What's Next? New Career Journeys for Stage Managers
What's Next? New Career Journeys for Stage Managers
an Evening Exploring How Stage Managers Transfer Their Skills into New Career Paths
Presented by Broadway and Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color
in partnership with Actors' Equity Association
Monday, November 9
A Hybrid Event – Participate in Person or via Zoom
Join In Person
6 to 8 p.m. at the Equity Building
165 W. 46th St., 14th Floor Council Room
Including a post-discussion reception
Join On Zoom
6–7:30 p.m. ET / 5–6:30 p.m. CT / 4–5:30 p.m. MT / 3–4:30 p.m. PT
What comes next when a stage manager takes the skills developed in the rehearsal room and backstage and applies them to a new professional journey? "What's Next" offers perspectives on this question from eight accomplished professionals who have successfully transferred the skills, experience and expertise developed through stage management into new roles spanning production supervision, general management, higher education, project management, producing, special events and labor representation.
The panel will feature Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, Ken McGee, Matt Stern, Michael Rico Cohen, Thomas Recktenwald, Karyn Meek and Pamela Remler. Each brings a distinct perspective on navigating career transitions and applying the core competencies of stage management – including leadership, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, organization and the ability to manage complex projects – to new professional opportunities.
Lisa Dawn Cave is the Production Supervisor for Disney's The Lion King and Frozen worldwide. With a career spanning more than three decades in stage management, she has built a distinguished career working across Broadway and international productions with over 25 shows under her belt while remaining deeply committed to advancing equity, access, and opportunity within the theatre industry.
She is a founding member of Black Theatre United, and a co-founder of Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color. Her commitment to service extends to her work on the Board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and as an advisor to the Prince Fellowship. She also served as an elected councilor for Actors' Equity Association for 12 years.
Lisa Dawn's contributions to the theatre community have been recognized with several honors, including the 2023 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre Award, the 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Stage Management Award presented by the International Black Theatre Festival, and the 2025 Founders Award from the Stage Managers' Association.
Beverly Jenkins, a theatre professional for over 35 years, is currently the production supervisor for the Broadway and touring productions of the Tony Award Best Musical The Outsiders.
A graduate of Howard University, Beverly got her start on Broadway as the production assistant on Five Guys Named Moe. She has managed numerous shows including The Piano Lesson, Hadestown, Fully Committed, A Bronx Tale, In the Heights, Shrek: The Musical, Avenue Q, Sweet Charity, and Bring In Da Noise/Bring In Da Funk.
Beverly serves on the board of trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Beyond the Stage Door. She is co-founder of Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color.
Beverly is the recipient of the 2020 Tony Honors Award for Excellence in Theatre.
Kenneth J. McGee spent 29 years as a stage manager working on and Off-Broadway working on more than 30 productions. He joined the staff of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in 2023 and serves as the Chief Production Officer.
Matthew Aaron Stern has worked on over 20 Broadway productions, including: Come From Away, Finding Neverland, On The Town, Doctor Zhivago, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, Hands On A Hardbody, Death Of A Salesman, An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Fiddler On The Roof, The Phantom Of The Opera, & The Full Monty. National Tours include: Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual, John Lithgow's Stories By Heart, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, Les Misérables, Grease. Other notable credits include: Blue Man Group at the Hollywood Bowl, Lord of the Rings Symphony Concerts, three seasons at The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, one year as resident stage managers at Ballet Iowa, one European Tour with the Martha Graham Dance Company, and hundreds of corporate events around the world. Matthew is a proud AEA member, Director-at-Large for the Stage Managers' Association, alum of UC San Diego, and Clinical Associate Professor and head of stage management at Pace University. His upcoming book: Leadership Lessons from Broadway Stage Managers will be published at the end of February.
Michael Rico Cohen is the Senior Director of Project Management & Operations for Commerce Partnerships at NBCUniversal, where he leads the execution and operational strategy across portfolio-wide commerce initiatives. With a career spanning entertainment, technology, and entrepreneurship, Rico thrives on bringing complex creative visions to life. Previously, he was the first Product & Operations leader at Scriptation, the Emmy® Award-winning paperless production app, and also founded Bway Printing (acquired by Open Jar Studios.) Before transitioning into being a "Recovered Stage Manager" Rico's Broadway credits include Mrs. Doubtfire, Be More Chill, A Bronx Tale The Musical, Fully Committed, Amazing Grace, Chaplin, Matilda, and Billy Elliot. Touring: Evita, American Idiot, and Billy Elliot. Rico is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Forest Hills, Queens.
Thomas Recktenwald is General Manager of The Shed, where he oversees the Production team and is responsible for the contracts, budgets, and staffing behind the institution's productions, programs, and rental events. He joined in April 2026 as The Shed's first General Manager, and his work there includes the world premiere of Imitation of Life and the upcoming transfer of This World of Tomorrow to Broadway.
Before The Shed, Thomas spent 20 years in Broadway stage management. His production stage manager credits include Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, MJ, The Music Man, Pretty Woman: The Musical, On Your Feet!, Harry Connick, Jr. – A Celebration of Cole Porter, and Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets. He was stage manager of the Tony-winning Kinky Boots on Broadway and later its production supervisor, mounting the show in productions around the world. He also supervised the Pretty Woman national tour. Earlier credits include Mary Poppins, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Coram Boy, and Lysistrata Jones. He is a graduate of the University of Miami.
Karyn Meek was a Stage Manager for 26 years before transitioning to working at Equity the Senior Business Representative for the Production Contract. As a Stage Manager, she worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and LORT as well as touring the US and internationally. Post-pandemic, she refocused her energies on helping to create better working environments for herself and her colleagues, which is how she came to be at Equity.
Pamela Remler began her career as a Broadway dancer, performing for 15 years before gradually transitioning to the creative side of the industry while continuing to perform for another decade. She then spent 10 years stage managing Broadway productions and live events, developing the leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills that would ultimately lead her to her next chapter.
Today, Pamela serves as the Director of Special Events at the Entertainment Community Fund, where she applies her stage management experience to producing fundraising events that support the health, wellness, and essential human services needs of the entertainment community.