In her work experience application, Zara said she was interested in learning about how productions are developed from rehearsal to performance. She spent a week at Melbourne Theatre Company HQ doing just that.
During work experience, I spent the majority of my time in the Uncle Vanya rehearsal room. Some of the activities I did included finding props for the set, joining in on a vocal rehearsal and observing the actors and how they use voice to convey emotion.
During my time in the rehearsal room, I observed that the Uncle Vanya team included many people who each had a specific job that would help the production. For example, there was a stage manager who would run the schedule and knew where all the props were, and when they were on and off the stage, and same for the set pieces.
Additionally, from being in the rehearsal room all week, I learnt that I can be more organised at school. Seeing everyone so organised with writing down notes and keeping track of where every set piece was, I now feel motivated to keep track of all assignments at school. Another thing I took away with me was that I need to learn how to be flexible and resilient when challenges may come my way, as the actors had to change some of their entire scenes after they had already learnt the lines from the old version, however they were flexible and took on the feedback and had to implement it.
One thing that surprised me was just seeing all the people that go in to one production. There were costume designers, sound designers, set designers, actors, directors and stage mangers etc. When I toured around the building to see all the departments, I was taken aback by how many people work behind-the-scenes of a production and how not many people know about all their work.
This work experience week has helped me so much, not only by giving me a proper perspective on a production, but also on what I want to do in the future. I also noticed that the culture at Melbourne Theatre Company was really warm and welcoming and I realised that everyone loved their jobs and I want to work in a profession where I feel motivated to go to work everyday. This week has really opened my eyes to careers and helped me with my career path and choices.
I would highly recommend work experience at the Melbourne Theatre Company, as you learn so many skills and meet so many lovely people and you even get to come back and watch the finished production!
Published on 13 July 2026
