Maggie Livermore finally takes to the stage in ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ at the National Theatre for run-throughs, opening night and press night.
After succeeding in her audition and acing the rehearsals, young performer Maggie Livermore was eager to start playing the role of ‘Sarah’ in Till the Stars Come Down at the National Theatre for an audience. She’d soon get her wish on opening night and press night, but first, she had to face the run-throughs and technical rehearsals of the show.
As this was Maggie’s first stage role, all these things were new to her and she documented her thoughts and reactions at each stage. She provides an excellent insight into all the effort and processes that go into making a show – which the audience doesn’t usually see – and helps other young performers know what they can expect when they get their first theatre role.
The first instalment of Maggie’s diary entry shone a light on the audition and rehearsal process. In the second of this three-part series, we’ll see the realities of the run-throughs and tech rehearsals and how she fared with opening night and press night. Here’s what she shared:
15 January 2024: The Run-Throughs Begin
We did our first run-through today. Wow, what a rush! I loved it!
There are a few things I’ll need to look at, like my exits and entrances, but generally, it went so well. The play is fast-paced, lines overlap, and people come in and out of scenes all the time, so it’s important we know our cues. I make sure I write everything down in my script because it’s impossible to remember otherwise.
My character’s sister, ‘Leanne’ (played by Ruby Stokes) and I made up some dances in rehearsals. She’s such a lovely person and feels like a real big sister to me. She always takes the time to talk to me and ask me questions about me and my life. It’s lovely to have such an amazing person in the cast, particularly one who’s meant to play your sibling. I come from a close-knit family and have two brothers, but I would have loved a sister!
16 January 2024: The Stage Manager Saves the Day
Today’s rehearsals were a bit different because one of the actors was ill, so our stage manager had to jump in and read the lines. She said this was out of her comfort zone, but I thought she did very well! She’s such a lovely, supportive person and always ready to help us out and support the cast.
We get to join in the whole cast warm-up sometimes, which is great fun. We continue vocal coaching, too, and I was amazed to learn how much you can change a sentence just by emphasising different words.
19 January 2024: First Technical Rehearsals
We moved into the theatre today and you won’t believe my excitement when I got to see my dressing room – with my own vanity with lights! It has a little desk with a mirror on the front, with plenty of space for my toiletries. They’ve given me a toothbrush and a hairbrush. It was such a pinch me now moment!
Everyone at the National Theatre is so nice and has been incredibly welcoming. I can’t believe this will be my home for the next few months. The tech rehearsals are mainly for the light and sound teams’ benefit, but it’s useful for me as an actor, too. I can go over exits and entrances and my general blocking on stage.
We finished the tech rehearsal late, so Mum and I are staying in a hotel next to the theatre. We have our first full day of rehearsals and techs tomorrow and I need to be fully rested. Staying in a hotel is also just a nice treat – there was a pool, need I say more!
20 January 2024: Staying Entertained
We’re back in the theatre and continue to set the lights to scenes. It was hard to focus for all that time, but Gigi and Suzie (our chaperones) tried to keep us entertained. I also entertain myself by coming up with team dances, games and Murdle.
Oh, and I had food in the National Theatre’s canteen today, which was delicious. It was nice to have a hot meal for dinner for a change! We get dinner for free, which is very generous of the company.
22 January 2024: Getting into Costume
We’re in our third week of rehearsals and we are running the show. I’m starting to feel the excitement and can’t wait to get on that stage.
I have tried on my costumes again and I particularly love my yellow dress! The shoes they gave me hurt a little, so they gave me plasters and added an extra sole. I hope that will help. They’re very pretty, though!
23 January 2024: More Tech Rehearsals and a Dress Rehearsal
A dress rehearsal is like a full run – with all the costumes and props and without stopping. I’ve been given a vest that goes under the dress, shorts for our quick changes and my pretty shoes. As usual, I wear French braids to every rehearsal. Our first scene in Till The Stars Come Down is all of us getting ready for the wedding scene and my character’s mum, ‘Hazel’ (Lucy Black), is brushing my hair.
The voice coach keeps working on my voice technique. It needs to be able to reach the whole auditorium, particularly when I have my back towards the audience.
As we’re teching and running the play, my days are very long. I get to the theatre just after lunch and we run the show all day. At the moment, the light and sound department are working to get set up. It’s fascinating to learn how many different things go into putting on a show. There are so many people involved! The stage management crew are amazing and always check in on me, making sure I’m okay and comfortable.
