4 minute read
Backstage With Ella Gregory '22
A technician, an artist, a magician… being the stage manager for a theater program as active as Lausanne’s requires a unique set of skills. We dive deep with the Lynx behind the curtain, stage manager Ella Gregory ’22, as she shares the role that helped her fellow thespians develop award-winning stories on stage over the years.
By the time Ella makes it to her station backstage on opening night, an entire theatrical engine has been diligently preparing for this moment for weeks.
Bringing a show to EPAC’s stage requires a complex system of cast and crew, a process led by stage managers. Being a show’s organizational backbone is a demanding position, but for Ella, it’s a passion she’s been working toward since seventh grade.
“I started with being on the scenic design crew in Middle School and grew from there,” Ella shared. “Once I started doing Upper School shows, I had roles in the tech booth like running lights and sound.” During sophomore year, her roles moved backstage, as she became an assistant stage manager.
“All of the jobs I have had in past productions have helped me grow to the point where I was able to become a stage manager my senior year.”
As a production stage manager, schedules must be coordinated, rehearsals held, costumes and props prepped, along with a myriad of other tasks. While Ella balances theatre duties and a rigorous course load, she is also an expert at one of the essential skills being a stage manager requires: the ability to multitask. “At any moment someone could ask where something is, and you need to give them an answer or find it yourself,” Ella explains. “The prop table, wings, backstage, dressing rooms, and blocking notes all need to be organized to make the chaos a little more manageable during a show.”
With each production, Ella’s experiences in resolving challenges helped her master the behind-the-scenes demands, which Upper School Performing Arts teacher Estes Hammons said made Ella the perfect candidate for the position her senior year.
“Over the years, we have had a number of individuals who have made their focus the technical side of the theatre world, but there has been no one like Ella who has fully embraced every aspect of this realm,” Mr. Hammons said. “I think it’s important to realize that Ella was part of the theatre company that made it possible for Lausanne to do all of its productions during the Covid times. Ella is simply one of the best people I have ever known, much less just worked with.”
Along with Mr. Hammons, Middle and Upper School Drama teacher Ashley Bugg-Brown has witnessed Ella’s growth from the beginning and the two became the senior’s biggest mentors and supporters. “Ella is one of the most responsible, organized and compassionate students I have ever taught,” shared Mrs. Brown. “Not only has she been the glue keeping our theatre department together during some challenging periods, but she has been a constant source of support and advice for me as a director.”
Although Ella’s stage manager duties require her presence backstage, her natural ability to lead has placed her in the spotlight among her peers and within Memphis’ high school theatre community, as she earned a well-deserved nomination for the High School Musical Theatre Award for Excellence this year.
