Finding Order in the Chaos

Welcome! Pull up a chair, make yourself at home.

Let me give you the backstory. This year I decided to return to an old refuge of mine - the written word. Ideas, phrases, characters used to overflow from my head almost continuously, so that I had to race to keep up and set them down on paper or typed in Word. From the tail end of childhood into my twenties, I experimented with stories, poetry, songs, screenplays and nonfiction. One of the few constants throughout my turbulent adolescence was this creative impulse. I went to university to study English Literature and Creative Writing (what else?) following my instincts and the advice of my mentors. Beyond that, there were several potential paths to follow, and I was stalling the decision.

As a student I was immersed in texts, theories and symbols, learning the craft of writing with more discipline. Whilst studying I was sidetracked into a theatre society where I took backstage roles, staying out of the spotlight gathering props and costume. Ideas of careers in publishing or film production fell aside as I fell in love with making theatre. The camaraderie, the unexpected, the sustained illusions. I had discovered the obscure realm of stage management.

Setting up for a show in a Fringe venue 2011

I graduated and rushed headfirst into the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, working as a Venue Technician to build and manage 10 shows a day in a temporary theatre space for a month. This was the first step on a journey into theatre production which became full time after a few years learning and grafting, and after more shows than I can remember I find myself in the midst of a global pandemic with theatres across the world dark and empty for the first time in living memory. My chosen career has been a great adventure, until quite abruptly 'business as usual' ground to a halt.

The business of entertainment

After some success as a young adult with writing contests, poetry readings, local publications and suchlike, my new obsession with theatre eclipsed my love of writing. Working as part of a team, I could create stories for many people to watch and enjoy, an immediate medium and performed as if real; unfolding right there in front of you. There is an electric atmosphere in a live event, and we have an inbuilt desire for communal experiences. This choice of career gave me a community where writing had not. In the course of a production, fast families are made and as quickly disbanded, and you often run into people again in this relatively small world.

In filling my time with props, show reports, cue lists, set dressing, meetings and communication, I lost my written voice. I simply set my books and projects aside, as if in hibernation. After a graduate job in website Copywriting, I left behind almost everything but the strange microcosm of British theatre. That is until now. I'm afraid this another COVID-19 story; we are in the early stages of the transformation this global health crisis will force us through. In the UK, one day in March the theatres closed almost overnight, without knowing when they might safely raise the curtain again.

As the dust settles, it is a time for reflection and change

The world is a complex and frightening place in 2020, with many shadows looming over us, with the unseen insidious virus paralysing our usual engines of productivity and profit. But the silver lining for those of us lucky enough not to get seriously ill or lose our loved ones, and not about to lose the roof over our heads, is we have the luxury of time. Many of us are reassessing our priorities in this period of disruption.

Bath Theatre Royal, after loading out panto

On this blog, I wish to reflect on almost a decade spent in theatre production and share the lessons learnt which might apply to many kinds of life and work, on topics such as people management, logistics, scheduling, adaptability, problem-solving and more. 

The skills we use in the theatre industry to ensure the show goes on night after night can be applied to many other fields or situations. During this unplanned interval, I can make sense of the hurdles, mistakes and breakthroughs that a career backstage has involved. I hope you find them useful or of interest. It is time to dust off the books and pick up the pen once again.