#kinghedleyii

Q&A WITH KAREEN THOMAS - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER | KING HEDLEY II

What is your role?

My role as an Assistant Stage Manager at Stratford East is to help the stage manager with researching and sourcing props to the designers’ standards during the rehearsal period. I am also backstage support for the production during the run of the play, which can be helping with scene changes, handing props to actors etc.

How does someone become an ASM?

My journey started at 16 when I attended the Brit School and studied Technical Theatre. This coursed consisted of many backstage role roles such as Stage Management, Costume, Lighting, sound, Set Design and many more. I then continued on to further education doing Technical Theatre, which consisted of the same roles but at a higher level.

What are some of the challenges that ASMs face?

A challenge that I personally can find hard sometimes is when I have to source a prop that is difficult to find. I would sometimes have to come up with a solution/alternative that the designer is happy with.

What do you love about your job?

I love that its different from job to job. It has a lot of variety. I like seeing a show from the beginning to the end. I also like to tell non-theatre people the bizarre things I get up to in the day.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into stage management? 

I would say you could do a course, can be long or short in stage management or even technical theatre. I think it’s also good to get work experience at theatres. I did a work experience with Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2015 and this is my 4th time back working here. I do believe work experience is the best way to get work in the theatre industry in general.

What’s your earliest theatre memory?

I don’t remember the first thing I ever watched at the theatre I just remember that I joined my local youth club from the age of 10 - 16 and we always went on trips to the West End to see plays. From that I knew I wanted to be involved somehow, just didn’t know what at the time.

If you didn’t work in theatre, what would you be doing?

STRATFORD EAST PODCAST - EPISODE 8

TRAILER | KING HEDLEY II

Watch the newest trailer for KING HEDLEY II.

Must end Sat 15 Jun 2019

AUDIENCES RESPOND TO KING HEDLEY II

Check out what audiences think of KING HEDLEY II!

MUST END SAT 17 JUN 2019

THE AMERICAN CENTURY CYCLE | RADIO GOLF 

We finally come to the last play in The American Century Cycle, Radio Golf.  Set: 1997 Premiered: 2005, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut Real estate developer Harmond Wilks is determined to become the first black Mayor of Pittsburgh, on a mission to revive his blighted childhood neighbourhood. This was the tenth and final play of the American Century Cycle, written only a matter of months before August Wilson passed away in October 2005. We hope you have enjoyed reading about The American Century Cycle and learning about some of the epic work August Wilson has written. Don’t forget to get your tickets to King Hedley II NOW, showing Fri 17 May - Sat 15 June! 

THE AMERICAN CENTURY CYCLE | KING HEDLEY II

To the penultimate play in the American Century Cycle and the one showing on our beautiful, historic stage, Fri 17 May - Sat 15 June, King Hedley II is a story of redemption. 

Set: 1985 Premiered: 1999, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Against the backdrop of Reagan’s America, King, an ex-con, is trying to rebuild his life and start a family after being released from prison.

This is the second August Wilson play Lenny Henry has performed in, the first being Fences in 2013. Viola Davis won a Tony Award in the 2001 Broadway Production for her role as Tonya.