The Talisman Theatre's Emi Burrows reflects on her experience of taking on her first show as stage manager.

My debut as a stage manager was 'Murder By Misadventure' and I couldn't have dreamed of a better first experience.

The cast were all friendly and fun to work with, highly dedicated to their craft, and shone on the stage, earning nothing but wonderful reviews from both critics and audience members.

Likewise, the crew were so professional and just fantastic to work with, creating a nurturing and supportive environment which gave me the confidence I needed as a beginner.

I am a relatively new member of the Talisman, having only joined in March 2023 - though I did used to be in the Talisman Youth Theatre when I was younger.

But since becoming a member, I have been involved in numerous productions here, dabbling in various backstage roles including props, prompting, shadowing Wendy Elliott and Corrina Jacob as stage managers, as well as volunteering front of house and behind the bar.

It was Wendy who first saw me as a potential stage manager, while we were working on Don't Dress For Dinner together, and so I shadowed her as stage manager for Pride and Prejudice, as well as Corrina Jacob for Sweet Charity.

Wendy recommended me to Murder By Misadventure director, Dave Crossfield, and if it weren't for her encouragement and belief in me I might not have taken on the role, so I am extremely grateful to her for that!

Dave Crossfield is inspiring to work alongside.

As well as a director, he is also a brilliant actor, which aids his vision and gives him empathy towards the cast. His mind is always bubbling with ideas, able to make transformative changes to the performances with even the smallest of alterations.

Yet, he always remains open to other people's ideas too, which is what makes him a great team member and so fun to work with. As a stage manager, I took on the task of keeping track of any changes to make sure a great idea was never forgotten.

What I love about stage managing at the Talisman is being involved from the very beginning of a production.

I had great creative conversations with Dave about the casting process after attending the auditions for Murder By Misadventure, and attended all the meetings to discuss the intricacies of the play and how to resolve its challenges.

Throughout the course of the production, I was able to gain insight into what it takes to create a quality show from start to finish, while forging great working relationships with the crew.

That level of involvement helped me not only to bond with the team, but also with the material we were working with, and so by the time show week rolled around, I felt I knew the play inside out.

Of course, that is not to say that I had nothing more to learn. I am going to be stage managing more plays in 2024, 'Sheila's Island' and 'London Assurance' and I am sure that in doing those productions I will learn a great many more lessons. But as for my first show, I have to acknowledge the font of all knowledge that is Nigel Elliott, who was the lighting designer for this production.

He taught me invaluable lessons about the responsibilities of a stage manager, guided me through the changing rules and regulations and advised me on how to keep the production safe, from fire safety to risk assessments, taking care of prop weapons to operating the pyrotechnics.

Every day I learned something new that I will carry with me into each show I work on in the future and I have to thank him for taking the time to train me on the job.

All in all, I am extremely proud of this production and everyone involved in it. It's an interesting play to do for a number of reasons and we faced a fair few challenges along the way, but the process was a joy and the outcome was fantastic.

The Talisman Theatre has become like a second home to me and I am endlessly grateful to have been so warmly accepted into this community. With more great shows lined up for 2024, I have no doubt that we are in for another year of excellent entertainment and I can't wait to get involved!

The Talisman welcomes volunteers across all aspects of making live theatre happen both on and off stage.

There's always something to do with a warm and friendly team of people with a passion for putting the arts at the heart of the community.

To find out more about different areas and get involved take a look on our volunteering page of the website.