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AMA

I Was a Westend Stage Manager - Ask Me Anything

85 replies

TheatreJunkie84 · 21/09/2019 19:42

Title says it all really!

Did the rounds of a few big Westend musicals as well as working for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House for a time. Worked with some big names too....gave it all up a couple years ago to start my family.

Anyone wants to know the ins and outs of working in theatre....ask me anything!

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TheatreJunkie84 · 30/10/2019 22:57

@PrivateSpidey sorry - I totally didn't see this question!

I consider myself lucky every single day to be able to do what I do! Yes....every job gets monotonous and you get yourself into a routine, but soon as that overture starts and the curtain goes up....I remember how lucky I am!

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PrivateSpidey · 23/09/2019 09:33

This is such an interesting thread! I was thinking it must be so rewarding to have a job that just brings pure and simple joy to people - does it feel like that OP, or do you just get absorbed in the day to day tasks (like any other job)?

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 19:08

Previous post is response to @gostiwooz

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TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 19:08

Ohhhhh Theatre Royal is nothing compared to some!

Below is a picture some-one uploaded to Instagram of Southend Palace - reportedly the steepest in the country, though I think it's contested with York Theatre Royal. The rake is 1:18...though I still don't understand entirely what that means.

For theatres with a very steep rake, there are exercises and stretches that actors can do before each performance.....but after a while you honestly get used to it.

I Was a Westend Stage Manager - Ask Me Anything

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gostiwooz · 22/09/2019 17:49

I know most theatre stages are raked, but I had no idea just how steep that rake is in some theatres until I went backstage at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (cast member friend).

Are there any steeper than that?

How do the set-builders allow for it when touring, and how in the wide world do dancers cope with dancing on a slope?!

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 16:38

@5LeafClover skills are extremely transferable! I've worked in arts admin, Film and television more recently on a bookings and hire team. Stage management means a lot of multi tasking and team playing, so the skills are very easily transferred to other sectors.

Definitely not a young persons game. As much you get the 'lifers', starting at uni and ending in their 60's, I've also one friend who didn't decide she wanted to be stage manager well into her 40's. Luckily she had some amateur experience and a friend who worked crew on a westend show....she got a job doing that and worked her way up the ranks. She's now approaching mid 50's and DSM on a long running westend show.

I've got friends who works the cruise circuit but it's definitely not for me. Long hours, no pay, no escape from people if you don't happen to get on with them and then you're stuck on a boat! Plus having seen videos of shows that friends have been in, I think the quality and standard of performances on board can vary greatly. Each to their own though! I know my friends all love it.

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5LeafClover · 22/09/2019 15:57

More questions....can you transfer your skills to other areas such as tv? Is it generally a younger person s job or are there all ages working at the top level? Did you ever consider working abroad or on a cruise ship?

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 14:58

@FionaJT yikes! Yeah I've had a few studio shows like that, hearing every single unwrap and rustle! They're the worst, especially when you're out front with the lighting desk.

I'd love to go back to it eventually. Luckily I don't live too far from London, and I try to stay in the loop as best I can.

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TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 14:41

@gostiwooz thankfully - never! I did have an actor nearly set his cloak on fire on stage....it was outdoor theatre, he was playing a sorcerer and standing a bit too close to one of the flaming braziers. Luckily he managed to pat it out discreetly. I was mildly panicking from the wings though

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FionaJT · 22/09/2019 14:40

Hi, another DSM here, I was once asked by the cast of quite a quiet, serious play to put out an interval front of house call to ask the audience to stop unwrapping sweets as it was getting so distracting. (I did very little in the West End but lots of opera and mid scale regional touring, and after a lot of years out for parenting am now back in the business, albeit on a smaller scale more local level.)

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 14:38

@AutumnRose1 food outside of sweet packets and ice cream definitely isn't allowed - they smuggled it in their rucksack!

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gostiwooz · 22/09/2019 14:31

Have you ever had to ask for Mr Sands?

CherryCheezcake · 22/09/2019 14:23

I had two cast come off stage after the opening scene of a play and tell me there were people eating in the front row. Not so unusual, I said. No, they had plates and knives and forks

AutumnRose1 · 22/09/2019 14:07

Thanks OP

I’m surprised food like that is allowed, or is it a case of catching people as they go in?

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 14:03

@AutumnRose1 luckiky I've found the Westend musical audiences to be fairly considerate!

Think worst one was a couple in the front row brought in a full Burger King feast, complete with supersize drink, fries and side orders. They had it all on the floor in front of them and just started tucking in once curtain was up. DSM clocked it on the conductor monitor and swiftly informed the duty manager....who sent a FOH member of staff out the request they put it away and finish eating at the interval. They huffed and puffed but I like to think all those around them were grateful for the intervention!

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TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 13:59

@Funghi not sure if I should say, people on here could end up stalking their favourite casts
lol.

I will say I used to go to The Nell (opposite Drury Lane Theatre) quite a lot, also sometimes the Salisbury and Mr Foggs Tavern.

Honestly...it's generally whatever pub is closest vicinity to the theatre you're working at!

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TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 13:49

@CherryCheezcake oooooooh that's far more interesting! Actually never seen that before. nice to see a fellow DSM! Jump in if you have any more interesting answers than I do

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AutumnRose1 · 22/09/2019 12:51

OP how do you find audiences behave at the theatre?

Funghi · 22/09/2019 11:03

This thread has had be belting out circle of life all morning.

The DSM sounds by far the most interesting role.

What pubs would you usually frequent after shows?

HappyParent2000 · 22/09/2019 10:40

Who is your favourite female golfer?

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 10:38

@milliefiori ohhhh that happens all the time! It makes sense if you think about it. Especially when it comes to the difficult roles. An understudy will already have a years experience in the role so would find it relatively easy to merely step up.

There was a great story a couple years ago on Mamma Mia. The lead went off with an injured ankle after the opening scene and the understudy was unavailable (not sure why....). Lucky down the road on 42nd Street at Theatre Royal Drury Lane there was an actress who had previously played the role....she just popped down the road and was on stage within 18 minutes of the incident!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44494641

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CherryCheezcake · 22/09/2019 10:14

^^ 'you' in my post being other MNers, not the OP, who obviously knows how it works

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CherryCheezcake · 22/09/2019 10:12

If you're interested in seeing a show backstage, the Royal Opera House has a multicamera broadcast of one act of Die Valkure on their website www.roh.org.uk/interactives/opera-machine
You can watch any one of lots of cameras, listen to the DSM, and even watch the score pages turning with the cues.
When it first came out I started sending out to non- theatre friends and family, to show them what I do!

TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 09:48

@Secondchild2019 favourite show was easily The 39 Steps, least favourite was probably any of the smaller studio plays. They don't pay well for a huge amount of responsibility and producers will definitely take the piss with payment terms and their expectations of you.

I've never really seen first hand any sort of competition between leads and ensemble. At the end of the day it's not the leads fault they were cast, and people tend to be respectful of that. Though of course every understudy is waiting for the lead to go off ill....that's only natural

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TheatreJunkie84 · 22/09/2019 09:34

@aliolilover for me personally it was Lion King. So much can go wrong on that show if you're not paying attention, so when you first start you only have a matter of days to learn your track by heart, as you then need to be learning all the contingency plans so you know what to do should anything go wrong. It's a very big show with lots of moving parts, and with the added bonus of kids backstage it can be a bit of a melting pot!

Lucky everyone on that show knows their shit and things rarely if ever go really wrong. I do remember leaving my flashlight on during a blackout on my first night though...I was onstage moving scenery with this beaming light on my belt loop

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