HeadsetChatter
@headsetchatter.bsky.social
Stage Manager. 2nd ASM on the North American Tour of The Lion King (Rafiki Company). Addressing the elephant in the room.
Profile 📷: Matthew Murphy
Profile 📷: Matthew Murphy
In-unit laundry: When your brand new hotel hasn’t received its laundry machines yet.
November 25, 2025 at 6:56 PM
In-unit laundry: When your brand new hotel hasn’t received its laundry machines yet.
Called a matinee today. Was wide awake, but I did say “At this evening’s performance… sorry I don’t call matinees!” at the half hour call, and after calling the last cue of the show, “Thank you, have a good night — sorry I don’t call matinees — you’ll have me again in a few hours!”
November 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Called a matinee today. Was wide awake, but I did say “At this evening’s performance… sorry I don’t call matinees!” at the half hour call, and after calling the last cue of the show, “Thank you, have a good night — sorry I don’t call matinees — you’ll have me again in a few hours!”
Check out our backstage/FOH video of how we prepare for Circle of Life. This is from the show last week where I was mic’d up for all my FOH stuff.
www.tiktok.com/@denvercente...
www.tiktok.com/@denvercente...
Join us behind the scenes of Disney's The Lion King North American tour, as our incredible Stage Management team keeps the Pridelands running like clockwork for the “Circle of Life!” Nobody can be lat...
TikTok video by Denver Center
www.tiktok.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Check out our backstage/FOH video of how we prepare for Circle of Life. This is from the show last week where I was mic’d up for all my FOH stuff.
www.tiktok.com/@denvercente...
www.tiktok.com/@denvercente...
Although I’ve never lived anywhere other than NYC in my adult life, my mailing address is outside the city so I can’t vote for mayor. It feels like the literal law telling me “You’re not one of us anymore.” But although I had nothing to do with it, I am so proud of my people tonight!🗽
November 5, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Although I’ve never lived anywhere other than NYC in my adult life, my mailing address is outside the city so I can’t vote for mayor. It feels like the literal law telling me “You’re not one of us anymore.” But although I had nothing to do with it, I am so proud of my people tonight!🗽
It’s management’s favorite day, a tradition that’s been going on for YEARS:
Stage management posts our rather dark Lion King take on daylight saving time on the callboard, and company management sends a Cher-themed reminder email.
(There are also versions for the spring.)
Stage management posts our rather dark Lion King take on daylight saving time on the callboard, and company management sends a Cher-themed reminder email.
(There are also versions for the spring.)
November 2, 2025 at 5:04 AM
It’s management’s favorite day, a tradition that’s been going on for YEARS:
Stage management posts our rather dark Lion King take on daylight saving time on the callboard, and company management sends a Cher-themed reminder email.
(There are also versions for the spring.)
Stage management posts our rather dark Lion King take on daylight saving time on the callboard, and company management sends a Cher-themed reminder email.
(There are also versions for the spring.)
Interesting balance of the day today: 2.5 hours of running an onstage rehearsal with 6 new actors. Followed by another hour of being not-in-charge and just doing my SR thing for “Can’t Wait to Be King,” then getting released with more than a full dinner break. And I’m randomly on SL tonight.
October 30, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Interesting balance of the day today: 2.5 hours of running an onstage rehearsal with 6 new actors. Followed by another hour of being not-in-charge and just doing my SR thing for “Can’t Wait to Be King,” then getting released with more than a full dinner break. And I’m randomly on SL tonight.
I was soooo sleepy when I had to call the show, thanks to the amazing meal our CMs provided for Halloween. The show kept me awake. I believe I had to call 7 contingencies, plus my 1st Broadway Cares curtain call of the season, which is a different cue sequence.
October 30, 2025 at 4:55 AM
I was soooo sleepy when I had to call the show, thanks to the amazing meal our CMs provided for Halloween. The show kept me awake. I believe I had to call 7 contingencies, plus my 1st Broadway Cares curtain call of the season, which is a different cue sequence.
We’re filming some really fun social media content this week. Today I’m mic’d up for Circle of Life. I feel like an NFL player or something. 🤣
October 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
We’re filming some really fun social media content this week. Today I’m mic’d up for Circle of Life. I feel like an NFL player or something. 🤣
We’re preparing for one of the most family-friendly times of our tour family’s year: Halloween. Between the currently 8 kids on the show (upcoming cast change) and the dozen or more kids of company members who travel with us, it’s always a full house of trick-or-treating between shows.
October 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM
We’re preparing for one of the most family-friendly times of our tour family’s year: Halloween. Between the currently 8 kids on the show (upcoming cast change) and the dozen or more kids of company members who travel with us, it’s always a full house of trick-or-treating between shows.
They call Denver the “mile high city,” but nobody mentions that it’s actually a mile-and-a-half to the back row of the Buell. Getting my high-altitude cardio in!
October 23, 2025 at 1:32 AM
They call Denver the “mile high city,” but nobody mentions that it’s actually a mile-and-a-half to the back row of the Buell. Getting my high-altitude cardio in!
Load in day in Denver! Such crazy memories here of our most infamous Covid shutdown. Just banged out the rehearsal room tapeout with our local SM, off to do some shopping as my FOH meeting is a little later than usual.
October 22, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Load in day in Denver! Such crazy memories here of our most infamous Covid shutdown. Just banged out the rehearsal room tapeout with our local SM, off to do some shopping as my FOH meeting is a little later than usual.
