Young performer Maggie Livermore shares her experience performing in ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ at the National Theatre and how she dealt with unexpected events.
With press and opening night over, the run of Till the Stars Come Down officially began, and young performer Maggie Livermore loved every moment of it. Maggie played ‘Sarah’ in the Olivier Award-nominated play, which was on at the National Theatre from 24 January to 16 March 2024.
This role was Maggie’s debut performance on stage, and she kept a diary about all the events she encountered and the thoughts she had during this amazing experience. Maggie’s diary is an insightful and informative look into the realities of performing in a production as a young performer and will no doubt help guide other young performers during their own stage debut journeys.
In the second instalment of Maggie’s diary, rehearsals ended and press and opening nights were a success. In the last part of this three-part series, we’ll see how Maggie deals with the unexpected actions and reactions of the audience, last-minute calls and cancellations, and surprise guests. Whatever happens, the show must go on!
Here’s what she shared:
4 February 2024: Fun Routines
I’ve come up with my own ‘Sarah’ dance. We know the soundtrack inside out and every time Britney comes on (and I’m not on stage that night as ‘Sarah’), I dance along backstage.
Ruby Stokes (‘Leanne’) and I have come up with our own sister’s handshake. We do it every night before going on stage. I’m going to miss her so much once the show is over.
The whole cast warms up and pats their backs with the mantra, “I’ve got your back.” We don’t always get the chance to join in due to licensing. As I’m a child actor, I’m only allowed to work a certain number of hours. The chaperones keep us in our dressing room and we normally have the voice coaches come to help us warm up our voices.
10 February 2024: Break a… Tooth?
Seconds before my entrance for the show, one of my teeth suddenly fell out! Luckily my character’s dad ‘John’ (Derek Riddell) was holding a glass of water and I could quickly gulp some down to flush out the blood in my mouth. Gigi, my chaperone, made sure to hold onto my tooth before I ran on. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a visit from the tooth fairy tonight!
Sometimes, if I have friends or family in to see the show, I go for dinner on the South Bank. I think the South Bank is the prettiest place in all of London and the best place to work. There’s so much choice: pizza, pasta, noodles – whatever floats your boat! So far, I’ve had noodles from Wagamama probably 10 times (and I’d gladly go for more)! I’m so grateful that my mum and dad can take me to the show every day. They tend to sit in the National Theatre or Pret and work.
13 February 2024: A Last Minute Call
I’m at my granny’s house when we get a call from the Stage Manager to say that I need to get into London as one of the other ‘Sarah’ is ill. I quickly grab dinner, and Dad and I jump on the train.
We travelled back from Marylebone, and I was thrilled when I spotted a Till the Stars Come Down poster on a wall by the escalator at the train station!
I love my dressing room. I’ve decorated it with the cards and gifts I’ve received from friends and family who have come to see the show. And I have a pet – there’s a resident mouse living in my dressing room. She’s the cutest little thing! I want to hold her, but Mum and Dad won’t let me. I suspect the chaperones wouldn’t let me either. It’s probably for the best!
17 February 2024: A Funny Response
I find it really interesting how different audiences react to the play. Tonight, we had an amazing audience. We normally get a lot of laughs, particularly Lorraine Ashbourne as ‘Aunty Carol’. ‘Sarah’ does get some laughs, too, but tonight, they found everything hilarious. I mean everything! Even things that we didn’t think were funny. It’s a lovely reaction, of course, but it took some getting used to as we had to wait in between saying our lines.
Did you know that at the end of the show, at the stage door, there are often people waiting to see the actors? The first time it happened, it really threw me! I didn’t know where to sign my autograph. Gigi helped by finding my photo in the programme so that I could sign it properly. So far, I have signed a fair number of programmes! It feels unreal, and I want to soak it all up and never forget this feeling.
Audience members often come up to congratulate me on the show, ask me questions or comment on the show itself. It’s always very positive. Again, I feel incredibly lucky for this opportunity.
20 February 2024: Surprise Cancellation
Unfortunately, the play had to be cancelled tonight because someone was ill. I was sad as I had lots of friends coming to see me. One of my teachers had bought me flowers and dropped them off to me anyway later that evening.
I hope my fellow cast member feels better soon!
24 February 2024: The Actor and the Audience
We had another fantastic audience tonight. They were very vocal, which is always nice. I suppose that’s the thing about plays – it’s all in real time and you never know what’s going to happen. There was a group of teenagers in and they were so engaged with the play. At one point, one of them shouted, “Liar!” to Ruby really loudly. That person was so involved in the story that they felt compelled to comment.
I’ve been thinking about this, and it’s incredible that a piece of theatre can stir such strong emotions from an audience. As I’ve said before, the reactions to the play differ, but generally, audience members will sing and clap along with Marek. They cheer when ‘Aunty Carol’ does her dance. There’s an audible gasp when ‘Leanne’ kisses ‘Marek’. Some audiences will cheer on ‘Grandad Tony’s’ Tarzan. And some audiences are generally very quiet.
As an actor, you must be prepared for it all. You never know what response you’re going to get and I love that about theatre. It’s a living experience, and one show is never the same.
