Who are you?
My name is Stacey Handley, and I am originally from Seymour, Victoria.
Describe the work you do
I am a freelance audio technician, specialising in monitor and RF work, most of the time. That means I look after all the radio equipment for the audio department on a show, and/or the monitor system used on stage.
What led you to your current work?
I participated in school productions as a member of the orchestra and, from there, got a casual job working at Riverlinks venues in Shepparton. I also studied VET music technical production as part of my VCE studies. After school, I moved to Melbourne and began working as a local stagehand for a labour-hire company called GigPower.
What are you working on now or about to start work on?
I am back in Australia after a big winter in the US and Europe, where I worked for Eighth Day Sound/Clair Global in various touring roles. Since 2023, the majority of my US- and Europe-based work with Clair has involved overseeing RF for Metallica on their M72 tour. In 2025, I also took on the role of monitor tech for Lorde’s US dates of the Ultrasound tour.
What are the good things about your job?
There are several things I love about this job. Firstly, it is always a challenge; there is always something new to learn. The industry is continuously evolving; no matter how long you’ve been doing it, you’ll never know it all.
There are also many peripheral perks to touring. I personally love travelling, going to new places, and meeting new people. Some of my closest friends I met on tour, and I never would have crossed paths with them otherwise.
What are the worst things about your job?
Gig showers. Showering at a venue before getting on a tour bus is absolutely the worst, and not something you’re warned about before your first bus tour. When you’re touring and travelling on buses, whether it is arenas, stadiums, festivals or clubs, there is nothing worse than finishing a long, dirty load out and then having to get in line for a locker room shower or try and hunt down one empty dressing room that no one else has found and made a mess of yet.
What, so far, has been your career highlight?
It’s hard to narrow down one specific project as a career highlight; every job has its own perks and challenges. I’ve had a great time the last few years since coming out of Covid and learning for sure that a “normal job” was not for me.
Being at and working on the final Black Sabbath Show in Birmingham last year was a real how the hell did I end up here moment
What is the most blatant example of sexism you have encountered at work?
This was an interesting question to ponder. At first, I began categorising all of my negative experiences into “types” of sexism and trying to figure out which example was the most appropriate to share as an example of “Blatant Sexism”. After failing to identify one specific example as more blatant than the others, I found myself filtering out all the examples that could prove detrimental to my career to share. That in itself is more telling than any one horror story I might have.
What advice would you give any woman considering a career in the entertainment industry?
Whenever I’m asked for advice on getting into the industry, I recommend gaining experience as a stagehand. Local stagehand work is the best way to observe and get an idea of what you prefer doing in the industry. You will meet a lot of touring technicians and get to observe the way they operate (both good and bad) on a load-in or load-out and how they work with the local crew, which is an important but often overlooked skill.
What is your career goal?
I always joke that my career aspiration is to get a gig with a roof, since I’ve spent so much time standing in the rain over the last few years. But on a more serious note, I am really hoping to work with more people who inspire me to be better and learn more.
