Since the earliest days of television, music and dance events have been a staple of the broadcast medium. But without the work of experts who help bring these shows to worldwide audiences, this would not be possible. On July 30, DGA members and others who work with Performers, Musical Directors, Choreographers and Creative Directors on some of the biggest variety and award shows shared their insights during the Western AD/SM/PA Council’s event, Song & Dance: How Associate Directors and Stage Managers Work with Music & Choreography.
The audience gathered at the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater for an informative and entertaining discussion about the many facets it takes to bring music and dance shows to television. In a conversation moderated by Associate Director Gary Natoli (The Tony Awards) and Stage Manager Sean Callahan (Encanto LIVE), Director/Associate Director Debbie Palacio (So You Think You Can Dance), Associate Director/Stage Manager Peter Margolis (The Voice), Stage Managers Ron Paul (American Music Awards) and Jonathan Marks (The Masked Singer), Associate Director Angela Visca (Metropolitan Opera Live), Musical Director & Composer Rickey Minor (The Academy Awards), Choreographer & Producer Mandy Moore (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour) and Creative Director & Producer Raj Kapoor (The Grammy Awards) discussed their work in the genre.
The event kicked off with a welcome from moderators Natoli and Callahan who introduced the panelists. Then in a discussion illustrated by behind-the-scenes visuals and clips from various programs, the conversation began with the subject of collaborating with creatives in the genre, the shorthand that teams use to communicate and using the directorial team to help a Director achieve their vision.
Utilizing the example of the recreation of Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” number from Greta Gerwig’s DGA Award-nominated feature Barbie, the discussion moved to the grandparent of all awards shows, the Oscars. The panelists covered topics such as collaborating with the choreographer on staging, assessing the limitations of the stage, the rehearsal process and translating rehearsal footage into the final production.
Taking a look at another huge awards show, the Grammys, a dissection of the work it took to stage pop star Dua Lipa’s performance was revealed.
In the segment covering competition series such as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, The Masked Singer and The Voice, the panelists explained how the week progresses including the initial breakdown of the episode, the creative meetings, recording music and off-site dance rehearsals and how to define tempo during music breakdowns.
The portion on working with bands and musical directors covered such items as the advantages of utilizing the program Pro-tools, the variety of ways Associate Directors like to work – digital vs. paper scripts – and the differing styles a team may encounter with different Directors such as how some mark every shot while others like to do some shots “on the fly.”
Other topics of discussion included working with little assets or support, working with the schedule and troubleshooting solutions and being prepared for anything. This segment included an exploration of how film is different than live variety, how to compensate when a set list doesn’t match the songs you’ve prepped and how in some productions such as opera, there’s no rehearsal where you can stop, and you get a single pass before the taping of the show.
The final discussion shared advice to Associate Directors and Stage Managers looking to get into the world of music and dance productions, such as learning about musical phrasing and the terminology involved, learning how script supervisors do music breakdowns so you can make your own or know what to ask for from them that works for you and general advice for Stage Managers.
See video from this event in the gallery below.
About the panelists:
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 Director/Associate Director Debbie Palacio
Palacio’s directorial credits include episodes of Dennis Miller Live, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Pet Star. Prior to directing she served as Stage Manager on programs such as Comic Relief; and as an Associate Director on productions including sitcoms like Roc and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, operas such as Rigoletto and Siegfried; Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss America pageants; game shows Password and Weakest Link and14 Seasons of So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent. She has been a DGA member since 1985.
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 Associate Director/Stage Manager Peter Margolis
Margolis’ AD/SM credits include The Voice, The Price is Right, CMA Awards, Grammy Awards, Puttin’ on the Hits and The American Music Awards. He has been a DGA member since 1986 and has served seven terms on the Western AD/SM/PA Council. |
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 Stage Manager Jonathan Marks
Marks’s Stage Manager credits include The Masked Singer, Grease Live, Hairspray Live, A Christmas Story Live, Rent Live, Let’s Make a Deal, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, The Price is Right, BET Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, World of Dance, Titan Games, The Bachelor and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He has been a DGA member since 2009 and has served two terms on the Western AD/SM/PA Council. |
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 Associate Director Angela Visca
Visca’s Associate Director credits include The Daily Show, Apple Music Live: Peso Pluma, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing, MTV Video Music Awards, Tosh.0, Growing Up Hip Hop, Turandot HD, Latin Grammy Person of the Year and Premiere Ceremony and the Billboard Music Awards. She has been a DGA member since 1997 and currently serves as an alternate on the Western AD/SM/PA Council and as the category representative for the Latino Committee. |
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 Stage Manager Ron Paul
Some of Paul’s recent Stage Manager credits include 2024 Oscars, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2024, Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter, 2024 ESPY Awards, Ukraine: Answering the Call, 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards; and episodes of The Voice and Big Brother. A DGA member since 1985, Paul currently serves as a member of the Western AD/SM/PA Council. |
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 Creative Director & Producer Raj Kapoor
Kapoor is an Emmy winning creative talent whose credits include Adele: One Night Only, the Academy Awards, Grammys, ACM Awards, Beauty & The Beast: A 30th Celebration, Stand Up To Cancer, The Little Mermaid Live!, and We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert. |
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 Musical Director & Composer Rickey Minor
Minor is an Emmy Award-winning Music Director, Producer, Conductor and Author whose numerous television credits include The Tonight Show, American Idol, The Kennedy Center Honors, The American Music Awards, The Super Bowl, The Grammys, The Emmys and The Oscars. He has received 15 Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Music Direction. |
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 Choreographer & Producer Mandy Moore
Moore is best known for her ground-breaking work as a producer and choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance as well as producing and choreographing Taylor Swift’s record shattering The Eras World Tour. On film her highly acclaimed choreography can be seen in features such as David O. Russell’s American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook and Damien Chazelle’s DGA Award-winning La La Land. |
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About the Moderators
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 Associate Director Gary Natoli (co-moderator)
Natoli’s Associate Director credits include Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Primetime Emmy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, The Oscars, The Critics’ Choice Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards; and episodes of Big Brother. A DGA member since 1987, Natoli currently serves as the Western AD/SM/PA Council Chair and previously served terms as Council First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair and Council Secretary-Treasurer. In 2024 he became the 33rd recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award. |
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 Stage Manager Sean Callahan (co-moderator)
Some of Callahan’s Stage Manager credits include Jo Koy: Live from the Los Angeles Forum, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Instant Dream Home, The 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards and The Cube. A DGA member since 2012, Callahan serves on the Western AD/SM/PA Council and previously served as Council Secretary-Treasurer from 2020-2022 He is the Chair of the Council’s Mentor Committee. |
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About the Western AD/SM/PA Council:
The Western AD/SM/PA Council is the elected body that represents the Guild members who reside in the Western region and work in television as Associate Directors, Stage Managers or Production Associates.