28 February 2024: My Agent Attends
My agent, Andrew, came to see the show. I was a little nervous because I wanted to make sure I do well. Andrew and I had an orange juice beforehand in the Underbelly – the place next to the stage door. After the show, he came to congratulate me. He absolutely loved the play!
29 February 2024: Running Late
We got to the stage door as normal and waited for the chaperones to turn up. It was getting close to the start of the show and they were nowhere to be seen and we hadn’t heard anything either. There had been train delays that day, so we guessed it would be linked to this.
Finally, we heard from Gigi and Georgia (the chaperones) who had been held on their train underground going into London Bridge. As they were going to be late, Dad got to walk with me backstage. I was honestly so excited to show him where we go, where we wait backstage and our dressing room.
Maggie with co-stars Lorraine Ashbourne and Derek Riddell / Image credit: Georgia Griffin
1 March 2024: Swearing in Front of My Teachers
Five of my teachers from school came to see the show tonight! I was so excited, but I was also nervous because I do say the F-word… Luckily, they’d been warned. After the show, they came to the stage door and said they loved it.
The principal of my dance school, Lauren, also came to see the show and loved it. She said she was so proud of me.
4 March 2024: Don’t Touch the Gravy!
Tonight, the weirdest thing happened. An audience member reached forward and put their hand in the gravy. We all noticed it, and I was a little thrown but had to keep going. What an odd thing to do!
Ellie Samuels, who used to work at Spotlight, came to see the show tonight. She’s been so supportive. I mentioned that I was keeping a rehearsal and performance diary and she liked the idea of sharing this with other young performers!
6 March 2024: Double Show Days
Elspeth Morrison, voice coach extraordinaire, came to see the show tonight. She helped me with the accent before the audition and is generally a lovely person. I can really recommend this type of help if you’re feeling a bit unsure about a certain accent. My dad’s family are all Scousers – so not quite the right Northern accent in this case!
Wednesday is double show day, and I often hang out with Gigi and the other standby ‘Sarah’. We went for a walk along the South Bank. We always visit Pret for a Caramel Frappuccino and then, after, we either paint or do some kind of activity backstage. The chaperones are very good at coming up with different activities to keep us occupied.
7 March 2024: The Headteacher’s Here
The headteacher of my school came to see the show tonight. She sat in the front row, so I could see her very, very clearly! It caught me off guard initially, though once I’m in the show, the audience tends to fade away.
She said afterwards that she was proud of me. I’m so lucky to have such a supportive school.
9 March 2024: Drinking All the Juice
I was so thirsty tonight and slightly distracted. I was casually sipping my orange juice that I’m supposed to drink in the play, and suddenly realised too late that I’d finished it!
Luckily, Gigi was able to get me a refill just before I had to go on. Note to self: remember not to drink the props!
12 March 2024: Olivier Award Nominations
We found out that Till the Stars Come Down has been nominated for two Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Best Supporting Actress! Holy moly! I’m so unbelievably proud to be a part of this incredible show with this amazing cast.
Sometimes we have a touch tour in the theatre. Members of the public come in and we show them the costumes and props. I can’t join in, but I like watching people’s reactions to the props – especially the food. The fake food looks so real! We did have real food initially, but it was changed. Oh, and all food is vegan. I can’t say it’s that tasty, but luckily, I only eat a packet of crisps.
15 March 2024: The Last Show
Today was incredibly emotional. I received the most beautiful gift from my character’s mum, ‘Hazel’ (Lucy Black) – new shiny slides for my hair. In the play, my character keeps bugging ‘Hazel’ about slides for her hair. I already have a bow, so I never get sliders for my hair.
All the cast made me feel so special. The staff director, Stepan Mysko von Schultze, came to see me, which was lovely. He’s been so fantastic throughout this process and I’m so grateful for his direction and support. He gave me the loveliest space-themed notepad! He said that he used to take lots of notes when he was my age and he would love for me to write down all my grand ideas.
I joined in the whole cast warm-up and received lovely hugs from everyone. I felt so happy to be part of this group of people.
It went brilliantly – the energy was electric and on another level. During curtain call, it suddenly hit me that this would be my last time on stage. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Lovely Lisa McGrillis (‘Maggie’) hugged me and made sure I was okay afterwards. I came off stage and the tears wouldn’t stop!
Once I was at the stage door, so many people came up to congratulate me on the show. I had more hugs from the cast: Sinéad Matthews, Lisa McGrillis, Ruby Stokes, Marc Wootton, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Alan Williams. Alan was quite emotional too and spoke with my parents, saying how proud they must be. What a lovely man.
Danny Mays came to see the show and was speaking with Marc and Marc said, “Wasn’t Maggie wonderful?” and Danny agreed and gave me a high five. So cool! Samantha Morton also came backstage and congratulated the cast on the show.
I had lots of stuff to bring home, including a Till the Stars Come Down poster that the whole cast signed. It’s been the most amazing experience, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me next.
Thank you, Maggie, for letting us join you on this fantastic experience and sharing your thoughts with us every step of the way.
Take a look at our website for more tips and advice for young performers and their parents, including:
- What Young Performer Agents Want You to Know
- 9 Tips to Help Motivate Young Performers
- Getting Started with Showreels and Voice Clips
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
