Amateur Dramatics in Brentwood, Essex...

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Backstage Jobs in Theatre

There are many people other than the actors you see involved in bringing a production to life, and many of those jobs involve hard work and resourcefulness! In amateur theatre it can be difficult to find people who are willing to give up their time to these jobs, but without people willing to help out with these roles, a production could not be staged. If you were not cast in a production, would you be willing to give your time to help with one of the following roles?

Stage Manager
The Stage Manager is pivotal in making sure the show runs smoothly on show nights! After the final rehearsal, the Producer/Director hands over to the Stage Manager and the production essentially then becomes the responsibility of the Stage Manager. He will communicate with the lighting and sound desks to ensure they are aware of any changes, and to check for any problems, he overseas the cast to ensure no stage entrances are missed, and of course, overseas set changes. The Stage Manager is required to attend rehearsals as he needs to know the show as well as, if not better than the cast, to ensure he knows what is required at every point in the show.
It is often a thankless task but is vital to the smooth running of every show.

Lighting
This is obviously a very important job - if we didn't have light, the audience wouldn't see! But it's far more complex than that. It the job of the lighting crew to enhance what is happening on stage and requires quick reflexes in case the cast decide that 3 of the pages they have been rehearsing over a number of months is no longer required!
The lighting of the set has the power to set the mood - in panto you may require lighting to convey terror, and during a play, you may have to subtly convey the passing of an entire day.
Here at Blackmore we have received a lottery grant which meant we could afford to buy our own lighting board and we use state of the art computer gismos to operate the large range of lights we have available to use.

Props
The person organising properties may have to source big items for the set such as furniture, or may have to find props to fit a certain era. Having props that compliment the costumes and script is vital from a continuity perspective. The person organising props needs to be resourceful and not be shy in asking other drama groups for help in finding certain items.