Lucy Kitcher Theatre

I was thrilled to be able to work with Theatre Royal Plymouth as ASM for their Christmas Drum show “Raymond Brigg’s Father Christmas”

In this role I worked closely with the Company Stage Manager and cast, as well as Steph Kempson (Associate Director) and the team at TRP.

To start rehearsals off the CSM & I marked out the room with the set dimensions, following the stage plan, and brought the needed props and set trucks for the cast to have everything they needed for rehearsal. We coordinated with Wardrobe for costume fittings and worked with the Pins and Needles associates and TR2 workshop staff for minor repairs on props and set. There was daily maintenance needed for the good working order of the puppets in particular – oiling joints and checking their general wellbeing by the Puppet Technician Puppeteer and Stage Management.

In the venue we teched the show smoothly and opened for our 65 performances. The ASM track involves a lot of managing props and space, as well as assisting cast with quick changes. The run over Christmas is an intense time and a certain amount of my job was also managing the welfare of cast and crew – I made sure drinking and snacks were available and maintained a positive and friendly attitude throughout the process – I am always keen to help with anything that the cast & crew need and happy to do things that will make the experience more enjoyable and comfortable.

Hamilton- I started my job as part of the in-house stage crew with a shadowing placement on “Hamilton”. This tied in with the shadowing I had already done with the ASMs and I was able to see the show from the crew’s perspective. The first night I just shadowed but as the week went on I was taking the place of the crew member assisting the ASMs with lifting and scene transitions, and placing props and furniture in place. One night a cast member was injured, so the crewman and I managed the scene transition ourselves while the ASM performed first aid.

Miss Saigon- Since joining the stage crew team properly I have worked on the Get In and Get Out for the UK tour of Miss Saigon (Michael Harrison in association with Cameron Mackintosh). This involved loading out the trucks, assisting the crew with assembling columns held in the rigging, assembling the revolve and stage floor, and setting up wardrobe village.

This production of Nick Hern’s adaptation of “1984” was performed on the Drum Stage of Theatre Royal Plymouth with a large ensemble cast. I stepped away from this project for a time in order to work on “Father Christmas” but as Stage Manager I worked with the props maker and workshop manager to create the ‘rat cage’ and torture table from Room 101 – these scenes were emotionally and physically taxing on the actors and their safety was a primary concern of mine. We reinforced the legs of the table with metal brackets so the performers were safe to take these scenes to the high level of intensity of the script.

I’d made contact with The Northcott previously when seeking advice about Stage Management work and Stage Management placements. I was thrilled to be invited to chat with the producers, Cait and Sam, about a placement on Exe-Men and offered the opportunity to gain experience as an Assistant Stage Manager. The structure of the placement was that I would attend three days a week for the three-week rehearsal period, then be present full time for the week of technical rehearsals and two weeks of performances with a budget for travel, accommodation, and other expenses.

This gave me the chance to work on a professional production alongside professional cast and crew, and I was able to experience the full breadth of what a production like this entails.

It began with a Production Meeting before rehearsals, where I was amazed by the sheer number of people involved, the scale of the show, and the level of detail already achieved. It really clued me in on the processes that bring a production to life long before rehearsals even begin. I found it fascinating to listen in, soak up the atmosphere and the information, and find my bearings within the production. As my confidence grew over the placement, I noticed my frantically scribbled notes of everything said were narrowed down to focus on Stage Management-specific notes.

Rehearsals
Over the three weeks, I was in the rehearsal rooms, took part in the read-through and see the development of the play. I worked closely with the Company Stage Manager (CSM) to source rehearsal and show props, mark up the rehearsal space for flying set pieces, and arrange the rehearsal space to best support the cast and crew. I also helped develop the paperwork for the show. Through discussions with the CSM, I gained a clearer understanding of the role of the Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) on this production and how it can vary across different productions and theatres. I personally experienced a learning curve in navigating theatre digs and managing my time and resources effectively to work on Exe Men. On days when I wasn’t in rehearsals, I kept up to date with the show’s progress by reviewing rehearsal notes.

Spending this time in rehearsals really helped me find my feet in the role of ASM – how to conduct myself in the rehearsal room, the scope of ASM duties and how to interact with other departments such as props, technical and costume. What I found most valuable was the practical experience of simply being in the room and learning the shape and rhythms of a production as well as how Stage Management act within it – how the role evolves through production meetings, the type of paperwork produced, and the processes of prop buying and sourcing.

During technical rehearsals, I saw the shape of the show really coming together with the addition of stage, set, and technical elements. This was the time to develop the track for the stage right wing and work through the practicalities of the show – how to manage scene transitions, organise wing space with a large community ensemble and furniture, coordinate cast quick changes and prop management. I got to experience the progress of technical sessions with the professional cast and how the community ensemble was integrated into this.

