Nicole Gladwin: Stage Manager, AEA

“It has been my tremendous pleasure to work on shows stage managed by Nicole Gladwin in roles ranging from Technical Director and head of set construction to various design positions, and I am continually impressed by her professionalism, efficiency, tech-savvy, and personable nature (even in the depths of the tech process). As TD, I have never felt out of the loop tracking last-minute changes to set needs or rehearsal furniture requirements, as Nicole’s timely paperwork and rehearsal reports clearly enumerate all important information without drowning it in a sea of irrelevant facts, and as a designer I have found Nicole’s flawless show-calling and familiarity with the elements of tech (from QLab to ETC consoles to set wagon hardware) set my mind at ease when passing the show off at opening, secure in the knowledge that the show I designed will be the show audience members will see. I always feel better about signing on to a production in any role when I see Nicole’s name as the SM.”

“Nicole has stage managed several shows that I acted in and several shows that I production managed and hired her for. And she is invaluable. I have rarely worked with anyone who is so reliable, prepared, and creative. She is a joy to work with, professionally and personally. Not only is Nicole constantly two steps ahead in her job, but she has a deep understanding of many aspects of theater, so she is always a valuable voice in the room. The theaters that get to work with her are very lucky - it’s crazy that she’s not working in large Equity houses.”

“Nicole Gladwin is the best stage manager in town. She is the only person I feel 100% percent confident recommending for a job.”

“nicole’s stage management style is one of absolute precision and wonderful personality. as a director I found that nicole’s attitude was always easy and refreshing, her sense of humor was always present and ready to diffuse stressful situations, and her game was always on. nicole is always a step ahead of everyone in the room, anticipating what’s next without any sign of agitation or tension. it is, in a word, amazing. as a designer i found her ability to blend humor and diplomacy admirable and her attention to detail when running/calling my light cues was always much appreciated. nicole is a dream to work with. anyone fortunate enough to be in a position to hire her should do so immediately!”

“I had the great pleasure of working with Nicole for the first time on CoHo’s fall [2009] production of Fool for Love. Ms. Gladwin’s reputation preceded her, but she far exceeded my expectations. She is everything a producer would want to find in a stage manager: organized, professional, able, authoritative, and cognitive of the production process and technical requirements. She also possesses a most amazing ability to keep an even pulse on her cast, director, production assistants, designers, and producing company. In addition to this, due to her prolific experience, spanning many levels of organizations, she is able to anticipate potential conflicts, and seek out solutions before they can occur. Finally, interacting with her on both a professional and personal level is nothing short of delightful.”

“Over the last ten years, Nicole has Stage Managed numerous shows in which I’ve been an actor. From the beginning, I trusted her. She was efficient, mindful, and has always had the best interest of the the show in mind. Since then, I’ve really come to depend on her. Beyond her prodigious skills as a Stage Manager, she has a keen eye, and is whip smart. Many who work with her actively seek out her opinions and suggestions, knowing she has a wealth of theatrical experience from which to pull. I’ve been in several rehearsal situations where the material was sensitive and needed great care. I was so grateful to have Nicole in the room for these situations. Not just because I knew I was safe with her, but because she is a remarkable team player with a wide field of vision and awareness. Her professionalism, dedication, and mastery of the job make her, simply, the finest Stage Manager with whom I’ve had the privilege to work.”

“My name is Don Crossley and I am a Lighting Designer in Portland. I have had the great pleasure of working with Nicole on a number of productions. Nicole does a great job of running very smooth and tight rehearsals and always communicates information from rehearsals clearly, effectively and in a timely manner to the production team who are not able to attend rehearsals. She is always so calm and collected even when utter chaos is happening around her and other members of the production/artistic team are freaking out. She has a great sense of timing when calling cues and it only takes a simple note to create the needed adjustments in the call of her cues. On every occasion that we have worked together, she has not only been the Stage Manager, but also been the lighting and sometimes sound board operator as well. Her ability to multi task and focus while in the booth is amazing. I frequently ask her to run certain lighting manually instead of relying up on the console in the effort to create a more organic and random effect from performance to performance and she has always done a masterful job of taking my instructions and notes about how the effect should look and make it fit with the flow of each performance. I highly recommend using Nicole as often as possible. Oh and she is F-ing hilarious!!!”

“I have worked with Nicole for almost ten years, she as Stage Manager to my Lighting Designer. We have worked on sixteen shows together, and I have always known her to be professional, punctual, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and funny. A stage manager’s role is not unlike a soldier: first one in/last one out. Maintaining control of “the troops”, keeping the actors and staff safe, keeping the rehearsal running on schedule, attending to unforeseen issues (missing actors, injuries), opening the building and locking up at night. Taking notes on the actors’ blocking, line delivery, pacing, and anything the director might either need to remember, or has already forgotten. Being the point of contact for the actors and staff if issues arise, schedules change, emergencies come up, or issues need addressing like hotgluing a set piece or sewing a seam on a costume. Nicole earns people’s trust by being personable, professional and a great human being. She keeps that trust by never changing who she is.”

“Nicole Gladwin is the rock star of Stage Managers. She takes the role of stage management far beyond cues in a prompt script. As a designer, I can’t express how important it is that the stage manager not only know what cues should be called where, but that they have an in depth understanding of the various designs and how they impact the show as a whole. If I make one change, she immediately senses how that will impact other cues and what other designers should be involved. Her subtle and delicate handling of challenging and complicated cue sequences is unparalleled and I feel fully confident that when I walk away from a show, the design is in excellent hands. And on top of all that, she makes the rehearsal and tech process a fun place to be!”

“Nicole Gladwin is a consummate professional with a “can do” attitude who brings a positive perspective to any project. Nicole has a high level of proficiency both with rehearsal room management and tech, including calling and board operation (sometimes simultaneously). She coordinates with castmembers and performer concerns while liasing with designers’ needs and schedules. She is sensitive to a director’s workflow, anticipates needs, and is efficient and prompt in dealing with issues that may arise. Nicole is a highly competent multitasker who assists in keeping a show’s process in balance and attuning herself to each set of variables she works with. I highly recommend Nicole as a stage manager.”