Home Sweet Encore: Meet Olivia Hammermaster

Olivia: I decided to audition for Robin Hood because I had a friend at the time who was very involved with Encore. He convinced me to audition, and soon with one show, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. I signed for crew for the very next show, Darius the Dragon and Rap-Punzel.

Encore: Can you describe your experience as stage manager for The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes?

Olivia: It’s been a lot of fun stage managing Sherlock. Since this is my ninth show, I’ve done four on cast and four on crew, and it’s really cool to see a different side of Encore. I get the opportunity to work and bond with both cast and crew for the entire show.

Encore: What do you enjoy most about working on crew?

Olivia: I love being up in the booth during shows and being able to monitor the cast and crew. The headsets allow us to communicate with almost everyone and we get a great view during the show!

Encore: The show involves mystery and chaos, what do you like most about this show and do you yourself enjoy mysteries?

Olivia: I have always loved mysteries. As a kid, I would go to the library and check out about six Nancy Drew books to read during the week. My favorite part of Sherlock is seeing all the humor worked into the mystery. A lot of the characters have little quirks that they’ve all been playing up. It’s not only interesting because of the mystery, but hilarious because of the humor.

Encore: What was your favorite role to play and why?

Olivia I’ve really enjoyed all the characters I’ve played, but I think my favorite was Oin, a dwarf in The Hobbit. Even with a smaller role, I did the most acting I ever have. My director, Susan Keady, taught me so much and really helped me learn about my acting abilities. She taught me one of the most important lessons in theatre: the smaller roles are often more fun to play than the leads because you can develop your character to your heart’s content, since a lesser known role doesn’t have strict rules to abide by.

“Encore is like a second home to me…”

Encore: How has your involvement with Encore influenced you beyond the theatre?

Olivia: Encore has changed me as a person. As cheesy as it is, Encore is like a second home to me. I always joke about living in the basement of TJ. Tech week is my favorite part of the show and results in me being happier in general, not just tired and stressed out.

Encore: What is your most memorable experience with Encore?

Olivia: Actually, during the second Sherlock show, the sound system went out right in the middle of the first act. All of us up in the booth were leaning back and relaxing, just watching the show when all of a sudden we realized our headsets were dead silent. We soon found out not only our headsets but also the sound board were dead. One ASM ran upstairs to talk to us, but the sound ended up working after about five minutes anyway. It was probably the most stressful five minutes of my entire life.
Encore: Any advice for future stage managers?

Olivia: My only advice to future stage managers is to remain calm. I was told countless times that I would freak and be completely stressed out, but that never hit me. It’s important to know what’s going on, but to not let the pressure get to you. Let loose and enjoy the show!

Thanks Olivia for sharing your Encore experience! We hope you’ll continue your theater journey with us.

Interested in being a stage manager for the 2014/2015 season? Click here to learn more.

Olivia was involved in the following productions: