# What Does an Actor/ASM Do? Acting and Stage Managing on Tour > An Actor/ASM plays a role and helps run the show: loading the van, building the set, tracking props, and packing it all up again. What the job actually involves on a touring children's show, what the union rules say about half hour and heavy scenery, whether it pays more, and how to keep your performance fresh. - URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/what-does-an-actor-asm-do - Published: 2026-10-31 - Last updated: 2026-10-31 The offer comes in for a touring children's show. The role is good, the tour is months long, and the contract line under your name says Actor/ASM. You know what the first half of that means. The second half is the part nobody explained at drama school. Then you picture it: a van pulling up to a school at seven in the morning, a gym with the basketball hoops still down, and you and three castmates carrying the set through a side door while your stage manager checks the clock. Two hours later, you're onstage playing a talking fox for four hundred second graders. The short version: an Actor/ASM is an actor who is also signed as an assistant stage manager. On a small tour, that usually means unloading, building, and striking the set, tracking props, and helping the stage manager run the day. On an Equity TYA contract, the duties are written down, there are limits on what you lift and when the crew work stops, and there's a small bump in pay. Treat both jobs as real jobs, and protect the acting from the crew work. ## What "Actor/ASM" means An assistant stage manager (ASM) supports the stage manager in rehearsals and performances. What that looks like depends on the show. Emerson Stage's [stage manager's handbook](https://websites.emerson.edu/emerson-stage-production/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2014/07/SM-Handbook-2013_final.pdf) lists sample ASM duties, such as typing up script changes, bringing rehearsal props and costume pieces into the room, and taping the set out on the floor. It also says the stage manager decides the specific duties. An Actor/ASM does that job and plays a role. You'll see it where casts are small and there's no separate crew, as on touring shows for young audiences. In the US, Actors' Equity's [Theatre for Young Audiences agreement](https://actorsequity.org/resources/contracts/TYA) covers plays "expressly written, created or adapted to be performed for children." Its 2022-2025 rulebook has a whole section on stage managers, ASMs, and Actor/ASMs. There, [Rule 51](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6501ca9890bd9fd3f1044d12/657a2295003ebee5e6dc8ecf_AEA%20TYA%20Rulebook%202022%20-%202025%20(1).pdf) requires one stage manager and at least one ASM or Actor/ASM working on each production at all times. The stage manager may not act except in an emergency, so the acting ASM is the one who does both. In the UK the same job has been called an "acting ASM." The actor Michael Troughton [describes joining the Arts Theatre in London](https://michaeltroughton.co.uk/biography) after his A levels as an acting ASM: two years of playing small roles while working behind the scenes in the fly gallery, on props, sound, lights, or as DSM in the prompt corner. ## What a day on a TYA tour looks like Touring notices are blunt about the crew side of the job. TheaterWorksUSA's [notice for its 2023-24 touring season](https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/TheaterWorksUSA-2023-24-TYA-Touring-Season-TheaterWorksUSA-2023-40020) said every tour actor was on an Actor/ASM contract, that they would lift scenery and sound equipment at the daily load-in and load-out, and that every actor helped put the set up and take it down at each theater and school. The company traveled by car and van every day, after about two weeks of rehearsal. A presenter's tech rider shows the clock. Lexington Children's Theatre's [tour rider](https://artistdirectory.ky.gov/Documents/LCT_Tech-Rider_8-15-24.pdf) describes a company of three or four actors who arrive in a large van, with scenery built to fit through a standard door and no crew besides the actors. Load-in takes about an hour, each show runs about 60 minutes, a changeover between its two productions takes about an hour, and the strike takes about an hour. The actors even run the sound from devices built into the set or props. Put those together and a two-show day can look like this: 1. Meet at the van, check the load against the packing list, and drive to the first venue. 2. Find the contact, walk the route from the door to the playing space, and unload. 3. Build the set, preset the props, check the sound, and set up the dressing room. 4. Stop the crew work, warm up, get into costume, and do the show. 5. Do the talkback or Q&A if the school asked for one, then strike and load the van. 6. Drive to the next venue and do it again. The pace has been part of this work for a long time. Virginia Living's 2010 [profile of Theatre IV's touring company](https://virginialiving.com/?p=1036) described casts of three to six who shared the jobs of cast, crew, driver, and navigator, performing twice a day, five days a week. The actors had 12 days to learn not just their lines but the blocking, the songs, and how to set up and pack the set fast. ## The ASM half: props, presets, and paperwork Carrying the set is the visible part. The quieter part is making the show identical every time, in a different room every day. That's where good ASM habits pay off for you as an actor too. **The preset sheet** is the core tool. The Emerson handbook describes a props preset sheet that lists each place a prop is preset, the prop, and the act, scene, and page where it's used, with a check box to tick as you set it. It also describes a master run sheet that records everyone's track: pre-show and post-show jobs, prop handoffs, and set changes. On tour, props may travel and sit in a road box. The same handbook says to tape out and label prop tables and road boxes, so a missing item is obvious at a glance, and so props sit in the same place every performance "so the actors know where to find them." When you're the actor and the ASM, you're setting the trap you'll walk into later. Set it the same way every time. Your stage manager decides who owns what. On a four-person tour, one actor might own props, another sound, another the packing list. Ask on day one which jobs are yours, write them on your own run sheet, and do them in the same order every day. Our guide to [working with your stage manager](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-work-with-your-stage-manager) covers the rest of that relationship. ## What the union contract says (and what to ask on a non-union tour) On an Equity TYA contract, the crew side has written limits. These come from the 2022-2025 TYA rulebook. Equity says the current agreement [runs from June 22, 2025 to June 17, 2029](https://actorsequity.org/resources/contracts/TYA), and its full text is in the member portal, so check the current wording with Equity before you rely on any detail. - **Your duties are in writing.