The Flight Backstage: Interview with 2025-26 Stage Managers

Writer: Michelle Olatunji
Editor: Olivia Cheng

The houselights go down, the loud murmur of the crowd fades out. Backstage, Emma watches the first seen actors take their prologue positions on stage, her colourful highlighters glowing under blue light. Charlotte’s finger hovers right over her script waiting for Ms. Lipovetsky’s thumbs up. Not too long after, she speaks into her headset: “Standby LX1. Go.” Neither Emma or Charlotte will be seen during the play tonight. However, when the audience erupts in applause to signal the end of the grand production that is “Clue”, they’ll know that they made it happen. 

Stage managing is one of the roles that you don’t notice but has an impact beyond the hustle and bustle behind the curtains. When the light hits right on time, the set slides in seamlessly, or an actor never misses an entrance… That is no accident; it’s the work of the stage managers working tirelessly before each performance to put on the long awaited production. I sat down with middle school stage managers Ariela Zhang and Gyu Ri Park from the 2025-26 spectacle “Sense and Sensibility”, as well as the senior school stage managers Emma Farahzadi and Charlotte Myers running “Clue”. They helped me pull back the curtain on this important role holding the whole stage together.

For the grade 8 stage managing duo, the experience was equal parts terrifying and electric. Gyu Ri came in with some experience as a stage manager the year prior while Ariela took on the booth for the first time. “Mr. H was an instrumental part in learning”, Ariela explains. "He would help me organize all my notes and remind me that I'm not in this alone. I always have other people that can help out and that I can also rely on." In the rehearsals predating the show, their roles split, with Ariela as the booth manager learning the soundboard and cueing from above and Gyu Ri backstage doing a thousand small things at once. 

They were surprised by how much thought goes into elements the audience barely registers. “For a long time, we didn’t have sound cues, and once we added them, the entire play was lifted. It was insane how much better it made everything.” They shout out their booth members in projection, lighting, and sound, as well as give a special mention to Natasha, a grade 7 assistant stage manager who handled the right side of the stage.

Their advice for next year’s crew is simple: listen to your stage managers, talk to your techies, and build community. Gyu Ri shares that  “Even if you don’t have any experience, don’t be scared to take risks. You’re always part of a team and there’s always going to be someone there to support you.” The stage managers explained the feeling of adrenaline right after the final song played, it was a moment where they thought “Wow, we did it and fully pulled this off!”

Upstairs, the scale changes. Emma and Charlotte, the grade 11 co-stage managers of “Clue”, have been building towards this for years. Charlotte started as an actor in her grade 7 year’s “Ten Two” before moving into tech. Emma worked tech in middle school and notes how her progress up till now involved a lot of “learning how to do more than you really need from so many sectors like working with light fixtures.” They both emphasize that stage manager isn’t a role you just jump into; it is one that requires experience, work, and grit. 

On her experience during preparation for this year's production, Emma said, “There are a lot of things that I feel at first that I don’t know, but here I have to believe in myself more and just remind myself that, yes, you know how to do this and you’re capable”.

Similar to their grade 8 counterparts, they run two separate worlds, a dynamic they describe as a flight. Emma commands backstage, ensuring every actor hits their cue, every prop is set, and every transition runs smoothly with her army of techies. Charlotte calls the show from the booth, cueing lighting (LX) and sound (SFX) while coordinating with Emma on who and what needs to be on stage. Charlotte is the air traffic controller, relaying the updates and directions while Emma is the pilot, directing the cast and crew for a smooth flight.

Charlotte doesn’t hesitate when describing the workload: “I would go as far as to say that being a stage manager is an equal amount of work as a lot of major student leadership roles”. It is showing up to every rehearsal, this year a total of around 93 hours including tech and dress rehearsals, while actors shift in and out between calls. The job description includes sifting through task upon task and figuring out what needs to be done now versus later. Emma adds that “Every once in a while you’re going to make a mistake. You can’t be perfect and part of being stage managers is being able to throw away perfectionism.” 

Ever wondered how every light and every sound is consistently timed perfectly and looks effortless from the audience? That’s thanks to every blocking note and cue inside of the master binder: the stage manager bible. Every cue, transition, and prop placement is documented and updated as things change. “Clue” is especially tech heavy this year, from the sets themselves to the many transitions, Charlotte notes that there are over 200 cues in her bible. Backstage, Emma coordinates with her techie team to make those seamless changes happen.

Theatre tech is heavily based on teamwork. Charlotte and Emma highlight the ‘Thunder and Lightning’ duo consisting of Maddie Woloviec in Grade 11 (SFX) and Abby Pollack in Grade 12 (LX). From hunting down every sound cue and programming each light sequence, they make difficult work look easy. Another big shoutout goes to Naomi Kamiya, a student in Grade 11 (KB for keyboard) who single handedly runs all the show’s music. This year her one-woman band replaces the pit band from previous productions. Her job is so complicated because of how fast-paced and tricky the timing is, despite that she comes to every rehearsal with such positive energy and grit, playing through 2-hour rehearsals.

So what makes it all worth it? For Emma, it’s when the house doors close and the audience waits eagerly for something only she and her team know is coming. She describes it as “Invigorating”. For Charlotte, it's the second right before the show starts. “The lights go down, I’m calling the first cue, and everyone is scrambling to put their phones away.” She describes it as “Exhilarating”.

Emma finds meaning in the audience’s reaction. “I enjoy hearing what people have to say about the show and hearing that they enjoyed it. At the end, when there’s all the applause, all the long hours and sacrifice really pay off.” 

Charlotte reflects on why she does it. “When people choose extracurriculars, they choose based on the title and think too much about what will look good on their resume. Stage management isn’t about the recognition. It’s about knowing you put on a great show and being fulfilled by that and all the work you’ve put in.”

“Clue”, the Havergal play for the 2025-26 school year runs this week from February 25-27th at 7pm. If you haven't yet bought tickets and need convincing to buy them at the door let the people who know the show best do the talking.

Charlotte: “Clue is a thrilling and colourful whodunnit filled with thrills and wackiness all in one night.”

Emma: “Each night is different. It’s a striking rollercoaster that is an exhilarating, invigorating adaptation of the board game.”