For the last month I’ve had doctors tell me if I felt short of breath I should go to the ER. So it was disconcerting to step off the plane thinking it was the pressurization, take a deep breath in the terminal and feel just as short. Then I was like, “Oh wait this is Denver. That’s just… the air.”😶
October 17, 2025 at 8:45 PM
For the last month I’ve had doctors tell me if I felt short of breath I should go to the ER. So it was disconcerting to step off the plane thinking it was the pressurization, take a deep breath in the terminal and feel just as short. Then I was like, “Oh wait this is Denver. That’s just… the air.”😶
Sitting in another airport studying another venue survey, jotting my notes about what I need to investigate at load-in. Except again this is one of my surveys from 2021. One of my first, but pretty thorough. I wasn’t doing any markup on the photos to make it easier to understand, but lots of text.
October 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Sitting in another airport studying another venue survey, jotting my notes about what I need to investigate at load-in. Except again this is one of my surveys from 2021. One of my first, but pretty thorough. I wasn’t doing any markup on the photos to make it easier to understand, but lots of text.
When our run in Anchorage was canceled we were assured we wouldn’t be laid off, and it would be replaced with an “exciting new city.” I thought it was being oversold because we’ve recently played all the exciting cities, and how would the big cities have room for us on 6 months’ notice anyway?
October 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
When our run in Anchorage was canceled we were assured we wouldn’t be laid off, and it would be replaced with an “exciting new city.” I thought it was being oversold because we’ve recently played all the exciting cities, and how would the big cities have room for us on 6 months’ notice anyway?
Finally got my surgery date, and it’s not till Jan 16. 😡 But at least I have time to plan my recovery, which I’m 95% sure I’m going to take a 9-week LOA specifically because load-in week in Detroit is the most exhausting thing I ever experienced in 4+ years on tour WITHOUT having had major surgery.
October 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Finally got my surgery date, and it’s not till Jan 16. 😡 But at least I have time to plan my recovery, which I’m 95% sure I’m going to take a 9-week LOA specifically because load-in week in Detroit is the most exhausting thing I ever experienced in 4+ years on tour WITHOUT having had major surgery.
That was a rough week to come back from surgery: 9 shows & rehearsal. But I got through it. This week is 3 shows and the remaining half of the vacation I was taking when we were supposed to be playing Anchorage. Also huge props to one of our crew swings who ran the damn Chicago Marathon yesterday!
October 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
That was a rough week to come back from surgery: 9 shows & rehearsal. But I got through it. This week is 3 shows and the remaining half of the vacation I was taking when we were supposed to be playing Anchorage. Also huge props to one of our crew swings who ran the damn Chicago Marathon yesterday!
It is our opinion in rehearsal today that Cher needs to cover “He Lives in You.”
October 10, 2025 at 7:24 PM
It is our opinion in rehearsal today that Cher needs to cover “He Lives in You.”
Checking in on my former-Broadway colleagues today to make sure they’re OK after the Broadway cast got to meet Cher last night.
October 10, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Checking in on my former-Broadway colleagues today to make sure they’re OK after the Broadway cast got to meet Cher last night.
Got a clean bill of health to proceed with my second surgery, now just waiting on a date! Eager to start figuring out the logistics of all that. And I know company management and the rest of the stage managers (especially the subs!) are, too!
October 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Got a clean bill of health to proceed with my second surgery, now just waiting on a date! Eager to start figuring out the logistics of all that. And I know company management and the rest of the stage managers (especially the subs!) are, too!
Chester has figured out that the new hooman who gives scritches when Mom & Dad are at work is leaving.
October 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Chester has figured out that the new hooman who gives scritches when Mom & Dad are at work is leaving.
Surgery went perfectly, it seems. Back resting comfortably at the house of an old friend who was part of the local talent pool of my 1st summer stock theatre 20 years ago. When I played here in ‘24 we hadn’t seen each other in 15 years. Crazy we’re here now with her & husband taking care of me. ☺️
October 4, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Surgery went perfectly, it seems. Back resting comfortably at the house of an old friend who was part of the local talent pool of my 1st summer stock theatre 20 years ago. When I played here in ‘24 we hadn’t seen each other in 15 years. Crazy we’re here now with her & husband taking care of me. ☺️
One of the things that’s my responsibility is designing the three distribution routes for the 19 copies of the In/Out, to get them out as fast as possible without making the 3 SMs schlep all around the building. Now that we’re returning to cities it’s funny how my old route comes back into my body.
October 2, 2025 at 2:14 AM
One of the things that’s my responsibility is designing the three distribution routes for the 19 copies of the In/Out, to get them out as fast as possible without making the 3 SMs schlep all around the building. Now that we’re returning to cities it’s funny how my old route comes back into my body.
LOL. Pulling up to the airport and I get a message from my doctor’s office. I’m like “Oh cool maybe they fixed that problem with my prescription.” No. They miraculously found an open slot in the OR to do my 1st procedure THIS FRIDAY.
September 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
LOL. Pulling up to the airport and I get a message from my doctor’s office. I’m like “Oh cool maybe they fixed that problem with my prescription.” No. They miraculously found an open slot in the OR to do my 1st procedure THIS FRIDAY.
Just offered a shadow to a random hotel employee’s stage manager daughter, who works in a city that’s not on our schedule yet but is kind of overdue. Texted our team “Hey so I scheduled a shadow for like 2027 or 2028, just FYI.”
September 29, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Just offered a shadow to a random hotel employee’s stage manager daughter, who works in a city that’s not on our schedule yet but is kind of overdue. Texted our team “Hey so I scheduled a shadow for like 2027 or 2028, just FYI.”
We also had the pleasure of stealing the great Tshidi Manye right after her legendary long run as Rafiki on Broadway. She’s been with us for 3 weeks covering our Rafiki’s vacation, but I hope it won’t be the last time!
September 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM
We also had the pleasure of stealing the great Tshidi Manye right after her legendary long run as Rafiki on Broadway. She’s been with us for 3 weeks covering our Rafiki’s vacation, but I hope it won’t be the last time!