"Speak to as many people as possible"

Hometown
Born in Manchester, now living in London

What do you do?
Administrator and production coordinator for Quicksilver Theatre, soon to be promoted to administrative producer. I am also acting as executive producer on a play as a one-off project.

How long have you been at it?
I have been at Quicksilver Theatre for four years and I have been in this role for 18 months.

What was your very first role in the theatre?
Assistant administrator for Quicksilver Theatre

Have you got qualifications?
A European studies and German degree

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I was an administration manager for a language school, an English teacher in Italy and London and a temp and a customer services officer for the Co-operative Bank Financial Advisers

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
I saw an advertisement for the Independent Theatre Council’s Fast Track programme and applied for it. I did my placement at Quicksilver Theatre and they offered me a job at the end of it.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
An actor, a chef and an air stewardess, amongst many other things

What do you do all day?
My role as administrator and production coordinator includes book-keeping, sending out and paying invoices, hiring out the rehearsal room, checking with the touring company how they are and how the show is going and arranging and sitting in on casting and auditions.

I am also currently executive producer for our next play, an adaptation of The Winter’s Tale. That role involves sourcing, interviewing and contracting the production team and the actors; overseeing the marketing campaign, such as the design of the flyers and posters; and making sure I know what is going on in all aspects of the production.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The variety of the work and the fact it is possible to try new things–you are not pigeon-holed too easily. In smaller companies, it is especially useful to be able to be do lots of different things.

And the worst?
The pay is generally not as good as other sectors

What’s your dream job in theatre?
I’m still working that out, but something that involves a connection with the artistic product

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Speak to as many people as possible, find out what they do and how they got there. Think about what types of things you enjoy and get some experience, either by volunteering or doing part-time work.