Maggie Livermore takes us behind the scenes of the audition and rehearsal process for ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ at the National Theatre.
Young performer Maggie Livermore was thrilled to get her first stage role in Till the Stars Come Down. She played ‘Sarah’ at the National Theatre from 24 January to 15 March 2024, but the journey to this performance started long before then – all the way back in September 2023.
We’ve been given a unique chance to follow Maggie through the highs and lows of this exciting process – from the first audition to callbacks, tech rehearsals, press night and all the way to the final show!
Maggie’s diary entries shine a spotlight on the realities of being a young performer in the performing arts industry and provide a useful look at what other young actors can expect when going through this process.
In the first of this three-part series, Maggie takes us behind the scenes of her audition at the National Theatre and the rehearsals for Till the Stars Come Down that followed when she got the role. Here’s what she shared:
8 September 2023: The First Audition
Today, I had an audition at the National Theatre for a new play. I was so excited! Dad picked me up from school and we jumped on a train to London to the Southbank. We got there early, so we watched the skateboarders doing these crazy tricks.
The first time I saw the National, I was shocked by how big it was. There are so many entrances. Dad and I walked past the main entrances around the back to the stage door. Once we were in the theatre, all the staff members we met were so nice and welcoming.
I said bye to Dad and was asked to go inside to a big room with the casting people. There were about 20 kids in the room, and they were seeing us in groups of two. I guess they were seeing a LOT of kids for this play! I was a bit nervous, but then I figured that if I’m right for it, then I’m right. I will try my best regardless.
They paired us up and we ran our lines with each other. The girl I was running lines with seemed nice. We also played lots of fun drama games and did warm-up exercises. It wasn’t stressful at all and it felt like a whole day full of fun! That was pretty much it for the audition. I really loved the whole experience!
18 September 2023: Recall News
I got a recall for the National Theatre! I can’t believe it! The play is set in the East Midlands, and although part of my family is Northern, it’s not the ‘right’ Northern accent, so Mum asked her friend, Elspeth, for a few pointers.
Elspeth is a voice coach. I met with Elspeth over Zoom and we did some voice exercises, which seemed a bit funny to me – but I really liked them! It was so useful and I felt much more confident with the accent afterwards.
The recall was a self-tape, so I did the scene with my grandad, filmed it and sent it off. Now we wait…
23 October 2023: The Final Recall
One step closer! I had a final recall in person today. I woke up so excited to see everyone again. My grandparents are here visiting from Sweden, so we all went in to London for the day.
I went in for the recall, which was a readthrough with director Bijan Sheibani, writer Beth Steel and the National Theatre casting team. They were so nice and encouraging – it made me feel confident and good about the casting. Whatever happens, I feel like I did a good job today!
After the recall, we were walking down Southbank when Dad got the call from my agent. He put it on speakerphone and we all listened as they told me I got it! I was so happy I cried! So did Mum.
A few days later, they sent me the script and I started learning my lines. The rest of the cast will start rehearsals in December and I will join them in January.
2-8 January 2024: Rehearsals Begin
This is it – my first day! I packed my backpack with the script, water, snacks and a book. Mum and my brothers took me to the rehearsal space on Copperfield Street in London. Once the theatre is ready, we will move rehearsals to the National Theatre.
First, I met the chaperones who will be looking after me and then I met with the cast. They were all so nice. I was a bit nervous, but I was soon put at ease.
I love that I get to travel to London every day! On our way to Copperfield Street, we stop in Pret on the way and I either have a juice, caramel Frappuccino or smoothie as a treat.
The first week is all about working through the play scene by scene. The adult actors have been rehearsing since December, so a lot of the scenes have been blocked already. The director, Bijan, and staff director, Stepan Mysko von Schultze, make sure I understand everything and I make sure to make lots of notes in my script.
In one of the scenes, I use a phone. They said it doesn’t work, so I started my scene and suddenly the phone turned on! I thought I had done something wrong and I felt so embarrassed, but they said it was fine, so I carried on.
In the rehearsal room, the stage spins around like it will in the actual show. It’s called a ‘revolve’ and it’s really cool – although it does take a second to get used to! The play is set in the round, so the audience will be all around us.
We all bring dinner to rehearsals, and the ‘Sarah’s eat together. Because I’m sharing the role with two other girls, we take it in turn to rehearse on stage. One of us acts in the scene whilst the others watch.
Maggie Livermore and Cadence Williams enjoying a meal during rehearsals / Image credit: Georgia Griffin
This is my first professional play and I feel like I’m learning something new all the time. Bijan and Stepan are so patient with me and allow me to explore and take the time to absorb the information. They seem very happy with my work so far, which is encouraging.
The WHAM team (Wigs, Hair and Makeup) have requested that we come into rehearsals with French braids. Sarah has wavy hair in the play, so it will help if our hair is already braided.
