Behind the Scenes with Gabrielle Scott

Theatre Student Makes Magic Backstage

Gabrielle Scott is living her dream as a student in the Georgia Southern theatre program. She has felt at home on the stage since her early days as a child dancer and musical theatre performer. But these days, she prefers working behind the scenes on live theatre productions.

“I love organization and I love the creation of art from behind the scenes and not just on stage,” said Scott, who has enjoyed her role as a production assistant on several shows. “I love learning how things work and how strings are pulled. My organizational skills and my love for theatre and art have come together in stage management.”

Scott, who is from Alpharetta, Georgia, said production stage management is all about solving problems and dispensing information to all interested parties from the minute a production begins to the minute it ends. With an eye for detail, she charts everything to make sure everyone has “everything they need to be able to create a beautiful masterpiece.” As Scott explained, she is the main communication hub.

“Whether that’s answering questions and providing information or coming up with creative solutions to complicated problems – I do my best to be a part of an amazing process,” she said.

The double major in theatre, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies has made the best of her time at Georgia Southern. She is president of Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honors society on the Statesboro Campus, and while her two majors may seem different, to her, they are intertwined. In explaining it, Scott referred to efforts in the theatre world to make sure the voices of people of color are valued and heard the same way as the voices of white creators and artists.

“My big thing is wanting to create room for people like myself, Black women, women of color, women in general, anyone whose voices have typically been snuffed out,” she said. “And I can only come from one perspective, which is being a Black woman, and that means I have to learn about the other struggles that people go through in order to help create more space and help amplify their voices for this cause.”

Scott is a recipient of several impressive scholarships. She is the second student to receive the Mical Whitaker Scholarship for the Study of African American Theatre, which honors Georgia Southern’s first Black theatre instructor. She is among the first 15 people selected for the inaugural Cody Renard Richard Scholarship program. Established by the veteran Broadway stage manager in partnership with the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, the national scholarship is awarded to Black, Indigenous, Asian and Latino students preparing for behind-the-scenes careers. Scott also received a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 4 Stage Management Fellowship. The scholarships provide the theatre student with funds, training, professional mentoring, learning experiences and opportunities to connect with others in the field.

“They mean so many different things,” she said. “It means that all my hard work and learning are paying off, which is exciting. There are times that I feel overwhelmed, but my professors, my family and my friends are reminding me that I have earned them, and this is only the beginning of what I am capable of,” she added.

Scott’s focus and passion for theatre has not gone unnoticed by Georgia Southern faculty. Theatre Professor Kelly Berry said from Scott’s first day on campus, she knew what she wanted to accomplish.

“Gabby came to GS with specific goals in mind, which is always great, and she really embraced the program’s holistic approach to teaching theatre,” he said. “She embraced all the different opportunities that were presented to her and she is becoming a well-rounded theatre artist, which will provide multiple opportunities upon graduation.”

This summer, the rising senior is spending two months as a production assistant with the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Scott is sure the skills she has acquired at Georgia Southern have prepared her for her future career as a production stage manager, whether in theatre, concerts or larger venues.

— Sandra Bennett