Meet: Maddy Woodley
Every convocation at 51猎奇入口we like to celebrate new alumni from the graduating cohort by asking them to respond to our "exit interview" questionnaire. New SCA alumnus , a self-described "busy bee" whose questionnaire answers are below, is an easy choice for us here. Not only did she graduate from our Performance Production & Design area 鈥渇irst class with distinction,鈥� but we can also directly attest to their hard-working dependability. More than a few times we relied on Maddy to share important information, both coming and going, about events here at the SCA. Indeed, sometimes she would even provide information that we didn鈥檛 even know that we needed yet! Whew! For regular readers of our News pages, you鈥檝e maybe also read Maddy鈥檚 great 鈥�behind the scenes鈥� account of her 鈥渁dventures on two professional theatre productions,鈥� including Vancouver City Opera鈥檚 and Neworld Theatre鈥檚 , the latter of which she talks about here. Please meet 鈥� Maddy Woodley!
Please tell us a little about yourself
My name is Maddy Woodley and I am a freelance Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, and Social Media Manager. I graduated 51猎奇入口with a BFA in Performance Production & Design (first class with distinction).
How did you end up choosing the SCA for your studies?
I began stage-managing my second-year into high school and fell in love with it. For the longest time though, I didn鈥檛 consider it as a post-secondary pathway because I didn鈥檛 realize it was an option! I was contemplating law or behavioral analysis (which is very funny to me now). [SCA Performance Production & Design Associate Professor] Kyla Gardiner Zoomed into my theatre class in grade 11, and I emailed them to speak further about the SCA. After talking, I applied. And a few months later, I received an email stating they wanted to offer me early admission into the program! I remember reading the email right before bed and bursting into tears, screaming with joy for my parents.
I will always thank my dad for helping me realize studying theatre was something I could do. He originally studied math before realizing he didn鈥檛 enjoy it, drove to all the major baseball stadiums in America, and decided to go back to school to pursue sports journalism. His biggest advice was always: If there鈥檚 something you really love doing, you can make it into a career.
Please tell us about your time at the SCA?
As a busy-bee, the SCA always felt to me like a big playground of opportunities. Even from first-year, I was eager and ready to go. I was pulled from my production class to help with the fourth-year鈥檚 Live Acts Student Festival, and I worked on two MFA projects that summer. Second and third year was a lot of strengthening my pre-existing skills as a stage/production manager, as well as dipping my toes into new waters with design. I stage-managed a few MFA projects, some of which have 鈥� and are still 鈥� being re-presented! I took a lighting design class that really sparked the creative side of my brain 鈥� working on three different student dance and performance pieces. I also took a stage design class and a projection design class that reignited a love for visual arts and creating my own pieces!
My fourth and final year was one of my favourites because I got to try so many new things! I did my first larger scale dance project as the lead Lighting Designer, through Dance Rep, designing for Company 605鈥檚 big lossy. I am so grateful to Lisa and Josh for all the trust and creative freedom they granted me. Then, I got to try my hand at writing, producing, and performing during the 2026 Live Acts Festival. My capstone, , was genuinely life changing, and a project I had been waiting years to fulfill. Sharing the story of my own grief was so empowering, especially knowing that it touched a lot of people as well.
Any outstanding memories from your time at the SCA and SFU?
Working with the younger Production students was a huge highlight for me. I have a lot of sweet memories giggling over pizza in class, helping out fellow designers during shows, and bonding with my AMAZING production team for LAF 2026 (Hannah, Zo茅, Sally, Angelina).
The show that was the biggest highlight for me was stage-managing the 51猎奇入口student version of Neworld Theatre鈥檚 Eyes of the Beast. It was an extremely challenging piece, with what seemed like one-billion tech cues and overall stressful circumstances. I鈥檓 proud of myself for making it to the end, and I treasure all the connections and skills I gained. is also such a lovely company, and I鈥檓 so thankful that I鈥檝e been able to keep working with them. I actually just got back from touring with them, where we took a staged reading of the piece to Salmon Arm! Revisiting it a year after the 51猎奇入口version felt kind of crazy, but in a magical way.
In general, though, the friends I鈥檝e made through my time here have the most lasting impression on me. It鈥檚 the memories I鈥檝e made with them that I will hold closest to my heart.
What are your plans (both non-academic and maybe academic)?
Keep working!!! :)
I feel like I built a reputation around school of always keeping myself engaged (haha). I started working professionally outside of school pretty early into university, so I鈥檓 really excited to be able to give those jobs more of my time and focus!
Currently I mainly work as ' Assistant Lighting Designer, Assistant Stage Manager, and Social Media Coordinator. With them, I鈥檝e been able to take a bow at the (a big dream of mine), and tour to Victoria. Right now, I am working with Alexis and Sylvain on the 2026 annual (which you should check out ;)).
I work as 鈥檚 assistant lighting designer, which is how I was introduced to Belle Spirale and the larger world of lighting design. Outside of that, I freelance a ton, as many other people who graduate from the SCA do! In the next few months, I will be lighting designing a musical, working production on fringe shows (including with fellow SCA alumnus Marita, Alexandra, and Lauren), and touring some other exciting projects.
I鈥檓 also SO thrilled to say I will be Touring Stage Manager in the fall!!!!
Finally, what advice might you give to prospective SCA students?
TRY EVERYTHING! For the longest time I thought I would only do/love stage management, but when I pushed myself to try new things I opened so many doors! Being multi-facitated is such an important thing to master when working in the arts.
ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF! The only limit is the one you put on yourself. Classes provide a set amount of productions to be a part of but that doesn't have to be max! Talk to your professors, organize with friends, email companies! On the same line: always trust your gut, speak up for what you believe in, and don't let anyone make you feel like less.
BE KIND TO YOUR BRAIN AND BODY! Burning out is easy and scary, especially in the arts. As a go-getter who very often does it herself, don鈥檛 push your own boundaries. Budget for breaks! Schedule things that make you happy! Don鈥檛 sacrifice sleep!