ASDP Profile: Rosie Stroud – Production Sound Engineer
Rosie Stroud has been a ASDP (Association of Sound Design & Production) Board Member since 2022 and has been heading up our Social Media and Outreach work. Recently, Rosie has made a career change; moving from being part of a touring show team to a freelance Production Sound Engineer. Rosie’s pronouns are she/her
How did you decide that a career in Sound was for you? What are your early memories of seeing/experiencing Sound and realising that it was a viable profession?
There wasn’t one thing that led me to choosing Sound as a career! But I first realised that it was a job that I could do when I was handed a leaflet at a careers fair by my local theatre that listed all the jobs that a person could do backstage. At that point I was having a great time mixing a youth production ofQuadrophenia the Musicalat said local theatre and the idea that I could do that as a job sparked a fire in me to research how to get there. That’s a reason why I love talking to young people about my job, you never know when you might be the person that sparks the fire for them.
Tell us about your career and how it, and your goals/priorities have shifted.
I’ve toured for the majority of my career as show crew and I did love it, but the structure of touring doesn’t allow for any other priorities in life. As I eek into the final years of my twenties, my priorities have shifted a little. Things like birthdays, Christmases, weddings seem a little more important and touring typically doesn’t allow you to prioritise those things.
So I’ve segued into Production Sound Engineering, fully freelance so I can still face the ever-new challenges of touring life that I love but with a slightly more flexible schedule.
How do you feel about setting career goals?
Had you asked me even a couple of years ago what my goal was, it would have been ‘Eventually I’d like to be a touring Sound No.1’ but that goal has dissipated for me. I like to fantasise about the future, but I don’t like to lay down any hard and fast goals,you never know what’s around the corner.
The pandemic had both positive and negative effects on my career. Having been away from it for so long, I felt very anxious when going back that I might have forgotten how to do my job or that I wouldn’t enjoy it anymore. The positive effect has been that being forced to have downtime made me realize the value of it. I feel more aware of my mental state and when I might need to take a step back.
How have your skills transferred to your PSE work? What insights can you bring to the role from your previous experience as part of a show team?
I was so anxious when making the switch into PSE work that I’d have a whole newskill set to learn, but actually I find my skillsvery transferable and sometimes of benefit. There are heaps of things I’ve yet to learn but occasionally I feel of particular use.
Because I’ve stood at a mixing desk, ran backstage and set up an orchestra pit, I might spot things that someone who hasn’t done those roles as show crew might not. Small things that make little to no difference to the Sound of the show, but a big difference to the show crews having to deal with them every day.
What advice do you have for people embarking upon freelance work?
I put off the switch for ages, booking myself up with show crew work that I didn’t really want to do incase I didn’t get any freelance work, not allowing myself any time to take freelance work I might have been offered. Make space in your diary and trust that the work you want will come up. Even if it doesn’t, there’s an abundance of last minute work at the moment.
My other piece of overriding advice for anyone starting out in any field is to be honest about your experience. The fake-it till-you-make-it tactic is found out eventually. If you’re confident in the skills you do have and honest about the ones you don’t, you’ll find yourself in a better position to ask questions and learn!
Is it easier or more difficult to manage work/life balance as a freelancer? How do you find balance between saying ‘yes’ to everything and making sure you take breaks?
It’s easier in some ways, because if there’s an important event in your diary, you can just say no, but if there isn’t anything in particular in the diary, it’s easy to fill up all the days and forget that you need time to be a functioning human, eat, rest, do washing etc.
In my first few months I felt a pressure to say yes to everything, for the fear of not getting asked again, but I soon realised that that doesn’t end well. It’s hard to say no to a job when you are technically available, but I think the world nowadays is a little better in understanding that time off is important.
Do you think it’s important to build a ‘team’ as a freelancer for support and advice? Is it something that you miss from being in a show team?
I did wonder if I would miss the team spirit of a touring family, but actually I’ve found it not too dissimilar. The periods may be shorter, but with touring ‘moves’, you’re still all away from home, often in the same hotel and will go for dinner or a beer together after a shift. I often run into people I haven’t seen for ages too, which is so nice, to have a slight catch up on the job. On tour you’re a tight knit group, but with no time for your wider circle of friends and colleagues.
Personally and/or professionally, what are you most proud of?
I’m am pretty proud of myself for the career leap I made last year. It was nerve wracking, there’s no particular guide on how to get into PSEing, no job advertisements, it felt a bit like trying to crack into a secret club, especially since the PSE’s who’ve turned up on a Saturday night when I was show crew didn’t typically look anything like me. I’ve not worked with a fellow female PSE yet, but I’m hopeful that it’ll become a little more balanced given time.
(Personally, it’s still got to be building my campervan – three years and going strong!)
MORE INFO
Rosie can be contacted through the ASDP
The ASDP is committed to support and empower its members to work freely and creatively, in environments in which everyone can be themselves, respected, valued, and feel that their voices are heard.
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Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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