Celebrating Somerset's Creative & Cultural Practitioners -Meg Sayer

This month’s blog celebrates Meg Sayer, our Technical Theatre Apprentice. For the past two years, Meg has been an integral part of our technical team at the Octagon & Westlands. As her apprenticeship comes to an end this month after passing with distinction and she begins employment as a technician within our casual team, we wished to showcase her journey. . I started by asking Meg to give us and overview of her pathway through education so far and her introduction to theatre. “I have always loved theatre, I grew up surrounded by it. At school I took part in every production possible, my earliest memory being a flower in Beauty and the Beast when I was 4. My mum was a costume designer, my dad a lighting designer and my grandad a set designer so a lot of my time was spent at venues watching plays, bands and pantomimes. Throughout my time performing, I always had a great appreciation for how a production as a whole was produced and put on, leading me to study Drama and Theatre studies at GCSE and then A Level. In 2022, I began working with Project Dance and assisted with their first full production Growing Pains. It was Project Dance’s affiliation with The Octagon and Westlands that led me to find and apply for the apprenticeship.”

I asked Meg about her interests in technical theatre and how the apprenticeship has supported her personal development and interests; “My main area of interest at the moment is sound, but this is something that definitely fluctuates based on what I’m doing more of at the time. The thing I find most interesting about sound is how in depth you can go with the design and how opinionated it can be, which is true of any discipline but I think people underestimate sound. I also really enjoy the responsibility of running a stage and just being a part of how a show comes together.” “I began my apprenticeship in September 2023. At the time, it was a full time job in an industry I care about and that was good enough for me, but, over the two years, my apprenticeship has really given me direction. It took my excitement and passion surrounding theatre and live events and cemented the idea that it is where I want my career to head. It gave me the skills and knowledge, I have worked on a range of productions from classical concerts to ventriloquist acts and everything in between which has really deepened my understanding of how the industry functions and taught me about the amount of pathways and roles there are to take, not just in tech but in production management, arts engagement and events management.’ 

One of the reasons for us highlighting Megs success story is to inspire others who might have an interest in technical theatre. So, I asked Meg what advice she would give to someone interested in a career in theatre; “I think, if it’s what you are passionate about, an apprenticeship is a great way to get into technical theatre especially in a busy venue. You get chucked into the deep end whilst working on shows which is a great way to learn, and I think that there is knowledge you can gain from touring companies coming in that you might not get elsewhere. There is definitely a benefit in working in a venue with a varied programme as well, it allows you to learn a wider range of skills which I think makes it easier to step into a different venue or production in the future.”

As the seasons are changing, a time for reflection, so we spoke about favourite shows during her time at The Octagon and Westlands and fittingly for the winter season approaching Meg spoke about Panto; “Panto is by far my favourite experience. Growing up, I would go to Salisbury Playhouse to watch their pantomime every year with my grandparents, so there is something so special about being able to contribute to other people’s family traditions. I love the magic that surrounds it - everything is glittery. The panto-land you live in for the month is so utterly immersive when you are seeing the same show with the same people twice a day every day. It is also such a collaborative project for the venue which is always fun, and the planning process takes so long that you kind of have to love it or be at risk of it being anticlimactic. I have worked in many different roles for Panto including, follow spot operative, stagehand, DSM (Deputy Stage Manager), sound operative and lighting operative, all of which have their perks but my favourite is probably follow spot.” “Another project I have really enjoyed working on is Yeovil Beer & Cider Festival. I was Stage Manager for the festival in 2024, responsible for liaising with bands, plugging up and remaining on schedule. The energy that this and other similar events brings is unmatched and really motivating, it's hard not to have fun when everyone else is.” As her apprenticeship comes to an end Meg is excited about the possibilities of where the skills and knowledge gained will take her. “I would love to go forwards and work at more venues and help support creative productions, especially those that enrich the local community and surrounding culture. I’m so happy to be continuing on at Westlands as a casual tech and to be taking on the role of Sound No. 2 for this year's pantomime, Beauty and the Beast.”