Since 2023, the Doorstep team have been quietly working on a new pilot project, and this Autumn Term, we are launching it officially. The #MakeItHappenCrew is a team of young technicians, event planners, LX designers/operators, stage managers, and producers who mentor each other and create safe inclusive spaces to learn about tech & production.
Did you know that November is Creative Careers month? The Make It Happen Crew work in Torbay is a demonstration of the myriad of creative careers which can often be less visible – it’s so important to raise awareness of the very real behind-the-scenes employment routes for young people. The aim is to create entry routes into careers in theatre tech & production for young people who might not consider these pathways to be ‘for them’.
We are particularly passionate and committed to supporting young women to step into what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, so that work is right at the heart of the programme’s shape and structure. The programme has been carefully crafted to support young people to build confidence and capacity through nurturing and supportive spaces to practice their skills, experiment and to try in practical settings.
Led by the wonder that is Rebekah Daws in-house, we have developed a Doorstep toolkit to support young people to use our ETC Nomad software and touring rig which is used as a teaching rig. We’re now beginning to pilot this in practice, working in partnership with the Applied Theatre programme at the University of Exeter. Big thanks to Applied Theatre students Isabella, Hannah and Amelia for their hard work this term – they are demonstrating via a project-based-learning model how this mentorship scheme could work going forward.
This week, we led the first training mentor sessions live alongside the DAS rehearsals on Tues and Wed evenings. It was really exciting getting the kit up in the space, and experimenting with the flexible functionality of the touring rig in our usual rehearsal spaces.
There will be 6 more sessions this Autumn, leading up to the final DAS and DYT performances in early December 2025.
Our hopes are that this programme can move forward from this small-scale Autumn 2025 pilot toward a larger, more ambitious programme in 2026-27. We’re in the midst of scoping the shape of this, seeking funding for equipment and time, and exploring potential partnerships. Our regional partnerships have been vital so far – advice and support from True LX (thanks Dom!) has been fundamentally key, as well as ongoing advice from Clive at the Palace Theatre, and the technical teams at the University of Exeter CDF department. We continue to be inspired by the game-changing work of regional partner organisation Sound Communities, who have developed their Sound Alive programme. Their work is really inspiring ambitious stuff – and we look forward to cooking up ideas along with them over the coming months.
We know from experience that peer mentor models are the strongest ways for young people to learn, ideally via active, embodied, experiential learning. We hope to shape this programme to be exactly that – a training ground for the next generation, and one which can feed our regional ecosystem and support our local community.
We’re really grateful to the young women who have championed this work so far through its early days and who continue to drive it forward – it’s a great demonstration of solidarity, strength, graft, and commitment to making system change.
It may be dark, rainy November evenings, but inside Stage Left, the lights are on. We’re excited to find ways to keep them shining bright.