I received a great deal of personal and professional support from Exeter Northcott Theatre during tech week, which I really valued. The framework of the placement allowed me to remain involved when I couldn’t be physically present and step back into the role when I could. Exe Men has had an incredibly friendly team throughout and that’s part of what made this such a great experience. It felt quite overwhelming at times, but it was also wonderful to witness the progress made during the tech week and the depth of emotional investment the play evoked in me.

Performance weeks
It was during performance weeks I really began to feel ownership of my role in the show and definitely grew in confidence. Initially I struggled to step into the ASM track and felt I was making a lot of mistakes, but these nerves ebbed away as the performances went on. The early mistakes helped me focus on my responsibilities until I felt secure and confident in my role.
Experiencing the excitement of opening night and press night was invaluable, as was the time in-between, when the show is in a kind of ‘previews’ stage before being fully locked in. This was new to me as my previous experience in community theatre had not involved this level of designer/creative input. Although I have nearly always been involved in theatre productions as a hobby, being part of a professional production was eye-opening – the tweaks made to the show during ‘previews’, the stamina and dedication needed for the performance weeks, and how these affect your life outside of theatre.
Performances were also a lot of fun – the energy from the cast and ensemble, the reaction from the audience and the buzz of live theatre can’t be replicated anywhere else. During this time, I was able to speak to the CSM about potential future paths, theatres and experience to pursue, and received useful feedback on my performance as ASM on this production.

Reflections
My placement with the Exeter Northcott taught me so much and gave me the experience of stage management and technical theatre that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere. I was able to be deeply involved in all stages of the production- from meetings, to sourcing props and being part of the performances themselves. This experience gave me a much better understanding of how all the different elements of a production come together and gave me the chance to work closely with great talents –from directors to designers, technicians, actors, creatives and theatre staff, who make the production come to life.

I didn’t study at drama school and have been seeking experience and learning opportunities in stage management through a variety of avenues. This placement at Exeter Northcott Theatre was a brilliant all-round experience to consolidate the knowledge I already had, allowed me to learn a great deal more, and most of all, gave me the confidence to go forward in finding my place in professional technical theatre.

I got in touch with the Company Office for “Hamilton” while they were stationed at TRP for the summer and was able to spend a day shadowing with their Stage Management Team. I shadowed the ASMs during one show and sat with the DSM as they called the show for another. “Hamilton” is such an energetic show it was incredibly interesting to see how it is managed from backstage.

As volunteer Stage Manager for this production I have been involved in the tech & dress rehearsals, creating a prop setting list and developing my track for the show. I assisted ReBels at their Plymouth show – assisting cast with costume quick changes, provided props and managed scene transitions. This was also ReBels last show, so the performance was followed by the Get Out.

Working on this production was a joy and a challenge. There were a multitude of props to source and make, including a dead dog, wooden train set, cardboard planets and props to signify each different character that a multi-roling ensemble take on. The set was deceptively simple with two black flats and 10 small ottoman style boxes to hold props and create set locations- but each ensemble member takes on so many roles that their boxes need to be supplied with all their props and box-formations need to be carefully tracked.

A brilliant hands-on insight into the work of Stage Manager, Deputy Stage Manager and Head of Sound on Wise Children’s current production of “North by Northwest”

I travelled up to the great Hull Truck Theatre to shadow the stage management team during tech & previews. This was an amazing experience for me to see a professional theatre production in it’s last stages of pre-production. I was able to shadow the DSM calling the show, was present for directors working notes, shadowed the ASM’s backstage during the final dress rehearsal, and obtained templates of rehearsal paperwork I hadn’t seen before. I was welcomed in by everyone and had very highly recommend Hull Truck Theatre

I was able to shadow Stage Manager Tom Mclean-Smith in March 2025 while the Mary Poppins Tour was at Theatre Royal Plymouth. This large scale production is incredibly slick and has many moving parts. I was able to follow Tom as he went through his procedures for the show- checking the flies and automation were all secure and safe, putting props, set, cast and crew in the correct places for scenes. I also gained insight into the ‘theatre-magic’ behind moving set pieces that makes Mary Poppins so stunning to audiences.

This Tamaritans production required a lot of organisation on my part as I was filling in for an actor who needed to pull out of the production. With great help from my ASM I was able to put in place all prop setting and set dressing pre-show, in order to focus on my performance during the show.

I enrolled in this short course to further my knowledge of event management and to learn new skill and industry practises. I was able to build on my knowledge of the roles within theatre creative teams and follow a production from the early stages of planning, through budgeting, rehearsals, tech and performance.

Performed at Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Drum stage, this production was incredibly popular with audiences for it’s challenging story and innovative use of moving set pieces. The set choreography led to the creation of many locations within the play and the dynamic movements heightened the sense of urgency and claustrophobia for main character Rachel in her times of distress. Keeping track of the set direction was part of my role as on-stage manager and I worked to keep an upbeat atmosphere in rehearsals.

