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I have been around the arts my whole life. I was raised by two musicians and my younger sisters are in love with everything involved with being on stage. It took me a while to find my groove in the theatre but once I found stage management, I knew it was for me. I've stage managed over ten shows and this summer I am stage managing Bring it On at the Hobby Center in downtown Houston. I look forward to seeing what other happy surprises the future holds for me!

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Madeleine Berckley is a designer, photographer, production manager, thespian, explorer, and student based in Houston. She draws from a diverse range of interests and skills for projects, assignments, and professional work, all with a smart and elegant aesthetic.

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Madeleine Berckley is a designer, photographer, production manager, thespian, explorer, and student based in Houston. She draws from a diverse range of interests and skills for projects, assignments, and professional work, all with a smart and elegant aesthetic.

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Theatre is a very collaborative art. There is no way that everything could be done in a show with just one person; it's literally impossible. The number one reason I love watching theatrical performances is because you see everyones talent in their specific area shine through their work. On top of that, you see how other peoples talents can help express each others talents. Without the lighting designer, you wouldn't be able to see the dancers movements. Without the sound designer, you wouldn't be able to hear the actors. Theatre has the ability to connect people no matter what their talents are. I also think that there is so much work going on behind the scenes that people don't see and don't appreciate enough. If you didn't have much theatre exposure before you've seen a performance, you wouldn't necessarily understand the amount of collaboration that goes into that whole process and how we arrived at the final product. One of the best parts about collaboration though is that you get to be creative together. It allows you to bounce ideas off of one another and create something beautiful together.

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The theatre is such a good place to be in for people who have big goals and dreams. It is where you are allowed to fully express yourself through your art. There are also so many things you can achieve with the talents you learn through this art. The outcomes and possibilities are endless. If I think about this in a personal context, the first time I ever got involved in the theatrical world I was in high school. I was a scared freshman working as a crew member in our schools production of Into the Woods. I never though I would take this anywhere I just saw it as a way to keep myself busy after school since I had extra time. Now, this past semester, I was hired to work with a Disney show and worked with Austin Fashion Week as a dresser and photographer. This summer, I am preparing to teach little kids at a theatre academy in the heart of Downtown Houston and on top of that I am also the Stage Manager for a musical at one of the biggest theaters in Houston. To think that this is only the end of my freshman year in college is incredibly exciting. If this is how far I've come after four and a half years, imagine ten years from now. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is always a work in progress and you can always move further in your career. There shouldn't be a point where you just accept where you are and give up. You can always set more goals and meet them!

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Theatre is a way to tell your story. Every direction that the show takes, tells a different story and it is very important to understand what message you want to relay to the audience based on what direction you take the show in. Now you may be thinking how can I tell a story as the stage manager if I'm not directing the show? Well, you won't necessarily be telling the story but based on when you call certain cues, it could have a different impact whether they are on time or not. So although you may not be showing your values through your work, you will be helping the direction tell their story which is where collaboration plays in again.