The Great Gatsby

The production and my role:

The Great Gatsby appeared on the summer line-up as the week 13 weekend show, with performances from May 23rd-25th, 2025.

I worked alongside an ASM to source props and organise backstage. We worked within budget to find time-accurate props, most of which were located within the DramaSoc inventory. In all the shows I've done for Drama Society, this definitely takes the cake for being one of the most ambitious and jam-packed. It was important for us as a stage management team to coordinate with the costume team to maximise the space we had backstage with the fast pace nature of the play. We found that due to the large amount of costume changes, entrances and exits, set changes and big cast size, the whole backstage area had to be reworked to make sure all elements could fit. We maximised what limited space we had by utilizing the staircase banister to hang costumes, renovate a space under the stairs where a paint sink is located to be a quick change area, and organized pre-existing, non-show related storage to fit out set pieces. We had to fit 50+ costume changes, 40+ props, a chaise lounge, 4 cushioned stools, 2 chairs, 2 large tables, 6 large pieces that when ensemble put together formed a car, and the cast/backstage crew in a space that was roughly 3.5m by 3m space. It was a huge challenge, and we found that tech and dress was full of trial and error as the cast and crew worked together to get the show to where it needed to be.

As a stage management team, as we were told we couldn't be onstage to help in transitions, we focused on preparing set by presetting props on them and making them easily accessible backstage, so that actors could focus on their quick changes and simply grab what they needed before re-entering the stage. Having two stage managers really helped in this production and keeping everything on track happening. Despite all the hectics, I found it a fun challenge and feel it definitely tested my skills as a stage manager. I'm very grateful to have been working alongside a competent backstage crew, as we really put a lot of unseen work into creating the magic that happened on stage!