Throughout the rehearsal process, we run our lines with the voice coach. She helps generally with diction and volume, but also the specific East Midlands accent.
Sundays are my day off and it’s generally filled with homework and relaxing with my brothers. Don’t tell them this, but I do miss seeing them all the time!
The next week continues in the same way, though I’m back at school now, so I go to school until about lunchtime, when mum or dad pick me up. I get changed out of my school clothes, put on my rehearsal clothes (which are ‘good to move in’ clothes – loose, layers and comfy). I’m normally hungry at this point, so I eat my lunch on the train into London.
I’m feeling more settled and brave now, so I try new things and explore my character. One of my favourite scenes is with ‘Tony’ (Alan Williams). Alan is kind and patient, and I feel like I can try different things in rehearsals. He says I’m doing a great job! He has so much experience and is more than willing to pass on his wisdom or just crack a joke or two.
In between scenes or whenever I’m not needed, I read or play games. I’ve been introduced to a book called ‘Murdle’, which is great – I really recommend it for passing the time backstage. I try not to mess around in rehearsals, but Marc Wootton (‘Marek’) is so funny and cheeky that it’s really hard not to sometimes. Marc is so encouraging and kind and I feel so lucky to be in the same room as these wonderful people.
The fight scenes are taking a long time to rehearse. It’s so important that we as actors know where to stand, where to go, where and who to swing at and, obviously, the impact. Because we are all involved in that scene, every actor must know exactly where to move to make sure no one gets injured. As the play is staged in the round, it makes the fight hard to stage realistically, as the audience can see us from every angle.
9 January 2024: Rehearsals Move to the National Theatre
Drop off today was at the National Theatre stage door – eeeek! Gosh, it really brought it home seeing the theatre and seeing the incredible stage. We’re playing in the round with a minimal set.
I climbed to the very top of the auditorium and looked down. To think that, soon, this space will be filled with people, and I will be down there performing for them! Our voice coach pointed out that we must be loud and clear to make sure we can be heard at the very top of the auditorium.
Beth has been dipping in and out of rehearsals. I know it’s a privilege to have the actual writer in the room and she’s amazing, super funny and so positive and kind. She lets us improvise with the text and sometimes our improvisations end up in the final play.
In my scene with ‘Uncle Tony’ today, I added the line, “Is it really old… like you?” The team laughed and said they liked it and that we’ll be adding that last bit to the play. I’m proud to be able to add something to Sarah’s character.
I got to try on the costume today. My character will be wearing a lovely yellow dress for the wedding and cute pyjamas for the scene after. It was so exciting to try on the costume and we also discussed bows and hair clips. I wasn’t allowed to tell the other Sarah’s what it looked like as I was the only one who was dress-fitted at that stage. I was dying to tell them! All I said was that it’s lovely and sunny.
One of the councils has raised an issue with the language in the play. I will be honest – it is rude in places! Mum and Dad did talk to me about it all before I started, so I knew what the context was. I understand that I swear in the play as Sarah – it’s not me, Maggie. In any case, one of the other councils were not happy for their child actor to hear those words, and so we all have to sit in another room for some of the rehearsal so that we don’t hear the dialogue, which is such a shame.
None of it makes much sense to me, as I have read the script a million times and pretty much know it inside out now – including the swearing! The chaperones said that this sometimes happens in theatre and that negotiations are ongoing. Hopefully, we’ll be able to rejoin normal rehearsals soon enough!
10 January 2024: Working with the Movement Director
We have been working with our brilliant movement director, Aline. She talks to us about how our characters move and why how we move around the table is important. She choreographed our dance around the circle.
We have also worked on our freeze frames at the beginning of the play and during monologues. In my scene with Alan (‘Grandad Tony’), she was helping us move in the round, making sure the audience could see us from all angles regardless of where they were sitting, but doing it in a way that made sense.
13 January 2024: Preparing for the First Run-Through
We had an earlier call time today with a lunch. I asked Mum to make pasta pesto (my favourite) and I made sure to bring my book – just in case!
In break time, I tend to look over my lines or chat with the cast, but sometimes we get time to read, too. We’re having our first run-through of the play on Monday. I can’t wait!
Thank you, Maggie, for sharing your amazing experience with us! In the next Diary of a Young Performer, we’ll see how Maggie got on with the run-throughs, as well as how she handled opening night and press night for the show!
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Maggie Livermore is a British actress from London who is represented by Mark Jermin Management. She has performed in film, on stage and in TV commercials. In January 2024, Maggie originated the role of ‘Sarah’ in ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ at the National Theatre. The play was nominated for two Olivier Awards, including Best New Play. She is currently shooting the TV series ‘Learn’ for SVT/Majema in Sweden. Maggie is also very excited to finally be able to announce that she has recently finished filming ‘Bridget Jones – Mad About the Boy’ for Universal Pictures/Working Title, which will premiere in February 2025.
Headshot credit: YellowBellyPhoto
