63 stories by "Jess Gow"
So.
There is an important little sentence that sometimes you just have to say out loud. And some people say it a lot, and some people hardly at all. It can be a tough thing to vocalize, an…
'So when are you due?' asked the young actor stood before me, politely. He was handsome and sweet and barely out of drama school. It was probably one of his first auditions, maybe his first …
Several years ago I was working as Deputy Stage Manager in a theatre where I cued the performance from a position within the auditorium. I was basically sat within the audience, which gave m…
Two decades ago, I worked as an usher at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. It was not just to help fund my spending
I had a baby. A little baby girl. I said I wouldn't write about it, as I was fairly terrified about making
It's not as common as it used to be, but I still occasionally see job adverts for 'assistant stage manager/understudy'. And even
There are several things you may hear in a rehearsal room that fill you with dread. But what makes me (inwardly) groan
Everyone has a past. A history. And all of us have made mistakes. And in theatre, those mistakes have a habit of sneaking
About a year ago, I was working at a repertory theatre when we had a work-experience guy in. He was shadowing me
Recently I have been spending my days stage-managing the auditions for a large-scale and very lengthy tour. Incredibly lengthy: 20 months on
I have only a week or so left working as deputy stage manager on my current production, although the show itself will
A couple of days ago I read about the all-female production of Posh. I concluded it was something I would probably really
Every now and again an article about punctuality will do the rounds on Twitter and Facebook, and the headline is usually something
When I graduated from drama school I realised there were many things I simply wasn't prepared for, such as the importance of
If I could go back in time and tell my 20-year-old stage manager self three things, those things would be these: 1.
I'm not a fan of the 'inspirational' quotes that relentlessly appear on social media and have purposefully muted friends who post them.
There has been so much talk recently about the departure of Emma Rice from The Globe, and I simply had to wade in and express my thoughts via the internet. I mean, I'm a theatrical blogger a…
I am not perfect. And nor have I ever claimed to be. I may write extensively about stage management but that does
I get envious of my friends who don't work in theatre for various reasons: they get their evenings free, they can book
Everyone is restricted by budgets, in their personal lives and in their work. I mean, there are luxury items that I would
It appears to me that the rise of social media has affected stage management and the way that we do things. Many
It's almost impossible for backstage staff not to form an opinion on whatever production it is that they are working on. Even
I have just finished working on a high-profile production and, during the course of the run, found myself getting a particular type
The life of a self-employed theatrical worker is a complex and sometimes confusing one. We are constantly dealing with the unknown and
A few weeks ago, I needed to fill out a job application form for a stage management role. I found this process
