Behind the Scenery - Stage

Welcome back to Behind The Scenery, where we talk with the incredible theatre professionals running your theatre. Today we are talking to Deputy Head of Stage Emerson Worsley.

Some of you  may already know this, but I used to do Emerson's job! In fact, I was the Deputy Head of Stage when Emerson first started working at TRB as the Stage Assistant back in the summer of 2022. I remember that summer being a particularly tough season of work in the stage department, with a series of very large scale productions in the main house, culminating in Terry Gillingham's visionary production of Into The Woods. Into The Woods was the biggest stage set that TRB had ever seen. It was so big that it took 2 full weeks to construct and we had to build extra structures back stage in order to fit all of the set, props and puppets inside the building! Rather than being overawed and overwhelmed by this monumental task, Emerson quickly thrived and has since gone from strength to strength in what is one of the most relentless and physically demanding jobs in theatre.

Emerson is still in his early 20s, but he already has more experience in the Main House than people several years his senior. Before this interview I asked some of Emerson's colleagues what makes him good at the job and the phrase they used was 'an old head on young shoulders'. 

Please read on to get a peak behind the scenery with 'old head' Emerson Worsley...

How long have you been working at TRB and where were you working before?

I’ve been working at TRB since June of 2022. Before that I worked for a staging company as their stock assistant, that provides stages for festivals and big events.

Did you study theatre production and if so where?

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Production from the Guildford School of Acting. It was a three-year course where I tried all aspects of working backstage in theatre including lighting, sound, stage management and set. I specialised in scenic carpentry and metal work and took on roles such as Production Carpenter and Workshop Supervisor. 

What department do you work in?

I work in the stage department as the Deputy Head of Stage. My job includes working on all fit ups, ie. taking the show off of lorries and putting the set in place, the get outs ie. taking the show back out at the end of the week and putting it back on a lorry. It also invovles flying set pieces and lighting bars using our counterweight system we have in the main house; supporting the studio spaces with sets; maintaining the main house stage and backstage spaces and liaising with FOH (there is every chance you’ve seen me in the auditorium getting clearance to start the show). It’s a busy role with no two days the same.

Does that mean that you build all of the sets…?

We don’t build any of our sets in house. Typically for a touring show we simply put the pieces together like a big jigsaw, under the instruction from the visiting company. For our in house produced shows we get a bit more involved with adapting the set and fixing things like props. The TRBP produced shows are always fun to work on because I get to really use my entire skillset.

How does ‘stage’ work differ from LX or ‘tech’ work?

The joke is always we don’t touch anything with a plug on. We manage the space of the theatre itself. So alongside putting in sets we are also in charge of providing stage crew or flyman if the show has requested it, both of which I do on a regular basis, if you have seen things being flown in and out on a show there is a good chance it was myself or our Head Flyman Barry. We also manage things like getting vehicles into our scene dock to unload them, if you have ever been held up on Monmouth Street chances are it was myself and my team reversing 45’ wagons into the theatre. That isn’t to say we never help the LX department, we are all one team and sometimes we are required to blur the lines a little bit. 

Can you take me through a typical build? When does it start? What does your crew do? What are your biggest challenges?

Normally we start the fit up at 9am on a Monday morning. We have what is called a CDM chat with the visiting company where they will outline the plan of action from the day. We then split in to two teams if we have enough staff that day, one team getting the wagon in, the second swinging softs. This is in reference to our soft black masking that hides the inner workings of the theatre. I then work alongside our flyman to orchestrate bars in for our for set pieces and help instruct our casual staff what needs to happen next, from laying flooring to moving pieces of scenery in excess of 100kgs. No two fit ups are quite the same, each set is different but there is a linear process from opening the back of the wagon to getting the space ‘show-ready’ for that evening’s performance. Our biggest challenges usually come from organising the space, we are quite a small theatre so it can often be a bit of a squeeze to get shows in and ensuring we don’t block ourselves in. Other challenges present themselves in the forms of heavy flown scenery. It’s quite a process to get some pieces in the air, there is a lot of weight involved and it has to happen in a particular way. Health and Safety is always our biggest priority. 

What is your favourite show that you have been a part of since joining TRB?

I think my favourite has to be Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was a National Theatre production. The quality of the show was amazing, we had full animatronics onstage, giant puppet pieces and the cast and stage management team were great to work with. Another great show to work on was Into the Woods, a giant show that was produced by TRB which played within months of me working here. It was definitely the brain child of its Director Terry Gilliam, with wacky set pieces and a baby giant. It was great to work on as it just had so many moving parts and it was during this show that I first really learnt about counterweight flying. 

I hired you back in 2022, what do you remember from your first few months on the job?

Remembering the layout of the building. If anyone has ever done to backstage tour at the theatre you will know it is a bit of a warren under stage and remembering where everything was was the main challenge. It was a lot of fun as I was the youngest permanent member of staff at the time and just spent the time absorbing all the information I could off of the Heads of Departments. It was great getting to know everyone, we have such an amazing group of resident and casual staff, who were amazing to me as I was getting up to speed on everything.

What do you enjoy the most about working at TRB?

The people. We have an amazing technical team and its really important when you spend as much time together as we do. And the variety of each week. No two weeks are the same, constantly meeting new people and working to create something that our audiences can enjoy. 

What do you look for in a good piece of theatre? Do you get to enjoy watching the show or are you always just analysing the set and production..?

I’m a bit of an oddball when it comes to theatre. I don’t watch a lot of it. For me the most important thing is the story and acting. If the show doesn’t work in a black box with just the story, without all of the fancy technology and amazing sets then it’s just not a good piece of theatre. But yes, when I do go and watch a production I’m spending a lot of my time looking at the set, working out how it went together and how they have achieved their effects. It’s amazing how much of theatre is still done in an analogue sense. A good placing of a light or a small hidden door can go a long way to achieving a great effect.

What production should we be most excited about in the upcoming season?

I’m looking forward to our next few in house produced shows, Summer 1954 and A Man For All Seasons. The production weeks are always fun with a lot of problem solving.

Thank you Emerson!

Interview: Nicholas Fleming

Candid photos: Lloyd Evans

Portrait: Nicholas Fleming