UWM stage manager sets the stage for student success

UWM Report | By Ashley Abramson | October 28, 2025

The job of stage manager is considered one of the most challenging roles in theater. Lillian Hayward, a theatre production major with an emphasis in stage management, knows this well. From running rehearsals to facilitating communication between the director and the actors, Hayward has to do a little bit of everything as a stage manager.

“Stage managers are expected to know things before they happen,” she explained. But for her, the challenge comes naturally. “I love getting my hands in every pot and understanding the pace of theatre from every angle.”

Hayward has truly gotten the full 360-degree view of theater and stage management at UW-Milwaukee — not just in campus productions, like “Macbeth” and “Pericles,” but in other projects, too. She did undergraduate research work in dramaturgy, diving into the historical setting and other context for the play “The Moors,” which is set in the 1840s. She also studied abroad in Paris and England and even worked as a production assistant for Season 21 of “Top Chef.” But as Hayward focuses on what comes after graduation (a role as production assistant for the American Players Theatre), she’s also set the stage for future UWM students to find success in theater.

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