Write an article based on this "Work with experienced SMs. Be a likable leader. Have the director's best interests at heart. Stay calm. Know your crew well enough to anticipate problems. Be a drill sergeant and a cheerleader. Apologize when you make a mistake and keep going."
You may think years of being a techie is adequate preparation or taking a few classes in high school or college, but it's no substitute for working with a good SM or two. As you can see, SMs have to have people skills, technical skills, foresee problems, and be organized as hell. This position obviously takes a very precise type of person!  While, yes, a good SM can locate a screwdriver in seconds and get to working on a breaking set piece, they can also coordinate with directors and actors -- two very different types of people -- and predict their problems. A good SM has multiple types of intelligence, quite obviously. Fine line, huh? You must be likeable but also be able to maintain your authority so that the cast and crew listens to you and respects you. If you aren't likeable no one will ever want to work with you again; if you aren't respected as an authority you cannot ensure the safety of the cast and crew. As you can see, you are an integral cog in the machine of the show. If you don't lead, chaos will ensue.  Establish control from the very first audition. Though a stage manager should not be feared, they should be respected. No need to scare people into listening to you, but don't be afraid to be firm when you need to be. Expect respect from the beginning of the process and respect the ones around you as well. It's important that you have the keen ability to maintain the artistic and technical integrity of the show. It is your job as an SM to maintain the director's vision during the performances of the show, whether there are 5 performances or 500. If things change, you need to rein 'em back in. Even if you disagree, it's still your job. Does the director want the scene lit so dim that you can barely see the actors? Well...okay. Sure. That's how it's going to work for the rest of the run -- even when the director doesn't show up. If you don't do anything else on this page, take this one little grain of wisdom seriously: It's absolutely imperative that you stay calm. If you lose your cool, everyone else will too. The show will go on, it will be okay, no one will die (probably). So set a good example and stay calm. You have an entire crew that will tackle the problem.   Let's say it one more time for good measure: stay calm. Yeah, you have a billion things on your plate. You do. You won't get the admiration and praise you deserve. You won't get people marveling at your skills. But when something goes wrong, they'll still look to you. Take a breath, take a step back, and deal. You got this. At rehearsals, always set the tone for a calm and professional atmosphere. Play quiet music, keep loud talk to a minimum and, if possible, work to give the director a few moments alone to gather his thoughts when he walks into the theater.  If you begin with a calm atmosphere, you won't have to ask for quiet. There's going to be a day when your 100-pound little sister is the only one running stage right. It doesn't take a genius to know that when cue 10 rolls around, she's gonna need help rolling on the Trojan horse. It's things like that (and sometimes much less obvious things) that will crop up that you need to provide a solution for.  And, not to mention, people not getting along and certain people being undependable. Who's good with a saw and who's better at untangling pom poms? Who can't pay attention for five minutes straight and who would you trust with your car? Things like that. In the event of an emergency or fire alarm you are responsible for the cast and crew and their safety. Review the theatre's policies when it comes to feasible emergency situations. That firm but likeable thing? That deserves reiteration, too. You need to keep everyone on task and on time and let them know when they're not pulling their weight, but you also need to cheer on the show and be a voice of positivity. Everyone else is stressing out, too. It's hell week that's going to need the most positivity from you. You have directors wondering if their show is going to come together and actors that are wondering if they're going to make fools out of themselves or not. Know that and cheer them on. So walk into the theatre with a smile and have a good attitude, regardless of what you actually think! Since you are doing a billion trillion things at once, you will make a mistake. You will make several mistakes. Hopefully not the same mistake twice, but multiple mistakes nonetheless. Apologize and move on. Don't sulk or throw a fit. Everyone makes mistakes. It's a tough gig. You'll learn from it. And now it's in the past. Everyone in the theatre generally has a preconception of how things should work. They all think something a little different. Since there's no use in accommodating them all, do what feels right to you. Take their suggestions if they're better and ignore them if they're not. But to find what feels right to you, you'll need to mess up. That's good! Just remember to pick right back up where you left off. The show depends on it!