Meet the Director of Rent: Alison Lawrence

The show opens next week, Thurs 17th to Sat 19th at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre - book seats at our box office now!

"Having made my adult début on stage as front end of Drusilla the camel, I've never looked back!"

Name: Alison Lawrence

Your Role: Director

alison

And for the uninitiated that involves? Well basically - everything on-stage! From choosing the production, casting, creating a vision, rehearsals, ideas for costumes, set, special effects, sound ... motivating the cast - almost anything to get the best show on the stage and a few other things besides!

What from the rest of life helps you in your role? Being organised and an attention to detail ! I have been a project manager for years and developed a spreadsheet to manage everything that can be managed that way! Alongside that being a bit crazy and aiming high!

What’s your part of this show are you most looking forward to? Show week and seeing my vision for real - and the audiences reaction!

What other shows have you done? Basically all of them in one capacity or another - mainly directing! Once in, and once stage Manager, elsewhere performing in anything from Shakespeare to Panto.

Can you recall a particularly memorable stage event that you contributed to? Now that's really hard .. If I tell one story most often, its probably being on-stage as a member of stage crew in a production of the Wiz,  so I could pass the objects to the Wizard to give out to Dorothy and her friends. It was my first time in the Rhoda, with another group, and all of a sudden all I could smell was burning - frantically looking around to find the source and without being able to attract the Stage Manager's attention. I couldn't see anything and finally thought I was going to have to reveal myself and stop the show. Just then lion got up and as a result moved his tail, which was now melted and heavily smoking as it had been hanging over the hot smoke machine - could have been very nasty! That and our most recent first trip to the Edinburgh Fringe - which was a blast!

Can you remember the first time you thought “I want to get involved in theatre”? I kind of fell into theatre aged about 25 - I had admired from afar at school, but was a musician so was always in the band. Having made my adult début on stage as front end of Drusilla the camel, I've never looked back!

What are you enjoying most about being part of Simply Theatre? Meeting all the new and talented people and tackling something a bit more gritty! (hopefully successfully).

What else to you get up to when you’re not working in theatre? I work in IT as a programme manager - 4 days a week and the 5th day is generally for a show of some sort!

No Day But Today