Actors live for the limelight, however for Newington stage crew tasked to bring the College production of Catch Me If You Can seamlessly to life, it’s behind the scenes, up in the stalls and backstage the magic takes place. 

‘When the show runs seamlessly and the audience has had a memorable experience, that’s when we know we’ve done our job’

Year 11 student Dylan H is Stage Manager for the musical which premieres this Wednesday at Newington and plays to four sold out audiences until Saturday. Catch Me If You Can was written by acclaimed US playwright, Terence McNally, and adapted to stage following the hit Hollywood film starring Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks. The Newington production stars more than 30 students, a pit band of College musicians, and a stage crew of nine. 

Come curtain up, it will fall to Dylan and the rest of the crew to coordinate and deliver all technical aspects of the two hour show. This includes moving sets, operating lighting and sound and delivering digital and special effects. The stage crew consists of one senior stage manager, four assistant stage managers, a sound and audio visual technician, a lighting operator and two follow spots operators, all from Years 9 to 12. Crucially, says Dylan, the crew’s job is to maintain a cohesive flow on the night. 

‘Being Stage Manager means being on top of everything technical that is scheduled to happen on stage, and at the same time, knowing about everything approaching in terms of actors’ lines and sound, lighting, and special effects,’ he says. 

‘We will all be continually talking to each other over headsets and relaying messages of what is coming up and what scene changes, lighting and sound cues we need to standby for. My role as Stage Manager is to call the show, which means I must ensure everything runs smoothly at the right exact time and to plan.’ 

Year 11 crew member Ben M has acted in many previous College productions. Others like Harry B from Year 9 are debutantes in the Newington Drama Department’s busy year-round program. This includes a Year 8 Play, a Year 9/10 Play, a Senior Play and a Year 11 Student-Directed Play, as well as an annual musical production. 

Says Ben M, ‘I’ve done all sorts of roles in other College productions in both the cast and chorus. To be honest being on this side of the stage is much tougher than I imagined, but it has been great fun.’  

New to the stage Harry B has also enjoyed learning new skills such as operating audio cues. Being part of the stage crew has been a bonus, as he says it’s unlikely he would audition for a cast or chorus role.  

‘That’s not something that interests me, but I’ve really enjoyed being in the stage crew,’ he says.   

‘It feels good to see it all coming together now.’ 

Students keen to learn the intricacies of theatre production are in expert hands. Theatre Operations Manager, Mr Benjamin Brockman, is a NIDA Technical Production graduate and an internationally acclaimed lighting and set designer. In 2018 and 2021 Benjamin won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Lighting of an Independent Production. In 2023 he won an Australian Production Design Guild Award for his lighting design for play, Cleansed, and in 2024 he was also awarded the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Lighting Design for a Main Stage Production for his work with Sydney Theatre Company play, Constellation. Recently, Mr Brockman received a recent Green Room Award Nomination for Best Lighting of a Main Stage Production for his work on the production, Overflow at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. 

Mr Brockman believes it is important Newington students learn there are off-stage ways to discover an outlet for creativity within the Performing Arts. 

‘Many people are unaware of the immense amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating a two hour performance. When the show runs seamlessly and the audience has had a memorable experience, that’s when we know we’ve done our job,’ he explains. 

‘Set design, lighting, sound, stage and production management and vision all play a pivotal role in shaping how we experience theatre. They’re often the first elements we encounter when stepping into a space, setting the tone, and transporting the audience to another world.  

When I was in high school, I had no idea these roles even existed. It wasn’t until I got involved in my high school productions that I discovered my passion for creating theatre from behind the scenes. And now it has spanned into an 18-year career that has taken me all over the world working on more than 200 productions. 

Encouraging students to explore technical and production roles in theatre helps them develop invaluable skills and discover where their true creative passions lie. And this is a core focus within the Newington Drama Department and across Newington College… providing students with the space and opportunities to uncover what sparks their creativity.’

To read more about Newington’s Drama program click here.