Part of my work within Filament was to learn to develop and deliver my own events, resulting in the production a family friendly lantern making workshop with nighttime ‘Light Stroll’. Taking a more active role in producing events allowed me to develop my skills in budgeting, marketing, research and development. I took a leading role in project managing the assistants’ team and created a spreadsheet to keep track of budget, task lists, equipment hire, event timetables and contacts. I carefully tracked spending on materials, accommodation, catering and travel to ensure no overspending, and negotiated the purchase orders and box office split with artists to maintain our income targets. I was able to build on my existing excellent administration and research skills, and apply my knowledge of working with databases and spreadsheets. The events were developed with Paignton specifically in mind- bringing new types of theatre to the community and providing a family friendly workshop where there is a lack of family activities.

The best past of all of this was getting stuck in with the kids making their lanterns and seeing how much families enjoyed spending time together having crafty-fun.

https://www.wide-open.uk/past-events/lantern-making-workshop

An audience-led, interactive theatre show exploring gambling, addition and risk – a selection on sealed envelopes guide the show, hidden among them one containing £1000 in prize money, and one that ends the show immediately. It was very exciting to hire Nathan to bring his show down to Paignton, a town that experiences similar levels of deprivation and gambling addiction as the places Nathan based his play on. The show is an interesting study on what constitutes addiction and how we can all gamble with risk in different ways. I was leading the get-in and get-out for the show, setting up lighting and sound rigs, setting the audience seating and arranging refreshments. We experimented with the best ways to use the multi-use arts space we had for audience seating and participation.

https://cptheatre.co.uk/whatson/When-the-Fun-Stops-Try-Again

As Event Assistant on ‘Echoes’ I was involved in the administration and planning aspect of the event and I greatly enjoyed working in this side of the business. ‘Echoes- Paignton in Motion’ was an outdoor mixed media event and saw the project from initial planning to performance. The project was a celebration of the historic Grade II* listed Paignton Picture House featuring work from local artists and archive film material, and used projection mapping and silent disco headsets to create an immersive and visually stunning experience. My role was heavily focused on the administration of the project- I monitored the group timeline spreadsheet and ensured all artists and partners kept to schedule, I researched archive film material and sourced the licensing, I negotiated with the silent disco headset company, and kept records of meeting minutes. In this role, I developed my skills in effective communication with a variety of organisations and individuals, and worked flexibly to adapt to their needs regarding access, research and safety regulations. The role also had a practical aspect- I worked inside the historic building to set it up for the event, installed an exhibition about the project, and managed the box office and ticketing for 900+ people. I learnt how to use ticketsource booking software to create and manage event bookings, using it to send out ticket holder reminders to ensure all participants were informed of event and accessibility information. I applied my creativity to designing a collection of interpretation boards for an exhibition about the event, Paignton Picture House and artist contributors. This job also helped widen my perspective and I found it particularly rewarding as it is focused on bringing arts to areas of deprivation and supporting those areas through culture. I was able to see in person the positive impact of having diverse cultural events in the local area. Being able to work on all stages of event planning and seeing it come together was both demanding and extremely satisfying.

Learned a variety of techniques, including carpentry, mold-making, and
using materials such as thermoplastics and polystyrene and developed
a deeper understanding of prop and set design.

Performed at Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Drum stage, this production was very popular with audiences and gained many excellent review, particularly for our incredible costume design by Pearl Potts. This was my first role with the Tamaritans and I focused mostly on prop making, set design and prop setting and resetting in the theatre. The props I made included clay pipes in the Elizabethan style, they needed to be durable as they were held by cast members while climbing across pieces of furniture. Although the long thin stem is a key part of the clay pipe, I decided to make the stem thicker as I moulded the clay around a chopstick to ensure they stem would not snap when handled. The Title Cards of Blackadder were replaced in this production with signs carried across stage, for this I studied the font used in the Blackadder TV series to recreate this style. The signs had a variety of phrases and asides written on them “Sometime Later”/”Hi Mum” , “1 Dunghill Mansions”/”I See Disaster Ahead” to move the show along and add character to the sign carrier.

A great introduction to the role of Stage Management and the practical work within the role – marking up rehearsal spaces, set plans, script annotation, prop making/sourcing, working with other departments on a production. This gave me a great insight into mix of organisational and practical work, and people skills which are my strengths.

I was part of taking a student show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 as Stage Manager for the show “Takin’ It Easy 1916”. My role involved managing our get in/get out, the set up for each show and maintaining props and costumes throughout the run. I worked closely to support and manage my peers in the production and engaged with the audience and public when advertising the show on the Mile.