HWS News
13 February 2024 Faulkner '25 Lands Stage Management Internship
Theatre production major will work with and learn from professional stage managers.
Building off their experience as a stage manager at Hobart and William Smith, Derrielle Faulkner ’25 will spend time in March gaining technical experience and guidance working with a professional stage manager during the USITT Stage Management Mentorship Project.
From March 18-23, Faulkner will work at the 64th USITT Annual Conference and Expo. In addition, they will attend roundtable discussions on stage management.
“Even though I’ve been active in theatre my entire life, I’ve only been stage managing for two years so it’s really fun to go to something professionally related to this,” says Faulkner, a theatre production major.
Faulkner previously served as stage manager for the HWS productions Marisol, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 60 minutes) and currently for Zombie Cheerleaders: a Teenage Witch, & a Demonic Voice on the Other End of the Phone.
During Too Much Light, the order of the plays was determined by the audience, who would call out the number corresponding to a specific play. Many plays included improvisation and audience participation.
“Derrielle handled their calls with aplomb,” says Professor of Theatre Chris Woodworth in Faulkner’s letter of recommendation for the project. “I should also note that this cast included college students, some of whom were in their first play ever, as well as adult community members. Derrielle treated every member of the company with dignity and respect, helping to foster an atmosphere of welcome and inclusion.”
Faulkner thanks Woodworth for writing their letter of recommendation for the project.
“She helped me a lot with the process of stage managing and hyping me up for this program,” says Faulkner.
Faulkner found out about the internship when they were serving as an assistant stagehand for Kinetic Light’s production of Under Momentum in the fall of 2022. Faulkner chatted with the company’s stage manager who brought up the internship and encouraged them to apply when they became a junior.
Faulkner plans to earn a Master of Fine Arts in stage management and says this program will allow them to branch out, build their connections and discover opportunities after HWS.
On campus, Faulkner is an Emergency Medical Technician with HWS Emergency Medical Service, works as a Writing Colleague and a Study Mentor on campus and with Tutor Corps at St. Francis de Sales & St. Stephen School. Faulkner is a member of the Three Miles Lost a capella group.
