杏吧导航

2025 Bachelor of Arts in Stage Design and Technical Theatre

Veronica is a 2025 graduate of Dalhousie's Stage Design and Technical Theatre program. Find out more about her time at the Fountain School in this quick read Q & A.聽

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm from Calgary, Alberta. I moved there with my family when I was five and stayed until I moved here to Halifax for school.聽

I have always been interested in theatre. I used to act on stage when I was younger - my first "real" play being Sherlock Holmes, where I played one of the newsboys. In high school, I began taking technical theatre courses to learn more about the production side of stage shows, and that was where I learned about stage management. From then on, I knew that was what I wanted to do as my career.聽

When it came time to choose where to go to school, my parents insisted on me moving out of province to have a "real" university experience. I began researching schools with specific technical theatre courses, and Dalhousie had one of the only ones in Canada. I applied and was accepted.聽

What鈥檚 a happy memory from early in your program?
Going to see my first student preview of Dog in the Manger in 2021. Because of Covid, my technical theatre classes were all online, so I didn't actually know what type of productions the Fountain School would stage. I remember sitting in the theatre and being in awe of the set that was built and the performances in that show. I remember how nervous I was to start working on our Fountain School shows, and how professional it all seemed.聽

Favourite class and/or faculty?
I really enjoyed the theatre history classes that I took with Jure Gantar and Roberta Barker. For anyone who has taken a Jure class, you will know about the animated slideshows and the entertainment value they brought to lectures. I've always been interested in history. I enjoyed learning about how theatre was and how it has changed throughout the years. It was also great to be introduced to classic texts and find new plays to want to see live someday.聽

Tell us a bit about what a stage manager does.
A stage manager is the person that helps keep the entire production team, from the actors to the crew to the administration in communication with each other. They ensure the show runs smoothly from the first rehearsal to the final performance.

The role takes shape differently depending on the kind of show you're working on. On Mese Mariano and La Chanson de Fortunio staged in 2023, I had to ensure two separate casts were performing a consistent show, whereas on Artificial Oddity, me and my co-stage manager, Tegan Porter, had no script to work with for the first few weeks of production so our role was to ensure that the build team was updated with the most accurate information available and keeping track of the changes happening in the rehearsal room.聽

Most rewarding part of your time at the Fountain School?
Seeing the final bows of the last show, Three Sisters. It was the culmination of all the work everyone put into it, I was so proud of the crew and cast. Seeing that show under the stage lights and with the cast and crew in their costumes, it was a good show to end four years of schooling.聽

How have you changed?
I used to NEVER talk or chat with anyone - even around the dinner table with my family when I was younger. I used to keep stories from my days at school to a minimum or let other people talk about their days. I remember when I came back after my second year, my parents couldn't believe the amount of stories I would tell. The Fountain School helped me grow a lot more confidence.聽 I learned how to advocate for what I needed and to ask questions.聽

Advice for anyone starting the program?
Try everything out! It can be easy to focus on only the specialty you know the most about, but it's also much more fun to see what else is out there.

What's next?
I'm looking forward to working as a stage manager! I want to see all of the kinds of theatre that's out there and try my hand in as many different experiences聽as possible. For now, I'm looking forward to spending time back near the mountains and spending time with family.聽

I want to get more familiar with the wider theatre community in Canada, but am hoping to come back to Halifax and stay for a bit longer. I guess I'm not ready to say goodbye to the ocean just yet!聽

Veronica was stage manager of DalTheatre's Three Sisters, the final production during her degree.
The cast of Three Sisters, (Set and Costume Design by Tamara Marie Kucheran,
Lighitng Design by Tegan Porter)