Your Backstage “Thing” Doesn’t Have to Be Your Only Thing

Hannah Crawford, OnStage Blog Columnist

This piece originally appeared in our newsletter in April 2026. Click here to subscribe!

Can we talk about how easy it is to find “your thing” when working backstage? For those of us who work backstage, we know what we like and what we don’t. If I asked you what your niche was, I can almost guarantee you wouldn’t struggle to find your answer.

If you asked me, I would immediately say “stage manager” or “youth theatre director.” 

However, I wonder how comfortable we get backstage and just end up staying there instead of exploring other avenues? If you work for a small theatre, you will find yourself becoming the go-to person for that one role. Every. Single. Time. 

And that’s not a bad thing per se. But, limiting yourself to only one or two things in theatre, I think, doesn’t make for a very well-rounded theatre professional.

Just as I encourage the kids I work with to try different things to become well-rounded actors/actresses, I expect the same of myself when it comes to things backstage. 

I don’t think there is any negativity surrounding wanting the “same old \ same old”. Because after all, if you’re good at something, why not master it? I think eventually we just put ourselves on autopilot because we are comfortable where we know we shine. 

And when we become good at one thing, we are rarely asked by others to do something different. However, somewhere along this path, we stop learning. Sure, you can learn new things in your niche role. But learning things outside of that is where we expand our perspective. 

There is excitement and fear in trying something new. I think something we need to remind ourselves of in theatre (yes, even for those of us who have been in theatre for decades) is that there is so much more to theatre than the one thing you’re comfortable doing.

Backstage theatre encompasses writing, directing, stage managing, set design, costuming, lighting, audio, house management, and about a dozen other things.

What would happen to you if you just put aside your normal go-to and tried something new next show?

Something I’ve prided myself on over the years is trying new things. While I do feel comfortable with the familiar, I am often bored doing the same thing, and I just want to understand all of the ins and outs.

However, after being in theatre for over a decade, I feel like I’ve done pretty much everything. But, a new opportunity came along this season to be a spotlight operator for “The Sound of Music.”

Now, have I played with spotlights before? Sure, absolutely. But have I ever run spot only for an entire show? No. 

Not only am I trying something new, but I’m also working with a theatre I’ve never worked with before. You know, I figured, why not hit my theatre soul with a double whammy?

Let me tell you, it has been thrilling doing this. It has only been a week, and I’ve learned so much. It has honestly reconnected me to why I love theatre in the first place. This position feels like things I did straight out of school.

And guess what? It’s refreshing not to be running around with my head cut off, trying to stage manage a whole show and freaking out when things fall apart at the last minute.

This piece isn’t meant to push you into “go do everything.” But, simply, for the next show you do, leave yourself open to doing something new. And who knows, it just might be your new “thing.”