"My favourite thing about my job is that no one knows what I do"

Hometown
I’m originally I’m from Barnsley in South Yorkshire and I currently live in London SE18. In between, I lived in Liverpool for five years then moved to Coventry for two.

What do you do?
My role is resident technical stage manager at the Lyric Hammersmith

What was your very first role in theatre?
My first role in professional theatre was working for Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse. My job was casual lighting technician and general crew. I would basically do the fit ups and get outs around my then permanent job at Liverpool Hope University. I worked full time for the university, however I did manage to work pretty much most Mondays and Saturdays in one of those theatres over a two-year period.

What else have you done in theatre?
I have worked on hundreds of shows since becoming involved in theatre way back in 1998. I was previously technical stage manager at Warwick Arts Centre

Have you got qualifications?
I went to college to study for two years gaining a BTEC in technical theatre and A-level theatre design. After that I went to LIPA to carry on my studies in theatre and performance technology to degree level.

Since graduating I have been on a number of courses to boost my theoretical knowledge of best working practices and industry standards.

The courses I have attended include the bronze, silver and gold awards by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT for short) and the Total Fabrications Rigging course. It has also been useful to carry out First Aid training.

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
It worked out very well for me that I managed to leave LIPA in 2003 and went straight into work for another university as technical manager for the drama department and was able to gain professional experience working at the Everyman and Playhouse on a casual basis.

How did you make the move to working in theatre?
During my time at LIPA I worked on a number of shows in a semi-professional capacity. This helped boost my experience on my curriculum vitae. Also giving me confidence in my abilities to problem solve and work in a confident manner. Experience and ability to problem solve is one of the keeps traits of my job as well as been able to lead a team of people towards a common goal.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I have always had an interest in theatre and as a child it was always a hobby of mine, whether it was acting, singing or dancing. Thankfully I realised that I make a far better stage manager than I ever would an actor or singer! I am much more practical than creative and so fit into technical stage management far more easier than any other role within theatre.

What do you do all day?
As a technical stage manager you need to be able to multi-task and keep a level head at all times as there can be any number of things going on at once. With my job I have to do the administration for rotas and general work emails and things like that. I have to be very practical with a hands-on approach. I also have to be able to lead my team and the visiting companies’ production team to meet deadlines for opening night and all the other deadlines prior to that.

Most of all though I have to be able to keep my sense of humour even after doing seventy hours in a week. This job can be both very physically and mentally demanding. However if you can take appreciation from the applause at the end of a show and know that because of you that show wouldn’t have happened if you had not done your job properly then your onto a winner.

My job doesn’t have a typical day. Somewhere within that day I will have to work on a show in some capacity. But during the daytime I could be building sets, ordering materials and items for the shows. I could be sat in production meetings. Adding technical input to the creative process. I could be sorting out who and what will be working on the next show. I could also be tidying up any number of areas that fall under the banner of backstage.

What’s the best thing about your job?
My favourite thing about my job is that no one knows what I do. Silly really, but I enjoy the fact that no one should ever see or know how we make the theatrical effects work. It should be a seamless and effortless illusion that looks like it’s just happening all by itself.

That for me is one of the most magical and satisfying parts of my job–the audience amazement at what we have created in a real life environment, unlike film that can be altered with CGI and editing. Live performance is happening there and then. The pressure and adrenalin is running high from the band tuning up to the audience leaving the auditorium. It is a very quick and responsive atmosphere in where seconds can seem like hours and when things go wrong you have to have the ability to think your way around the situation to a positive outcome.

And the worst?
I don’t have a thought to which is the worst element of my job as I thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. I get paid to entertain people, and work with some amazing people and sometimes some very famous people. It’s even better when you get invited to parties and spend the whole night in the VIP rooms. Although the beer doesn’t tend to be cheap!

What’s your dream job in theatre?
I would say my ideal job at the present moment in time is probably where I am now. I work in a producing theatre where I have a great team who are very supportive and have a positive attitude towards work. That I think and feel is one of the most important attitudes to have when working in theatre.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
My advice to anyone who wants to work in theatre and work especially in the technical side of theatre is to enjoy what you are doing and before you commit yourself to a certain area, sample the different disciplines to find out what is out there.

I have done loads of jobs just to see what they are like. I started off hanging lanterns on bars, then helping the stage crew assemble the sets to making the sets from scratch. I finally realised what I want to do and that technical stage management combined all those elements. I do feel having a wide skill base helped me choose what I felt was best for me and also adds to the skills I can offer to my current employer.