The Sheffield University Theatre Company (SUTCo) have begun the process of building their technical teams for this semester’s productions, with the first of their tech calls having been opened. Following last week’s auditions process, the theatre group have opened applications for the backstage team of their Week 5 production Your Heart’s Too Open, Close It, with Week 8’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Week 10’s Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker calls expected to follow in the coming weeks.
In a social media post yesterday afternoon, SUTCo officially opened their first tech call of the 2024/25 academic year, seeking people with “a passion for design or a creative eye”, and emphasising the lack of requirement for previous experience. Having opened yesterday, the first tech call is open until October 8th, with the group keen to highlight the support on offer, particularly for new students who may be embarking on technical roles for the first time.
Your Heart’s Too Open, Close It are looking for people to fill a variety of positions on their team, including Stage Managers, Lighting and Sound Designers and Operators, as well as Costume and Set team members. The production, written and directed by Ambrose Robinson (Swap the Press), and assistant directed by Isobel Wood (As You Like It, The 39 Steps), has been described as a “metamodern, absurdist, sci-fi romcom, and is running at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio from October 30th to November 2nd. Technical team applicants will be led by the show’s Production Manager Kirsty Lucas (The Ancillary, Why We Stay, Medea), in her first production in this role.
Both of SUTCo’s other upcoming productions, The Importance of Being Earnest and Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker, are yet to release details of their tech calls, but these are expected in the coming weeks. Despite carrying out auditions as a collective, SUTCo’s tech calls for each of their productions are distinct and separate from one another, with different technical requirements of each show meaning a collective tech call is impractical for the theatre group.
With all three SUTCo productions well underway, attention is now turning to the backstage crews tasked with bringing each of these scripts to life, with each production beginning their search for the cohort of students to create theatrical magic for SUTCo’s autumn semester shows. Whether you’re a seasoned technical team member or have never attempted theatre tech before, SUTCo’s current and upcoming tech calls are a great opportunity to learn new skills, in a professional venue and with the new and emerging talent that the group has to offer.
Applications for the technical team of Your Heart’s Too Open, Close It are open until October 8th, and can be found here. Subsequent tech calls for The Importance of Being Earnest and Margaret Beaufort: Kingmaker will follow in the coming weeks
