An Analytical Study Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Spanish Language and Literatures at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI

Abstract

ix, 33 p.A theatrical stage manager cannot be easily defined or understood, however, for the most part, the essential function of a stage manager is to “run rehearsals and meetings, facilitate communication between members of the production team and cast, enforce rules and schedules, create and maintain the prompt book, call the show, and take overall responsibility for a seamless production from start to finish.” (Carmody, 2015, pp. 5-6). The stage manager and their team is meant to manage the communication and overall production process, from before auditions take place, until way after performances is finished, all to ensure that the process of a production runs as smoothly as possible. In this paper, I will be explaining the benefits of applying linguistic knowledge of Politeness Theory to conflict resolution skills in order to better the communication competence of a stage manager. I have chosen to include sections explaining, what theatrical stage managers are, basic linguistic knowledge and how it funnels into Speech Act’s Politeness Theory, basic conflict resolution tactics, and how such knowledge allows stage managers to maintain face during conflicts, maintain disagreements between two or more parties and delegate tasks effectively. Key words: Stage Manager, competence, communication, linguistics, benefits, basic, conflict resolution, tactics, maintain, face, effectively