Five Inside: Get to Know The Lion King's Backstage MVP, Stage Manager Antonia Gianino

Antonia Gianino has spent 20 years as the production stage manager for Broadway’s crowd-pleasing mainstay The Lion King. In her estimate, she’s called around 2,000 performances. For Gianino, a life in theater is something of a birthright. “My father was a stage manager, retired now. My mom is an actress. My godparents were in the business, they were a general manager and a casting agent. I grew up being in this theater. My dad did several shows at the Minskoff Theatre,” she says. “When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to work a lot backstage and my theater teacher in high school really encouraged that as well. When I went off to college, I sort of gave it a rest to see if I was doing it just because it's what I knew or because I really loved it. I was miserable not doing theater and so changed my major and just carried on doing theater.”

Though Gianino thrives backstage, you won’t see her in the spotlight anytime soon. “I do not like to be in front of people. Even doing a scene change can make me a little nervous. I think breaking out in a cold sweat being on stage in Grease as Frenchie probably solidified the fact that I only wanted to be backstage and never on stage. But I've always loved the theater. I've always loved the community. I love doing musicals.”

Gianino had her professional breakthrough as the assistant production manager for Broadway's Rent at the Nederlander Theatre, after being introduced to the New York Theatre Workshop’s production manager. “Working with her was an amazing experience," Gianino reflects. "She really taught me a lot about myself, about taking ownership of making mistakes, of having confidence in who I was, asking the right questions.” Gianino's responsibilities at Rent ran the gamut: “I worked on the props, I ran a follow spot, I did wardrobe. I got to do all of those things, which was really helpful and informed me as a stage manager as I moved on in my career.”

Her journey to The Lion King was similarly serendipitous. “I had worked with a woman on a show I was stage managing with my dad called Love, Janice which is also where I met my husband. She was filling in and she then ended up being one of the stage managers on Lion King. She said, ‘Hey, they're looking for someone. I put your name in.’ They called me and I was at the beach with my nephew who was two years old at the time. I was screaming, it was really exciting. I mean, Lion King is iconic. To have Rent on my resume and then Lion King, I feel blessed every day.”

Having been on Broadway for over 28 years, The Lion King holds the distinction of having company members who have been with the show for decades and others who are brand new. “I think I learn stuff as a stage manager every time there's a new person that comes in, because every person is unique when they come into this building and I think it's a really lovely thing," says Gianino. "There's a lot of history and some of the people who have been here longer can share their experiences and knowledge. It's a little bit like storytelling, right? There's a lot of lingo that we use. Sharing that with somebody new is interesting and exciting and keeps everything fresh. If it was all the same people all the time, you might rest on your laurels a little bit more than you should.”

One of The Lion King veterans Gianino works with is Lindiwe Dlamini, who has been in the show since its opening in 1997. “I can go to her and say, ‘Hey, do you remember when...? How did we do this before?’ Because she can think back as long as I can and she has a better memory than me, she's a really great resource.”

So, what does a typical day look like for The Lion King’s long-standing stage manager? “I get up early in the morning and get my kids ready for school. I try to take a run if I can. I'm right near Central Park, which is beautiful. Come home, usually there's some sort of work to be done. Sometimes we have rehearsal during the week, and if we don't have rehearsal, we're in two hours before the show starts and that is getting the show prepped and ready. Who's calling out? How do we cover? If someone's on vacation, who's the conductor? Where do we want to be? That kind of stuff. Giving all that information to the different departments so they can get ready for their show. Then we have notes in the office, we talk to the company management and then the show starts. We're here until the show is over, then I hop on the subway, go home, sometimes watch mindless TV and go to bed and start all over again the next day.”

Sharing advice for the next generation of stage managers, Gianino says: “Meet as many people as you possibly can. Ask questions, don't say no to stuff, do anything and everything because you only learn what you're good at or how you want to run your show by having practical hands-on experience in all of those different departments. For me, having run a follow spot, having painted stuff, sewn stuff, welded stuff, done wardrobe, all of those things I think have really contributed to who I am today and the knowledge that I have. Be willing to grow and to continue learning. I got this job after being here 16, 17 years—I became the production stage manager and there were still things I thought, ‘Oh, I can do better on this. I still have stuff to learn.’ I hope that I bring that every day to have an open mind and really continue to make myself better.”

The Broadway Show's new Five Inside series highlights the individuals who help bring Broadway's long-running shows to life, both onstage and off.

GET TO KNOW THE LION KING FAMILY
The Star: L. Steven Taylor | The Debut: Jeremy Noel | The Long-Runner: Lindiwe Dlamini | The Creative Engine: Musical Director Cherie Rosen |  The Backstage MVP: Production Stage Manager Antonia Gianino

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