Several weeks before the fall play, The Crucible, premiered, senior Ellie Marchessault, Theater Ink’s head stage manager, had the production meeting entirely under control. With unwavering concentration, she took notes, talked through ideas, and welcomed updates from other directors. Although she had no prior experience before middle school with stage managing, there was never a doubt that she could handle the challenge.
Typically during these meetings, her assistant stage manager, junior Danica Soebagjo sits beside her. According to Soebajo, they closely worked with each directing team to determine the necessary props for a show, and then find, make, or buy these props.
“Ellie has definitely been my biggest mentor throughout all three years that I have been doing this and really took me under her wing,” said Soebagjo. “I honestly don’t think I would have liked doing this as much as I do without her being a part of it.”
In addition to mentoring students like Soebagjo, Marchessault’s leadership positions in theater at North are numerous. At the helm of the ship that is Theater Ink, Marchessault demonstrates true leaders are responsible, organized, and able to inspire and guide others to reaching their potential.
“Before North, I was more onstage and had never taken any kind of leadership role yet,” said Marchessault. However, once she joined the theater program at North, she decided to apply for an assistant stage managing position for the comedy show, Nitrous Oxide.
While Marchessault was not familiar with stage managing, she had always enjoyed being in a role of leadership. Collaborating with others and being a core part ensuring the success of a project, or theatrical production, was always an appealing idea to her, according to Marchessault.
According to Marchessault, “I had never done anything like stage managing before, and once I got it, I learned to really love it and kept doing it.” That year, she was assistant stage manager of a total of three different productions.
Marchesseault holds multiple jobs in Theatre Ink, including stage managing and coordinating the props department. According to Marchessault, her biggest job as a stage manager is to ensure the show happens smoothly. This role entails ensuring that actors, directors, and tech crew are on track in creating a final show.
In addition, Marchessault also schedules all rehearsals and team meetings. “I schedule all the rehearsals and make sure that people’s conflicts are being respected,” said Marchessault. “I’m like a bridge between the directing team and the rest of the departments.” With stage managing, she also works closely with Theatre Ink Director, Adam Brown.
According to Brown, he first met Marchessault at a stage managing interview during the Fall of 2020, Marchessault’s freshman year. “I was just so impressed by her, you know, here was a ninth grader, who was so mature and just really got it,” said Brown. “Energetic, smart, and I just knew in the first five minutes of the interview, like, she’s got it.”
Shortly after, she was hired as the assistant stage manager. Even though she was only a freshman at this time, she was already expressing her ambition and her personality expressed how great she was going to become.
“She cared about everything getting done and getting everyone where they needed to be,” said Brown. “Even doing this with kids who were two or three years older than her, she was able to handle them completely.” While managing the show, Marchessault had to take over a lot of the responsibilities, which just shaped her into the dependable leader she is now.
Not only is Marchessault the stage manager for numerous productions, but she is also Theatre Ink’s stage management coordinator and one of the heads of the props department. In her role as stage management coordinator, Marchessault interviews prospective stage managers. Each show usually has one head stage manager alongside one or two assistants.
“Not everyone knows how to manage people and please their needs,” said Brown. “Ellie is just incredibly good at reading her audience and getting everyone where they need to be to get the job done.”
Now in her senior year, Marchessault said she plans to utilize the skills she has learned in Theatre Ink as she moves beyond high school.
“I’ve taken a lot of positions of leadership which I don’t think I would have been able to do without theater,” said Marchessault. “I have learned so much from it all and am so lucky to have met all these incredible people.”
According to Brown, students who have worked with her and looked to her as a mentor will have to step up and use what they have learned from her to do so.
“Ellie is one of those special people that have been such a big part of our program and you forget sometimes that she is actually just a student,” said Brown. “Even after she is gone, her legacy will always be here.”