Maggie and the rest of the cast / Image credit: Georgia Griffin
24 January 2024 (Morning): The Final Rehearsal
When I get to the National Theatre stage door, I meet the chaperones and Mum or Dad leave me with them for the show. I don’t feel nervous, oddly enough. I’m ready.
Fun fact: When you enter the Stage Door, you can see all the National Theatre’s stages on four different screens. One of the screens also shows a live feed of Waterloo Bridge!
Today, I learned that when you’re in the theatre, you hear the calls for all of the shows over the tannoy. So when it comes on, everyone has to be quiet. It’s so exciting to know that someone else is just about to start their play. All of us – the other actors and crew – feel connected to each other during that moment.
I sometimes meet the other cast members walking around backstage, which is fun. There are quite a few kids in The Witches next door, although they close a week after our opening night.
24 January 2024 (Evening): Opening Night
This is it. The first night of Till the Stars Come Down and I am on. Mum, my big brother and Gramps are coming to see me. I can tell Mum and Dad are nervous in the morning, but I’m just excited and can’t wait to get on.
I’m ready.
The show goes brilliantly, and the reception is a standing ovation. The audience laughed, sang along and cried. It was one of the best nights of my life!
I’m very happy with my performance, though, in the wedding speech scene, I throw a bread roll at ‘Uncle Pete’ (Philip Whitchurch) and it’s meant to miss him, but I accidentally managed to hit him square in the head! The whole audience gasped and I felt my face go bright red, but I kept acting as normal.
After, the director Bijan Sheibani said it was a brilliant throw and we’re keeping it. So, from now on, Sarah will try to hit Uncle Pete in the head! Luckily, Philip said it was fine, too, and it didn’t hurt him!
From this night, the show is on. If I’m not on standby, then I’m on stage with Sundays off. We have rehearsals in the daytime and then a show at night during the preview week. They’re long days, but it’s worth it and every day is different.
Due to the limited time I’m allowed to work due to licensing, two lovely voice teachers, Kathleen and Tasmin, do our voice exercises before the shows in our dressing room.
31 January 2024: Press Night
On press night, everyone bangs the windows and makes loads of noise at the half (35 minutes before you go on) to say good luck! It’s really fun and also nice to know everyone is wishing you luck.
For press night, we gave each other good luck cards, and I got the best one from ‘Marek’ (Marc Wootton) that said, “Don’t forget to have a wee and a poo before the show!” He’s so funny!
1 February 2024: My First Autograph
Tonight, after the show, my dad and I were taking the tube back home and I was stopped by two ladies who asked if I would sign their programme. They said they loved the show and my performance. My first ever autograph – hopefully the first of many!
The stage crew are the loveliest people on the planet. They go out of their way to make sure the actors are happy and comfortable. They’re particularly nice to me – probably because I’m the youngest staff member.
We were given some Lego, donated by the Lyttleton Theatre, for us to play with behind the scenes. The chaperones also come up with fun activities for us. For the last few weeks, me and the other ‘Sarah’s’ have been designing dresses using leftover material from the costume department. I can’t wait to show everyone the finished result!
2 February 2024: The Reviews Are In!
I feel like I’m really in the swing of things now. I go to school, Mum or Dad pick me up around lunchtime if it’s a Wednesday (double show day). I get changed at school and then hop on the train into London. I normally eat a snack on the train and either read a book or watch a Netflix show. Once we reach Waterloo, we head to the theatre to meet the chaperones.
There’s a fight scene rehearsal call every day before the show. This is to make sure no one gets injured during the play.
We’ve also had the reviews back and the press love the play! I feel so incredibly fortunate to be part of this amazing show.
Thank you, Maggie, for continuing to share your amazing experience with us! In the next Diary of a Young Performer, ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ has officially begun its run. We’ll see how Maggie deals with last-minute call-ins, cancellations and unexpected occurrences during the show.
If you haven’t already, make sure to read the first instalment of Maggie’s diary on her audition and rehearsals.
Take a look at our website for more tips and advice for young performers and their parents, including:
- Casting and self-tape advice from ‘Hollyoaks’ casting director Peter Hunt
- Tips for making positive friendships as a young actor
- What parents should know about touring for young performers
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
