Izzy Markham
Gelassenheit: The Calm Within The Chaos
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Izzy Markham (she/they) is a Meanjin-based stage manager with experience working across a range of live performance genres, including opera, musical theatre, ballet, and plays, with companies such as the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Voxalis Opera, and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program. Through their ongoing work as a venue technician at the Conservatorium, Izzy has also collaborated with the wide range of companies and ensembles that hire the venue’s performance spaces, gaining a strong understanding of the diverse needs of different types of productions.
While Izzy’s background is primarily in stage management, she has also worked across many other areas of production such as lighting design and operation, prop fabrication, and production management. They thrive in fast-paced rehearsal and performance environments and take pride in bringing creative visions to life through detailed planning and calm problem-solving. Izzy is particularly interested in continuing to develop their career within opera and other live performance forms, remaining open to wherever new opportunities in the industry may lead.
Gelassenheit: The Calm Within The Chaos
gelassenheit | [ge·las·sen·heit] noun | a german word meaning serenity, composure, calmness — especially the kind that comes from accepting that you can’t control everything
Even at the best of times, the backstage of a theatre is chaos held together with zip ties and gaff - yet somehow, it all runs like a well-oiled machine. This project encapsulates the fragile balance of the hour before an opening night performance. A stage manager’s laptop sits on a desk that is made up of more paperwork than table. The hum of a printer fights to be heard over the cacophony of notifications demanding attention. The ever-changing lights offer no relief, as every department races to meet the immovable deadline of opening night.
As a stage manager, Izzy thrives within this chaos - organising, anticipating, holding it all together - but at the same time, is her worst nightmare. As an autistic person, this overwhelming noise often threatens to spill over, usually when there isn’t time to take a breath. Gelassenheit is Izzy’s quiet rebellion: an attempt to find stillness inside the storm, and showcase the small superpower of staying calm in a world full of noise.
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