The evolution of lighting design over the past 60 years is becoming more and more noticeable at a popular and global level of perception. The designed illumination of town centres, architecture, concerts and theatre is…
When you spend your working life trying to persuade those at the tiller of the country or of your industry that they should consider the concerns of your constituency, then what you really need to…
A long time ago when the Society of West End Theatre (SWET) decided to call itself the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) the gag was “When sweat disappears, what are you left with? Salt.” Geddit?…
I have been working with some BTec students whose enthusiasm and interest was inspiring. A lot of work is, at long last, being done to bring younger people into our industry. We were chatting about…
These days if you want to see backstage during a show, a quick search of YouTube will provide plenty of opportunity. Unfortunately, most of these videos consist of shaky, badly lit shots of dancers gurning at…
The scene is a small warehouse on an industrial estate near Milton Keynes, one day in early October. A production manager, a wardrobe supervisor and a company manager are being met by a pantomime producer. Producer: Thank you for…
We bandy the phrase ‘stage manager’ about, and assume a shared mindset, similar values, a common approach. Fair enough, but what is a stage manager? The tasks that fall to stage management are as varied…
The pass door and the safety curtain, whether they exist in reality or simply metaphorically, can be a barrier between different dynamics, working hours and priorities. Even house managers and ushers, who work on performances…
Do you remember when stage managers automatically checked that everything, but everything, was masked from the ends of the front row? If so, you probably have a bus pass. Many SMs still do check, but…
At the end of this month, 1,000 young people aged from 17 to 25 will turn up at the Royal Opera House, London for the seventh TheatreCraft event which is designed to introduce them to…
Test your mettle – become a stage manager. Putting on a show and ensuring it happens on the advertised day, at the advertised time can be very pressurised, juggling and prioritising demands. Things can’t be…
Small-scale touring is one of the oldest forms of British theatre. The guilds’ miracle plays depended on the only essentials needed for theatre – a script, some actors, a few props, a stage manager and…
Production Manager Sarah Cole talks about a project connecting the cultures of Wales and South Africa
In this business we all work together, respect each other’s contribution to getting the show on, tolerate all-comers. Don’t we?
Backstage used to be a mystery. What exactly was going on? Who was doing it? Where were all the characters needed to make a show happen? Indeed, how many of them were there? The Leicester…
It is said that if you open up a casting agent (after they are dead, obviously) you will find the word ‘billing’ engraved on their heart. But will it be above the title? Left side,…
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