About Me
Leo Robinson | Fourth Year at UVA | Miller Arts Scholar | Stage Manager
Photo Credit: Daniel Fisher
Artistic Background
The first time I heard about technical theatre I was in middle school and had only interacted with dramatic arts through an acting summer camp. The logistics of how performances functioned had always been fascinating to me and I decided to apply to the tech crew for a school talent show. Needless to say, I fell in love with the process of bringing a show to life and have been happily doing it ever since.
I graduated from East Chapel Hill High School in 2023 with hundreds of rehearsal and shop hours under my belt and the aspiration to be a stage manager. I spent the summers of 2022 and 2023 as a stage management student at the Playmakers Repertory Company's Summer Youth Conservatory, furthering my education in the field and earning the Jeffrey T. Meanza Excellence in Theatre Award in my final year.
While pursuing my BA in Drama at UVA I've been involved with student theatre, most notably Shakespeare on the Lawn. In this club I have the pleasure of designing and building sets in a collaborative and student-run environment. I've also learned about leadership and grit as a Drill Leader and Section Leader in the Cavalier Marching Band. Additionally, I have enjoyed working on 3 productions with the Virginia Theatre Festival during my undergraduate career. I am excited to graduate from UVA in May 2027 and see where stage management takes me next.
Artistic Beliefs
In my high school tech theatre classes, I was taught three important tenets of theatrical design and production. These are safety, efficiency, and respect, and I continue to carry them with me and apply them to my life. Physical and emotional safety are the most important things to provide a cast and crew, in order for them to feel supported and comfortable while vulnerably accessing and performing texts. In and out of theatre spaces, I extend respect to others, their choices, and what they find meaningful. Efficiency provides a production company with the time to hone in on each show and improve its quality. Each of these principles overlaps - safety and efficiency must be treated with respect, efficiency must only be done safely, and so on.
The stage manager exists as the bridge between every piece of a show and the lifeline that operate them smoothly. My spreadsheets and reports guarantee that I'm ready for anything and ensures that my company's creativity shines onstage. As a stage manager, I see communication and efficiency as the most valuable means to attain a quality production. I work closely with the directorial staff to create a unified team and listen to all members of the company when faced with a problem. The stage manager is the first one into the building and the last one out, and it’s that devotion to every detail that leads to success.
Extended Resume
Show Title | Role | Theatre | Director | Date Opened | Date Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Newsies | Youth Supervisor | Virginia Theatre Festival | Matthew Steffens | 07/09/2026 | 07/19/2026 |
Ken Ludwig's Moriarty | Assistant Stage Manager | Virginia Theatre Festival | Nicolas Minas | 06/20/2026 | 06/28/2026 |
Macbeth | Set Designer | Shakespeare on the Lawn at UVA | Kelly Dunne | 04/24/2026 | 04/26/2026 |
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 | Assistant Stage Manager | UVA Department of Drama | Diego Alejandro González | 03/26/2026 | 04/03/2026 |
Scenes from Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead | Producer | Shakespeare on the Lawn at UVA | Jake Wasserberg | 02/20/2026 | 02/22/2026 |
Twelfth Night | Co- Set Designer | Shakespeare on the Lawn at UVA | Emma Youngblood | 12/06/2025 | 12/07/2025 |
Whenever You're Ready | Set & Props Manager | UVA Drama Lab Series | Claudia Hunn | 11/21/2025 | 11/23/2025 |
Virginia Film Festival | Sound Board Op | UVA Department of Drama | - | 10/24/2025 | 10/26/2025 |
The Heart Sellers | Assistant Stage Manager | Virginia Theatre Festival | Desdemona Chiang | 07/11/2025 | 07/21/2025 |
WaterWorks New Works Festival | Venue Manager | Live Arts Theatre | Mary Hall & Fran Smith | 05/28/2025 | 05/31/2025 |
Romeo and Juliet | Assistant Set Manager | Shakespeare on the Lawn at UVA | Claudia Hunn | 04/11/2025 | 04/13/2025 |
2025 New Works Festival | Production Stage Manager | UVA Department of Drama | Doug Grissom, Karim Chebli & students | 02/28/2025 | 03/01/2025 |
King Lear | Assistant Set & Props Manager | Shakespeare on the Lawn at UVA | Cannon Slayton | 11/08/2024 | 11/10/2024 |
Virginia Film Festival | Light Board Op | UVA Department of Drama | - | 10/31/2024 | 11/03/2024 |
Legally Blonde | Run Crew | First Year Players at UVA | Lauren Swain | 04/18/2024 | 04/21/2024 |
Alice By Heart | Stage Manager | Spectrum Theatre at UVA | Xander Tilock | 04/04/2024 | 04/07/2024 |
9 to 5 | Props Crew | First Year Players at UVA | Maggie Crowner | 11/16/2023 | 11/19/2023 |
The Drowsy Chaperone | Stage Management Student | Playmakers Repertory Company SYC | Tracy Bersley & Aubrey Snowden | 07/20/2023 | 07/30/2023 |
Sweet Charity | Stage Manager | East Chapel Hill High School | Hope Hynes Love | 03/02/2023 | 03/04/2023 |
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Stage Management Student | Playmakers Repertory Company SYC | Tracy Bersley | 07/28/2022 | 07/31/2022 |