HWS News
30 April 2025 Destined for the Stage
Derrielle Faulkner ’25 has been accepted to the MFA Production and Project Management program at the North Carolina School of the Arts and will begin their graduate studies this fall.
Derrielle Faulkner '25 found their calling in theatre production after enrolling in "Introduction to Stagecraft" their first year at HWS. Originally from the New York City area, Faulkner had spent most of their life participating in theatre.
“My sister was a musical theatre major; she’s about five years older than I am, so that’s always been a looming inspiration to me,” Faulkner remembers. Originally, however, Faulkner planned to major in Physics.
That trajectory changed second semester when Chris Hatch, Professor of Theatre, asked Faulkner to stage manage a production. Faulkner has been stage managing ever since.
“When I was acting, I loved it, but I felt like I was missing something,” Faulkner says. “As an actor, some of your job is to learn your lines, be with your castmates and perform. I think I just wanted to know more about what happens offstage.”
Stage managers must maintain a global view of a production—from the technical and practical aspects to the personal relationships and connections with actors and crew, Faulkner explains. There are myriad moving parts and a vision stage managers must uphold through an often stressful and complex process.
One HWS production—Zombie Cheerleaders, a Teenage Witch, and the Demonic Voice on the Other End of the Phone—involved calling intricately coordinated light, sound, projections, practical special effects and complex fight choreography cues says Chris Woodworth, Professor and Chair of the HWS Theatre Department. And Faulkner, she says, is undaunted by the technical demands of a production. Woodworth has worked with them on two exceptionally challenging productions that included a team of assistant stage managers, some of whom had never previously worked on a production in that capacity, Woodworth says.
“Derrielle treated every member of the company with dignity and respect, helping to foster an atmosphere of welcome and inclusion. Both scripts provided extremely challenging demands for a stage manager,” Woodworth adds.
Faulkner says they like to get to know the cast members’ favorite colors, their favorite snacks and send out daily jokes. “I always say ‘Hello. How are you?’ in a congenial way. I feel like my mom always did that for me; she always made it apparent that I was worth the time to know how my day went.”
The effort Faulkner makes with cast members allows them to connect better to Faulkner and each other. As the pressure and anxiety increases for cast members over the course of production, they feel comfortable going to Faulkner because of that connection.
Faulkner will apply their skills to productions at UNCSA starting within the first weeks of class. UNCSA has one of the finest professional theatre programs in the country, Woodworth says. Getting accepted is a major accomplishment, she adds, although it comes as no surprise to those who have worked with Faulkner over the past four years.
"El is one of those students who consistently produces excellent work,” Woodworth says. “They are an exceptionally hard worker, a generous and inspiring collaborator and one of the strongest stage managers I have ever worked with.”
On campus, Faulkner is an Emergency Medical Technician with HWS Emergency Medical Service, works as a Writing Colleague and a Study Mentor and with Tutor Corps at St. Francis de Sales & St. Stephen School.
Faulkner says their ultimate goal is to work on Broadway one day.
