Great 'stuff'!

Year 12, lower sixth student Lily beat tough competition from like-minded lovers of the theatre, successfully applying for the post of stage manager for the Crucible’s People Theatre’s summer production ‘Stuff’ by Tom Wells.

This work experience sets Lily on the path to her dream career behind the scenes in theatre following Sixth Form. For three months, she’ll get hands-on experience with experts in the field, beginning with her first day on the job last Saturday.

The stage manager is key for theatre productions to be organised and ready for the public performances: they work with the director to schedule rehearsals, source props, coordinate the stage crew, call cues and oversee the whole show during each performance. By taking care of communications and the logistics of a show, the director can focus their whole attention on directing.

‘Stuff’ is a National Theatre Connections production following Vinny, who runs into problems trying to organise a surprise birthday party for his friend Anita. “It’s a really funny story with a load of twists,” said Lily. “It’s very well written. I sat in the rehearsal and I found it quite hard not to laugh.” The play is one of ten being commissioned by the National Theatre for young people to perform, with 300 youth theatre companies participating.

Lily is keen to build on her success and is hard at work searching for more work experience before submitting her university applications next year. Her next step will hopefully be to take part in a National Youth Theatre residential, for which she has recently been interviewed.