TRP Stories: Janette Owen

Janette Owen is a Project Manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth and has recently worked on Playhouse, working with seven local primary schools to create brand new plays to be performed on The Drum stage. She’s also a self-employed stage manager and oversees the main stage on the Hoe for Armed Forces Day and Plymouth City Centre’s Christmas Lights Switch-on.

Speaking about how she got into her backstage role, Janette said: “I was very lucky that my mum regularly took me to the theatre. One of my earliest memories was watching the pantomime at Nottingham Theatre Royal when I was five years old and being invited on stage by Rod Hull (& Emu!). I also attended dance classes for many years, but realised it was more of a hobby than a career path for me. What really drew me in was the people making things happen magically behind the scenes and the unpredictability of live theatre. “I actually did a careers quiz at school which suggested I should be a floor manager in a TV studio. If it had recommended cookery, I might be a chef right now!”

Janette attended Guildford School of Acting and completed a degree in technical theatre and stage management, before gaining work experience as a deputy stage manager at Cochrane Theatre in London.

She’s since worked for various regional theatres including Chichester Festival Theatre and Birmingham Rep (Where she worked on the UB40 musical Promises and Lies), as well as touring around the country for 11 years as a deputy stage manager working on such productions as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Horrible Histories, George’s Marvellous Medicine and many, many pantomimes across the country.

Some of  Janette’s career highlights at TRP include working as Company Stage Manager for Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical during its filming in The Lyric. The cast were true Olympians of the theatre world – an exceptionally talented and high-energy team who required careful coordination and support throughout the production. TRP’s 40th birthday show was a brilliantly conceived piece of theatre, inviting the audience onto the stage to watch the action unfold all around them. “One of the standout moments for me, was a perfectly timed Bamboozle-style reveal: a curtain was opened to reveal Christopher Biggins, to the audience’s absolute delight”

We Are the Land was a powerful and moving performance by the Wampanoag people in 2023. “It was a true privilege to support them as Stage Manager and to learn so much about their rich culture. Being part of a production that honoured and continued their traditions was an incredibly meaningful experience”

Janette is a huge advocate for highlighting what goes on behind the scenes and delivers career talks and workshops in schools. She said: “So many young people don’t know that there are many different job roles behind the scenes. The cast accept the applause onstage, but there is a whole team behind the curtain who hear it too. By introducing the students to these roles, I hope to spark interest and show there is a place for everyone in the arts. Backstage roles are creative and rewarding.”

“A stage manager needs to think ahead and always be prepared. Time management and organisation are absolutely crucial, along with staying focused and confident throughout. Theatre is live — and the show must go on (but only if it’s safe to do so, of course!). For me, theatre isn’t just a job; it’s a way of life.”

Watch Janette’s video: