About Me
My name is Leo Robinson (he/him). I am an aspiring professional stage manager with experience in sound systems, set design, props design, run crew, and stage management. Originally from Chapel Hill, NC, I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia getting a BA in Drama. I've worked with many different companies, including Playmakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill Dance Theater, and several student organizations at UVA - namely Shakespeare on the Lawn, Spectrum Theatre, and First Year Players. When I'm not involved with a show, I love working on puzzles, listening to music, and being outside.
Artistic Background
The first time I heard about technical theatre, I was in middle school and had only interacted with dramatic arts through acting at a summer camp. The logistics of how performances functioned had always been fascinating to me, and I decided to try tech for a school talent show. Needless to say, I fell in love with the process of bringing a show to life and have been happily doing it again and again ever since. Becoming involved in tech theatre was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning and practicing design and production skills and I couldn’t imagine filling my life with anything other than the continuation of this study.
Artistic Beliefs
The stage manager exists as the bridge between every piece of a show and the lifeline that makes it all work. The spreadsheets and reports that allow a show to run smoothly are satisfying and fulfilling and guarantee that you’re ready for anything. If done well, the documentation allows you to work on behalf of each part of a company in order to bring them together and ensure their creativity shines onstage. Calling cues represents everything I love about stage management - using intense precision and technicality to carry out the director’s and actors’ deep connections with the material. Even the fast-paced, high stakes nature is enjoyable, as I know I’ve prepared the company for the show to go on no matter what might happen outside of our control. The stage manager is the first one into the building and the last one out, and it’s their devotion to every detail that leads to success.
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Set and props are the foundations of the created fictional world and the keys into the minds of the characters. I love examining how tiny details convey information, down to the style of doors and how beat-up an item appears. Sets can do so much, from altering proportions and scale to helping the audience empathize with a character’s unique situation. Props further specify the inner workings of the imaginary world, answering questions about age, ownership, class, and even how much a character values their material objects and what that says about how they view themselves.
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In my high school tech theatre classes, I was taught three important tenets of theatrical design and production. These are safety, efficiency, and respect, and I continue to carry them with me and apply them to my life. Physical and emotional safety are the most important things to provide a cast and crew, in order for them to feel supported and comfortable while vulnerably accessing and performing texts. In and out of theatre spaces, I extend respect to others, their choices, and what they find meaningful. Efficiency provides a production company with the time to hone in on each show and improve its quality. Each of these principles overlaps - safety and efficiency must be treated with respect, efficiency must only be done safely, and so on.