"Be rational and don’t imagine that you’re going to be the lighting designer on your first job "

Hometown
I am originally from a sleepy small village in the north west called Wigan, where rugby league was king but I now reside in Blackheath in London

What do you do?
Production technician for the Southbank Centre (Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall)

How long have you been at it?
Only three months, but have been working as production manager for P&O Cruises before this

What was your very first role in theatre?
Lighting technician at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

What else have you done in theatre?
For ten years (from the age of 11!) I volunteered at Wigan Little Theatre. I rigging and de-rigged each show. For the last three years I was appointed the position of head of technical support. This position gave me greater amounts of responsibility and set me up for the rest of my career.
Later on, while I was doing my BTEC, I worked for a summer as a show technician at Legoland. After I graduated from LIPA, I did sound for various bands and then spent four years doing sound for cruise ship shows.

Have you got qualifications?
A diploma in performance and production technology from Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) and a BTEC national diploma in performing arts

I’ve also done loads of training including MA Training–Level 1, 2 , 3 GrandMA (Operator and Programmer); D&B Audio technica courses in electro acoustic engineering and product information/system design; and Just FX practical pyrotechnics course.

What other jobs have you done?
I once had a reality break and became a publican for some reason! It was novel is all I can say, and then the feet got itchy to travel and work for my true love and paid hobby of the theatre and all that comes with it.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
What I’m doing now, except I wanted to be rich as well!

What do you do all day?
Mmmm a typical day – what is that? My day could start early doors which is the first challenge, and then it could be anything from a full ballet to a rock band and musical as well as symphony orchestras. I could be doing SX (sound), LX (lighting), AV (audio visual) or combinations of all.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The fact that each day is a different day, with different problems – or as I like to call them “solution opportunities”. It’s really satisfying putting on shows each day when time is limited and to come out the other side in one piece.

And the worst?
The waiting. A day doesn’t half go slow when there isn’t much you can do.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
To become a consultant on the technical operation and design of new theatres and re-fits. Also to design a large scale show in the UK and in Europe.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
* Be persistent–once you’re in and have got a foot in the door you’re sorted
* Make sure you make lots of contacts and keep in touch with them
* Never wind someone up on the way up because you’ll meet them on the way down
* Be rational and don’t imagine that you’re going to be the LD (lighting designer) on your first job
* Work your way up the ranks in different departments if you can so you understand how the theatre gels into an entity with a single goal
* Chat to lots of people and get email and phone numbers and use them when you need them but don’t be contacting people four times a week
* Be cheeky – if you don’t ask you don’t get
* Do your research–even if you haven’t had hands-on experience with a particular product, know what they do and how they do it
* There is only really one efficient way to get work in theatre and that’s to be confident about the product that you are selling – you
* Write and send lots of letters even though you may only get a response from one-in-50–that one could well be the foot in the door

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