Stage manager

The invisible pilot at the Salzburg State Theater

Natalie Gunzle remains calm even in hectic situations and ensures a smooth performance.

(Bild: SLT)

Without her, nothing runs on stage at the Salzburg State Theatre: Natalie Gunzle has been working as a stage manager at the theater since 2018 and is responsible for ensuring that everything runs as it should. In her job, she stands in the shadows of the spotlight, but the "Krone" brings her in front of the curtain.

As stage manager, Natalie Gunzle is the central hub of every production at the Landestheater. Her main tasks include coordinating artistic requirements and technical implementation as well as managing the entire process during the performance. "We are the pilots of the performance," is how she aptly describes her role. With an arsenal of technology - from lighting controls to radio and night vision cameras - Gunzle ensures that every scene runs seamlessly.

"There is no normal way into stage management"
Before coming to Salzburg seven years ago, Gunzle worked as a stage manager in London for ten years. Neither a typical nor an atypical route into stage management, which traditionally does not prescribe a clearly defined training path. "There is no normal path here," explains Gunzle. "Many come from related fields such as dance or singing and find a new vocation here after their actual career," she adds.

An essential part of her work is precise communication: she gives signals for light changes, sound cues and stage movements. Even in hectic moments, when a wig is out of place or a prop is missing, she remains the calming influence and coordinates the solution to the problem without ever leaving her post.

During the production of "Faust", the discussion about a ring of fire was intense.

(Bild: SLT/Tobias Witzgall)

The challenges are manifold and require quick adaptability as well as creative problem-solving strategies, especially in complex productions such as the latest staging of "Faust". Here, the discussion about a fire ring for safety reasons was particularly intense.

"It's my job to evaluate what is feasible and what isn't," explains Gunzle. This often requires her to explore technical and personnel limits and find innovative ways to implement the artistic visions of the director and set designers.

Remaining unnoticed by the audience is her goal
Natalie Gunzle doesn't mind that her work goes unnoticed. Quite the opposite. "If you can't see us, then we've done everything right," she smiles and gushes with palpable passion: "When everything comes together and the audience reacts to one of my performances - that's the moment I do everything for."

Larissa Schütz