Amy Jacobs (Stage Management)

Biography

What's been your highlight during your time at Guildhall?

So far at Guildhall, my main highlight was when I worked on William Shakespeare's The Comedy Of Errors. I was grateful to be the ASM/Book Cover on this. It was one of my favourite show roles to work on because of the pieces comedic and light-hearted nature which infected not only the cast, but also the creatives and technical teams all the same. The set design was beautifully unique, with sub-stage traps and pyrotechnic junction boxes, which was a really fun challenge for me to navigate and experience. I was also lucky enough to have an opportunity to call a segment of the play, during a performance, with a number of technically detailed cues in very quick succession to one another. This sparked a love for me in the ASM/Book Cover role as a future career path and a passion in show calling as a whole.

What's been your highlight in the industry?

One of my main highlights has been thanks to the Guildhall mentoring scheme within Stage Management. Due to this opportunity I was given the chance to shadow a day in the West End with my mentor on Elf The Musical, where I shadowed the running of an ASM show plot. It gave me an amazing insight into what the working world looked like for a stage manager in the commercial industry. It was something I mentioned to him, and it being a main interest for my future career, so I was very grateful when the opportunity arose to see behind the scenes. 

What other passions and projects have you enjoyed exploring during your time at Guildhall?

I have enjoyed learning a lot about carpentry and construction during my time at Guildhall along with Stage Management. I chose to enter the department for my elective, where I helped build a rotating truck for a new devised opera called A Star Next To The Moon. It is a very rewarding department to work in when you can see your work unfold and be created in front of you. I got to explore woodwork, welding and rigging involved in carpentry and found it as a new passion I will utilise whenever I can in the future.

What's something you've learned that you feel will help you when you graduate?

I've learnt a lot about my personal professional working style over my time at Guildhall. Seeing what works best for me to ensure I do my job to the best of my ability. I have learnt a lot about being more resilient and using my initiative when working with external creatives whilst propping and in a rehearsal room, this I think, will be a really beneficial tool for me to have when I graduate into the working world.

What are you most interested in working in after you graduate?

I am most interested in working in commercial theatre in the West End in either musicals or plays when I graduate. I grew up with and love this type of theatre and want to explore a varied number of genres, limited or longer runs, as either a freelance ASM or ASM/Book Cover. If I ever got the opportunity to show call or DSM a production, I would jump at the chance to do so in any type of theatre including opera, as I enjoy calling shows both with and without music. 

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