Zoe Davis (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2022) is back in the rehearsal room as Stage Manager for Three (Short) Plays, by Tennessee Williams. Reuniting with fellow NIDA alumni and good friends, Zoe reflects on the years leading up to this exciting collaboration, the challenge of juggling multiple narratives in an hour-long play and her advice for aspiring Technical Theatre and Stage Management (TTSM) students.
You’re the Stage Manager for Three Plays, a collection of rarely staged one-acts by Tennessee Williams, and what excites you most about working on this project?
It is fun to be working on three plays at once and definitely reminds me a bit of the Festival of Emerging Artists. It’s certainly an exciting challenge to show an audience three different stories with different characters, locations and voices all in under an hour. It was interesting to work with the team to find threads that connect the plays in moments because these three plays all stand amazingly on their own, but it is exciting to see them told together.
This production reunites you with fellow alumni Meg Anderson (Design, 2022) and Helena Cielak (Acting, 2022). What has it been like working with them again?
Working with Meg and Helena has been something that we have wanted to do since we were in a group for ‘Student Led Projects’ in second-year. For the past few years it has definitely been something in the back of our minds. When Meg and Helena said they were starting a production company (Ground Floor Theatre Company) and putting on the show I said, ‘Tell me when and where and I will be there’. It has been such a lovely experience to work with them again which I don’t think is a surprise as we meshed so well from the beginning. It is great to see all of us doing what we love and just how much we have grown as practitioners since being at NIDA together.
This is the debut play for Ground Floor Theatre Company. What has the energy been like in the rehearsal room?
It has been a great rehearsal room with a really fun energy. Everyone on the team is great at what they do and it is lovely to be in a room that is so collaborative and passionate about what we are working on. I think the funniest thing from the room is that all three plays have quite different accents and it is just so easy for everyone to slip into a weird mixture of the accents when we are chatting or working on notes. Definitely lots of laughs with this team!
What does your role as Stage Manager entail and what has been the biggest challenge on this production?
My role as a Stage Manager is to work with the whole team from producers, directors, designers, and actors to make sure all elements of the production run smoothly both in the rehearsal room and during the performances. This can be passing on notes, making schedules, helping cast with lines and blocking, to problem solving transitions and working with the team to bring the show together. Our biggest challenge has probably been as we are in the Late Night Slot at the Old Fitz Theatre we have to work with the set and lighting rig of another production. We’ve been tackling this challenge of creating our worlds through more suggestive costume, smaller set pieces, sound and lighting. It is such a great way to challenge a team to problem solve creatively and work within set guidelines.
What do you hope audiences take away from Three Plays?
To me, our Three Plays are about connection. Characters going through hardships and leaning on the people around them. Whether that is their family members or strangers. Whether they listen to the people trying to help them or continue to go at it alone. There is a lot to be said about a person from how they react when their things aren’t going to plan. They can continue to fight against all odds, they can destroy it all or they can accept what has come and roll with the punches. We see all of these iterations in the characters from the Three Plays. I hope that our audience finds something to connect with in our characters, either the ones in hardship or the ones trying to help. Life is complicated as is and our community and the people that support us can make a world of difference.
Your portfolio already includes some incredible productions with Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir. Are there any lessons or experiences from those shows that you’ve brought into this production?
I have been very lucky to work with a few different theatre companies over the past few years since leaving NIDA. I think the biggest thing I have learnt is that no show is the same. Every team, every show and everyone you work with is going to give you a different experience, goal or achievement. You meet so many incredible people from so many walks of life coming together for a common goal of a production. I continue to learn on every show that I work on and am always so excited to see what each production brings.
As someone early in their career but already working with renowned theatre companies, what advice would you give to current TTSM students about building confidence and finding their footing in the industry?
Go into every experience with an open mind and to be willing to learn. We are so lucky with the experiences that we get while at NIDA, but there is still so much to learn and do once you leave. Try to take something away from every experience whether it is good or bad. Just take something and bring that lesson or idea to the next show. Also keep in touch with your friends and peers from your time at NIDA and when you get the chance to collaborate together again, Do it!
What’s next for you?
After Three Plays I am very excited to be going on a holiday to catch some shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and on the West End, but once I get back I will be heading to Ensemble Theatre to Stage Manage Fly Girl by Genevieve Hegney (Acting, 1999) and Catherine Moore.
Three (Short) Plays is on stage at the Old Fitz Theatre from 5 – 15 August. Book Tickets
Want to learn more about NIDA’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Theatre and Stage Management? Click here.