Two weeks ago, the Rutherford Theatre was pulsing to the beat of 70s disco music as Year 9 performed their contemporary production of ‘Twelfth Night’. Taking us back to 1979, we explored the seaside resort of Illyria in a comedic tale of strangers, twins and mistaken identities.
However, all the magic on the stage couldn’t happen without the support of the backstage team. Assistant Stage Manager Katherine, Y12, talks about what it is like to work on a theatre production.
What were your responsbilities, and what interested you in taking on a backstage role?
On Twelfth Night I worked as an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM). This is a backstage role managing the use of props and moving set on and off of the stage.
My main role was helping to move set on and off of the stage and making sure all the props were in their correct places before each performance. I worked under the wonderful Chaeyi S. who was in charge of all the ASMs. It was her, with the help of Evie D-C, who assembled all the props needed for the show and additionally made the set list (a list that dictates who is moving what parts of set and at what time). In addition to me, Evie and Chaeyi, working on the show was Emily E, Y11, who worked on sound for the first time and did a stunning job – reacting incredibly well under pressure when one of the sound-cues when slightly wrong (you wouldn’t even have known that anything went wrong thanks to her!). We also had Keira D, Y9, skillfully operating lighting – performing a very technical job for the first time, almost entirely independently (a very impressive feat!).
Along with Evie D-C and Cecily S, I help run the Tech Club for the school – something which the three of us created as a club this year. Cecily is the current Music and Drama rep and is incredibly talented and skilled, having performed in many things herself. Evie is also equally talented and innovative – there’s not much she can’t do backstage. It with these two that we organised the tech crew for Twelfth Night.
I myself am fairly used to working backstage – I worked backstage on my first play in Year 7 and have been involved in as many things backstage as I can since!
What do you enjoy about working on productions (and what did you enjoy about Twelfth Night in particular)?
I enjoy the problem solving element of working on productions, and being given (largely) free-reign over the productions is always a fun experience for me.
Twelfth Night in particular was very fun because of its modernised themes – meaning we got lots of sparkly costumes! It was also a slightly more technical production than others, so there was lots to do backstage!
What did you find most challenging?
There was nothing incredibly challenging in the Year 9 play. Working out the timings for moving some of the set onstage was a bit tricky to start with as this is one of the most exposed positions you get backstage, so there’s minimal room for error, but once that was sorted out there were no major problems!
What is the rehearsal process like?
The tech side of any performance will usually join in the later stage of the productions. On this production we first joined for the full run-throughs to get a vague idea of the play as a whole.
Next was the tech run in which, thanks to the help of Gregory Jordan and Fatih Donmez, the technical elements of lighting and sound were programmed. This is when those in lighting operation and sound operation learn the track (when they need to change the lights/play sound effects). Chaeyi and Evie also put together the props list and organised all the set moving on and off the stage.
After the tech run we do the dress rehearsal, which is a mock performance complete with fully working lights, sound, props and set. This is usually when the last issues in the performance are ironed out – and then we’re (hopefully) ready to perform!
How many others worked in backstage roles?
The typical roles on offer are ASMs (props and set), Lighting Operation, Sound Operation and Costume.
On this specific performance we had:
Assistant Stage Manager (Lead) – Chaeyi Song (Y10)
Asistant Stage Managers – Evie D-C (Y11) , Katherine T (Me -Y12)
Lighting Design – Gregory Jordan (Contractor)
Set – Fatih Donmez (Staff)
Lighting Operation – Keira D (Y9)
Sound Operation – Emily E (Y11)
Director and Costumes – Mrs Johnson
Hair and Makeup – Mrs Johson and Evie D-C
Make sure to look through the Twelfth Night photo gallery below!
