Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991 - 44

sran and finish wirhom any assisrance.
However, every producrion is nor rhe
same, and rhis elemem of spomaneiry is
whar makes rhe rhearre a vibranr,
enjoyable experience. Even if a producrion is so well rehearsed rhar rhe
performance seems auromaric, rhe
audience response will always be slighrly
differenr. In addirion, equipmem failure,
accidems, scene shifts and orher variables
insure rhar no producrion will be exacrly
rhe same.
The Chinese characrer for "crisis,"
which is wei-ji, can be imerprered as a
combinarion of rhe words "danger" and
"opponuniry." Therefore, rhe Taoisr
srage manager should concemrare on rhe
opporruniry arising from a crisis, rarher
rhan rhe crisis irself. To quore Lao Tzu,
"Plan rhe difficulr while ir is easy.
Accomplish rhe grear when ir is small."
Crisis managemenr involves being
prepared wirh a number of comingencies
in advance of rhe crisis. The abiliry ro
remove rhe risk is maximized by rhe level
of preparedness of rhe srage manager.
The imponance of preparedness is
srressed in srage managemem books and
in a srage manager's rraining. From firsr
aid ro spare pans ro emergency phone
numbers, rhe srage manager is rrained ro

be prepared for a variery of conringencies. Here again, rhe principle of wuwei reveals irself. Where no acrion is
required, rhe srage manager responds
wirhour acrion; rhe producrion proceeds
and rhe narural course of rhings is nor
disrurbed. Where anion in a crisis
siruarion is required, rhe srage manager
responds by drawing on advance
prepararions ro resolve rhe crisis; rhe
narural response ro rhe crisis is raken,
and rhe narural course of rhings is
resrored.

Personnel Management
Rivers and seas can be kings of
the hundred valleys,
Because they are good at flowing
downwards,
Therefore they can be kings ofthe
hundred valleys.
ThllS ifyou desire to be above the
people,
Your words must reach down to
them.
Ifyou desire to lead the people,
Your person must be behind
them.
- Tao Te Ching, Chaprer 66

All srage managers musr deal wirh
personnel. Besides rhe expenise rhar a
srage manager musr projecr when
organizing a show, rhe abiliry ro work
wirh a variery of personaliries is of
crirical imporrance ro rhe srage manager.
The purpose of any managemenr
srraregy is ro provide a basis for
successful managemem rhar is appropriare (Q rhe circumsrances.
Behavioral science srudies recognize
rhe relarionship between leadership sryle
and producriviry. For example, a srudy
by Roben Tannenbaum and Warren
Schmidr outlines rhe concepr of a
leadership cominuum." In rhis rheory,
supervisor inreracrion moves on a
horizomal cominuum line from a low
degree of parriciparion (Q a high degree
of paniciparion, and on an upward
cominuum line from low aurhoriry ro
high aurhoriry over rhe employee. The
relarive success of rhe supervisor is
derermined by rhe characrerisrics of me
supervisor, rhe employee, and rhe work
enVlronmenr.
If rhe supervisor is nor in a posirion
on rhe cominuum rhar marches rhe work
environmem, rhe supervisor will be less
effecrive. In orher words, if rhe supervisor chooses a direcrive, aurhorirarive

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1991