** When an actor is asked to sign an Actor/ASM contract, the producer has to outline the responsibilities in writing, and a casting notice for a role with ASM duties must describe them. - **Crew work stops at half hour.** Unless you're designated first or second ASM, an Actor/ASM is to be "relieved of all ASM functions immediately at the half-hour call." If you aren't, the rule calls for at least half an hour of overtime. - **Two people must be able to carry any piece.** If the company loads and sets up the show, no single piece of scenery may be bigger or heavier than can be "carried reasonably by two members of the company," and set pieces need hand holds. - **There's a break before half hour.** The rule allows a 15-minute break after the unload and before half hour when possible, and an extra 15 minutes after the show in bad conditions, such as extreme weather, lots of stairs, or a theater that isn't ready. - **You don't fund the tour.** Stage management and actors can't be required to cover company costs, like lodging or the vehicle, with their own credit cards or money. Stage management also can't be required to do building maintenance or janitorial work. - **Big casts get a separate ASM.** A production with a cast of 10 or more needs an ASM who doesn't act or understudy. A non-union tour can set its own terms, so ask for them before you sign. What will you lift, and how heavy is the heaviest piece? Who drives, and does the job require a license? Does crew work stop before the show? Is there a break between unload and half hour? If you're weighing a union and non-union offer, our guide to [Equity vs non-Equity theater](https://www.offbook.com/blog/equity-vs-non-equity-theater) walks through what each one guarantees. ## Do Actor/ASMs get paid more? On a union TYA contract, yes, a little. In the 2022-2025 rulebook's last year (July 2024 to June 2025), the weekly minimum was $615 for an actor and $643 for an Actor/ASM, or $28 more a week. A first or second ASM who also acts had a $651 minimum. Those were floors, not offers, and the current agreement has its own rates. The same rulebook treats assistant stage managing as an "additional duty" if it wasn't in your contract when you signed. Then it needs a rider with negotiated pay, which the rulebook set at no less than $14 a week on a weekly contract. So if you're asked to take on ASM work mid-contract, the answer isn't just "sure"; it's "sure, with a rider." Money on the road is about more than salary, though. Ask about housing, travel, and daily expenses too. Our guide to [per diem for actors](https://www.offbook.com/blog/what-is-per-diem-for-actors) explains what to look for in a touring offer. ## Keep the performance fresh when you're also the crew Here's the real risk of the job. By the time you've driven, unloaded, and built the set, the show can feel like one more task on the run sheet. Theatre IV actor Jon Perez told Virginia Living that some of the company's shows might be done 120 times, and that the challenge is keeping them fresh. A few habits help: - **Protect time to warm up.** Agree with your stage manager when you can finish your preset and step away from crew work. If you're designated first or second ASM, or your contract doesn't provide half-hour relief, plan around your assigned duties rather than stopping on your own. Use the agreed time to warm up and think about your first scene, not about the sound cable. - **Pick one new thing to listen for each show.** A different word in your scene partner's line, a new way they look at you. Children are a quick, honest audience, so let their reactions change your timing. - **Re-learn the text on purpose.** After weeks on the road, actors drift: a word swaps, a line shortens. Once a week, check your lines against the script, and fix the drift before it becomes the show. Our [free first-letter memorizer](https://www.offbook.com/tools/first-letter-memorizer) turns any speech into a quick self-test. - **Know your entrances cold.** When you're also running sound or handing off props, your own cues are what slip. Our guide to [learning your entrances and exits](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-learn-your-entrances-and-exits) helps. The van is a good place to run lines, too, as long as you're not the one driving. Offbook can play your scenes on your phone with your own lines left as silent gaps to fill, and it keeps playing with the screen locked. Video: [Listen on your phone](https://www.offbook.com/learn/listen-on-phone) (0:52) ## Is an Actor/ASM job worth taking? For many actors, yes. A tour for young audiences can mean months of paid work, and you may perform twice a day, five days a week, as Theatre IV's casts did. You'll also learn how a show is put together and run, which makes you a better company member for the rest of your career. Troughton's two years as an acting ASM in London were, in his telling, years of watching and learning as much as playing. It's a physical job, though, and the hours are long. Go in knowing the duties, the limits, and the pay. If you're preparing for the audition itself, start with our guide to [auditioning for theatre for young audiences](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-audition-for-theatre-for-young-audiences). ## Questions actors ask ### Do I need stage management experience to be an Actor/ASM? Not always. On a small tour, much of the work is physical and repetitive: loading, building, presetting, and striking. Ask the stage manager to walk you through their system on day one. What helps most is being reliable, careful with props, and calm when a venue isn't what the rider asked for. Read the notice closely for any experience it asks for. ### Can I say no to the ASM duties? If the role was cast as Actor/ASM, the duties are part of the job you're accepting, so decide before you sign. On an Equity TYA contract the duties have to be outlined in writing, and ASM work added after signing needs a rider with extra pay. On a non-union tour, ask for the duties in writing before you accept. ### Will I have to drive the van? Some small tours share the driving among the company (Theatre IV's actors drove themselves), so ask. Under the 2022-2025 Equity TYA rulebook, having a driver's license or owning a vehicle can't be a condition of employment for stage managerial staff; ask Equity whether that covers your Actor/ASM contract. On a non-union tour, ask before you sign whether a license is required. ### How do I learn lines when the rehearsal period is so short? Start before the first rehearsal if you have the script, and test yourself instead of rereading: cover your line, say it from the cue, then check. Short rehearsal periods are normal on tours, so arrive as close to off book as you can. Our guide to [learning lines for a short rehearsal period](https://www.offbook.com/blog/learn-lines-short-rehearsal-period) has a day-by-day plan.