"I have always loved intricate work and I get a huge sense of satisfaction from creating a model"

Hometown
I am originally from the Isle of Wight but I now live in London

What do you do?
I am a freelance theatre design assistant

How long have you been at it?
Since I left university a few months ago

What was your very first role in theatre?
My first role in theatre was as a stagehand at Shanklin Theatre on the Isle of Wight. I was 14-years old and a member of the Sunday stage school at the theatre. I expressed an interest in the backstage side of theatre and was asked to help out as crew in the professional pantomime. I loved the work and became a regular member of the crew.

So what else have you done in theatre?
* I was head of prop making and costume construction for Shanklin Theatre Co’s Aladdin
* I worked as a costume maker on A Midsummer Night’s Dream for BBC Shakespeare
* I have stage managed at Shanklin Theatre
* I designed and constructed the set for Why Wait Theatre Co’s Here Goes, which toured to Brighton Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and for Container Conversations
* I have also worked as a design assistant on many shows and for some films

Have you got qualifications?
* A-levels
* Foundation art diploma
* A degree in theatre design for performance

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an artist when I was a child, which I suppose in a way I am now. I always loved drawing and painting and making things, especially little models, and that’s really what I do now too!

What do you do all day?
As a design assistant, my day involves doing whatever the designer I am working for doesn’t have the time to complete for themselves. Generally this is model-making. I will usually have a list of things that need making and I just work my way through the list. This obviously varies hugely depending on the design of the show. I am also sometimes asked to do CAD drawings of the model.

What’s the best thing about your job?
I have always loved intricate work and I get a huge sense of satisfaction from creating a model. I learn a huge amount from the designers that I work for and it is very interesting to see the different processes and styles that they use when they are working.

And the worst?
The worst thing about my job is the unpredictability of it. Sometimes two people will ask you to work for them at the same time and then sometimes you won’t have any work for a while. Having said that I think that the same is true of most jobs in the theatre, and you can often earn more money as an assistant than as a designer.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
My dream job in theatre is really what I am doing now. Being a theatre designer can be very stressful and I find that assisting gives me the chance to do most of the things that I love about designing without all the stress. However, I can’t say that I will want to spend the rest of my life as an assistant. I may change my mind in the future and want to go out and design more in my own right, but I think that my current job will enable me to do this more successfully.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
I would say be persistent, keep in touch with people that you have worked with and those who have expressed an interest in your work. I would also say that you should send out hundreds of CVs but expect a very low return of interest.