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SMArts Virtual Conference | Monday, May 31 – Tuesday, June 8, 2021

We are excited to announce our upcoming SMArts Virtual Conference. Join us online from May 31st to June 8th, 2021 to participate in a wide range of professional development courses for senior and emerging SMs, including:

• Stage Manager & Intimacy Directors
• CTA Basics & Updates
• Reading Music 
• Giving Notes
• Calling a Show
• Workplace Harassment in the Rehearsal Hall
• Training Apprentice SMs
• How to be a Good Apprentice
• and more!

Check out the schedule and list of courses on our website.

When planning our 20/21 season we had big plans and high hopes for blended delivery of two conferences.  We were planning a conference in both Toronto and in Winnipeg.  But COVID-19 has lingered much longer than we had anticipated, so in January we changed our plans – scrapped both in-person conferences and made our “On-the-Road” conference in Winnipeg, fully virtual.

We learned a lot from our first virtual conference last May.  We wanted to offer a larger selection of courses this time around, but did not want to drag out the conference over three weeks.  This year you will see we have crammed a lot of content into 8 days. We are offering two new courses, two re-worked courses, plus some fan favourites.

We wanted to ensure that stage managers in all stages of their career (apprentice to senior) had options. This means that you will often see two courses happening simultaneously.  The participant will be able self identify as to which level of instruction they are best suited.

Since this is a virtual conference we were able to choose instructors from across the country.  Since this conference was meant to be held in person in Winnipeg, we have more prairie representation than we have ever had.

Finally, we know that since our industry has been shuttered for over 14 months, we realize that not everyone will be able to afford to attend the courses.  In order to accommodate this reality we have instituted two ways of registering.

1. We have reduced our course fee to $25 (down from $40).  If you are someone who can afford to pay more, you are able to choose your course cost, and in essence, pay what you think the course is worth.
2. We have set up the option for those who want and are able to donate money toward subsidized seats for others in the community who are unable to afford the base course fee.
3. We have set up registration buttons for those who wish to access the subsidized seats.  No need to send an email – just register for one of the free seats and we will be in touch once the funds are available.
4. We are asking arts organizations from across the country to “sponsor a stage manager”. They can either pay for a conference pass for a specific stage manager(s) or they can donate to the subsidized seat for any stage manager across the county.  Please help us get this info out to companies.

In closing, I want to thank my programming team who have helped immensely in getting this conference together.  Thank you to Melissa Novecosky, Leslie Watson, and Karyn Kumhyr, for all their work in planning the Winnipeg conference and then adapting to an online offering.

We look forward to seeing you in June.

- Janelle Rainville