"If you don’t want to work long hours, then being a technician isn’t the job for you"

Hometown
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire but now living in Spalding, Lincolnshire

What do you do?
Technician, South Holland Centre, Spalding

What was your very first role in theatre?
Helping out in the orchestra pit. I then got involved in a get out and got hooked on the technical aspect

What else have you done in theatre?
Technician at Wakefield Theatre Royal

Have you got qualifications?
A-level music and a BTEC national diploma in music technology
Level 3 City & Guilds inspection and testing of electrical equipment and management of electrical equipment maintenance (a posh way of saying PAT testing!)

How did you start working in theatre?
I was a typical teenager who was pushy and annoying and wouldn’t stop hassling people till they gave me a chance. I have my good mate John Lockwood to thank for my first experience of lighting for musical theatre.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A firefighter, but as I got older, something to do with music and theatre

What do you do all day?
That’s a real hard one to answer. It largely depends on whether we have a live show or cinema showing, but we always start with a cup of coffee! Next is checking emails and technical specifications for live shows, or the film dump for incoming films.
If it’s a film then I check the whiteboard for which film we are screening and find out its ratio. I then load all the pre-screening material. (We run our adverts and trailers digitally) Next is lacing up the projector and basically screening the film at the advertised time.
For a live show, I check the technical specifications and do any lighting rigging (this is generally done earlier in the week just depending on how busy we are) and any other set up which is required.
We have a rolling maintenance plan, so there is always something to do to fill ten minutes, like cleaning lanterns and doing orders for consumables etc
We also have a function hall where we hold conferences, a comedy club, weddings etc. So depending on what’s happening, I sometimes get involved technically in that.
We are in the middle of upgrading our technical equipment at the moment so we are busy installing new gear and basically offering a much better service to our customers,

What’s the best thing about your job?
The variety. I love not doing the same thing day in day out. You learn something new every day. Also my favourite thing is the team I work with–I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people. Everyone pulls together when it’s needed. I always find it funny when I’m asked what I do for a job. Most people look really confused and then become intrigued about what a technician actually does in a theatre. Because all they ever see is the slick end product, they don’t even realise about the hours of preparation that go on before hand. I don’t give away many trade secrets because that would spoil the magic!

And the worst?
I haven’t really got a worst thing about my job as I try to take the rough with the smooth. we all have bad days and sometimes things don’t go as planned, but it always works out right in the end. Sometimes not being able to do things with my friends due to work commitments can be bad, but they are really understanding and we plan things for when we all have the time off work.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
I’m actually in it! I’m not the type of person who is happy doing a 9-5 job, I need the excitement and thrill of my job I have now.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Don’t give up! Pester and push people to give you a chance. If you don’t want to work long hours, then being a technician isn’t the job for you. Try to gain as much hands on experience as possible and don’t be afraid to ask questions even if you think they sound stupid. We all have started somewhere.