Wooster theatre student selected for national mentorship program in stage management

Andi Harvey ’27, a theatre and dance major at The College of Wooster, recently completed the USITT Stage Management Mentorship Project, a week-long practicum and mentorship experience at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s 2026 conference in Long Beach, California. Majoring in theatre & dance and also communication studies, Harvey, who uses he and they pronouns, began stage managing in their first semester at Wooster as assistant stage manager for the fall production of Stop Kiss, which became an exceptional hallmark of attending a liberal arts college.

“It’s not typical to get an assistant stage management position in a main stage production as a first semester freshman,” Harvey said. “I’d done theater for many years, and I’m a logistical minded person. I love a spreadsheet and a calendar, and the stage manager is a strategist, a leader, and the one in the room who wears 10 hats.”

The application process for USITT’s Stage Management Mentorship Project (SMMP) is rigorous, with only a few selected to participate across the country. Harvey’s professors provided encouragement that applying was the right choice. The mentorship experience at Wooster built a foundation that helped them prepare to take full advantage of the variety of opportunities in the program.

“Participation in SMMP positions Andi at the forefront of industry trends and best practices,” said Naoko Skala, assistant professor of theatre and dance at Wooster. “It provides unique, real-world learning experiences that are invaluable for professional growth, and Andi’s experience will bring fresh perspectives and new skills back to campus, enriching the theatre and dance department and inspiring fellow students.”

The program took place during spring break this year, introducing Harvey to dozens of stage managers while working most intensively with a single mentor. They participated in a variety of discussions and practical event management during the conference. The opportunity allowed them to try their hand at managing components of the conference as well. Harvey was impressed by how the confidence gained from so much interaction with professional stage managers has already impacted their interactions on campus and thoughts about the future.

“I took away a lot of soft skills, gaining confidence speaking with many new people,” Harvey said. “When you’re around individuals who are this accomplished and eloquent, you have to come with a level of flexibility and openness, which really helped me.”

In true Wooster fashion, the Independent Study that Harvey will begin this coming semester was top of mind while participating in SMMP. With their proposal for their I.S. focused on the unseen emotional labor in the work of stage management, Harvey was able to poll a diverse range of stage managers participating to see if a better understanding of emotional labor was a salient issue in the field.

“I’m interested in organizational management and really want to know how theatre organizations can prevent burnout and prepare for the emotional labor aspect of the job,” Harvey said. “Everyone I spoke to said they’d had some experience with it, and that really cemented to me that this was something that needs to be studied.”

While Harvey isn’t sure quite yet whether a professional theatre setting or more academic theatre work is in their future, the experience has created a wealth of contacts and connections. They plan to keep building upon the many stage management skills they’ve been learning during classwork and stage management roles at the College.

Posted in News on May 21, 2026.