The play follows four young lovers, Helena, Lysander, Demetrius and Hermia, played by Abby Cramer (’27), Gwyneth Kemeny (’26), Jack Rodstrom (’27) and Casey Abbott (’27), respectively. They run to the forest seeking something more: a freedom that transcends time. Director Laura Loy, this being only her second year here, brings the play to life through her deliberate prop usage and staging that help set the mood.
A lot of effort goes into this production. Although the main characters are given the deserved spotlight, there are some logistical roles that are overlooked; one of these being the stage managers.
One of her main roles as a stage manager is to supervise run-throughs, assisting the actors when they forget lines. When talking to Stefanik, her dedication was apparent as she was taking note of any mistake the actors made, notes that will later aid her.
“Sabrina is really creative and she has good ideas on how to improve our shows,” Callie Reynolds (’26), a member of MAD Drama said. “It’s great having her as a stage manager, she stays on task and her organization skills are top notch.”
At the end of rehearsal, she sits down and writes a report that gets emailed out promptly; this includes a summary of the rehearsal and individualized feedback that includes which line a specific individual might have missed or a staging direction they forgot. This careful assessment helps make rehearsals efficient and learning lines easier.
Additionally, Stefanik ensures that light cues and staging are accurate throughout the play and is tasked with tracking anything that goes wrong with them. Such mishaps are also tracked in her report.
As the curtain rises on opening night, Stefanik watches carefully from the light booth. She may not be seen on stage, but her presence and hard work will be everywhere–every light cue, every correct line and every smooth transition.
“I really like the community that MAD Drama has brought me because it makes that process even more fun,” Stefanik said.
