Brittany McLeod
Connector Contributor
“I never got what I wanted, but I always got something better,” said Matthew Lambert, stage manager of “The Lion King” national tour in regards to his career. Lambert spoke to UMass Lowell students as part of the Masters of Theater workshop.
Lambert spoke about how to make it in theater. He said that networking is important. “You don’t want to burn any bridges, and you want to make contacts,” he said. “The only way you’re going to get your jobs is through the people you know and work with.”
Students said they were inspired by Lambert’s focus on the personal aspect of his journey, and that much of his advice applies to life beyond the theater. “Getting personal is important, and not everyone talks about their job in a personal way,” said Allison Brennan, a senior English major with a concentration in theater arts.
Lambert said his love for the stage began with his first trip to New York City with his family. After traveling to NYC as a young teen and experiencing his first Broadway show, “Big River,” Lambert said he had an epiphany. “I had a conversation with God and he said, ‘This is what you are doing with your life.”’
Lambert said he listened to the “Big River” soundtrack until he broke it; he spent the rest of his young adulthood dedicated to making himself someone in the world of the theater. After volunteering at the Shawnee Playhouse through high school, Lambert got accepted into DePaul University for theater management. “When I got there the theater management program hadn’t been set up yet, I forced them to get the program together,” Lambert said.
Lambert has worked on numerous shows including “Song of Singapore,” “The Gin Game,” “Peter Pan”, “The Belle of Amherst,” “Buddy,” “Don’t Stop The Carnival,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Jesus Christ Super Star.”
Lambert said his stage roles vary almost as much as the shows he has worked with. After college he became an assistant company manager, then a house manager, a company manager, assistant stage manager, production stage manager, and on; currently he works as a stage manager. “I have the best job in the industry,” he said.
Having many different roles in many different shows, both long- and short-term, Lambert explains how frequently he found himself out of work.
“Shows don’t live forever,” he said.
Katie Mulno, a senior at UMass Lowell majoring in liberal arts with theater and music concentrations said she enjoyed his focus on the connections you make in the theater. “Having those connections [is] really important,” she said.
Now that he works for the largest national traveling show, Lambert says he enjoys his role as a stage manager and is not looking to take on a role with more responsibilities. “I enjoy my job and I know if I go into that production stage manager job I’ll get burnt out and I’ll leave,” he said. “I’m not in charge and my cell phone isn’t ringing off the hook.”
Lambert said one of the highlights of his job is the story “The Lion King” tells. “The phenomenon of the show is the story,” he said. “I believe in truth and I believe in love and that’s what they’re putting on stage; if the love isn’t on the stage, no one cares.”
