STAGE MANAGER
Working on the Olympic and Paralympic Games is an extraordinary honour, but doing so in your home country is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was one of the most physically demanding projects I’ve ever worked on, but also one of the most rewarding.
Nothing compares to the scale, emotion, and collective spirit of an Olympic ceremony. The lows could be intense, but the highs were unforgettable.
Four spectacular ceremonies brought together thousands of volunteers, professional performers, and athletes for the opening and closing of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 2012 ceremonies were formally opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, marking a historic moment for London and the UK.
As one of 25 Stage Managers coordinating a cast of 11,000, the experience was life changing. It reshaped my understanding of scale, teamwork, and what’s possible under pressure. After that, I knew that if I could help deliver something of this magnitude, I could handle anything.
This project taught me the true value of people. Our cast was made up of volunteers who gave up their evenings and weekends for months, rehearsing through rain, wind, and heat without always seeing the bigger picture. A huge part of our job was keeping them engaged, inspired, and connected to the shared vision of the final performance, because they were the show.
Even a 10% drop in participation would have caused major challenges, so we invested real time in those relationships. When everyone committed to going that extra mile, it made all the difference. That lesson has stayed with me ever since: understanding that the small, human efforts we make for people often determine the success of the entire production.
