"You’re never too big to sweep the stage or make the tea"

Hometown
Originally from Portsmouth but I am now living in Sheffield

What do you do?
Self-employed production carpenter

How long have you been at it?
A bit hard to say really, I kind of evolved into it from being a technical stage manager. I left college in 1989 and have been constant working, luckily, since then.

What was your very first role in theatre?
Arts centre technician

What else have you done in theatre?
I’ve worked as a backline technician, a lighting designer, chief technician and then stage manager at Cliffs Pavillion, Southend. I was technical stage manager on the UK tour of Rent 2001-02, Fame 2002-03, Noises Off also in 2003, Buddy The Musical in 2004, back on Fame later that year as stage manager and production carpenter, stage managed Footloose, then tour managed The Improvisors’ UK tour, production carpenter on Saturday Night Fever and master carpenter on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (we’re into 2005 now!)

Since 2006 I have freelanced for West Yorkshire Playhouse and Northern Ballet Theatre and have worked on shows including Cats and Starlight Express.

Have you got qualifications?
I’ve got a diploma in stage management and technical theatre from Highbury College and Southdowns College, which I think is equivalent to a BTEC. I’ve also got a fork lift license and a diploma in stage make-up.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Still don’t really have a clue now to be honest!

What do you do all day?
As a production carpenter my day depends on the type of show I’m working on. On a small show such as Fame, which is only three trailers, my day begins at about 6.30am when a hotel wake-up call brings me round, shower, breakfast and make my way to the venue for about 7.45 am. The get in starts at 8am and the first trailer (which is the lighting and sound trailer) is tipped.

Whilst this is going on I, along with the local stage crew, move around all the masking, legs and borders to the right positions according to my, hopefully, accurate hanging plot. The production electricians start hanging the lighting rig and I start to hang flying pieces around them as and when I can.

I then tip the centre of the second trailer, which contains all the pit instruments for the band and all the wardrobe, costumes, washers and driers etc. It’s now about 10am in the morning and I, along with the local stage crew, stop for a quick cuppa whilst electrics continue rigging. By about 10.20am electrics have finished rigging all of the overhead lighting and I start to lay the floor.

By 11am, the floor is down and we commence with the set fit up. By lunch, at 1pm, we are two-thirds of the way to having the set finished. If we haven’t reached a certain point by lunch it’s a case of skipping lunch and working through. Thankfully this doesn’t happen to often.

Starting again at 2pm we carry on with building the set, which is about another hours work. The show stage management start to unload the props from the dance floor of the third trailer, whilst I start dealing all the flying and masking and sorting out any snags with the workings of the set.

The band starts a sound check at 3.30pm and the cast starts to sound check an hour later. Whilst this is happening it’s a case of sorting out quick change areas, and making sure everything is generally tidy and ready for the show.

By 6.00pm the cast are off the stage and any work we couldn’t do during the sound check we complete. If I can, I like to try an nip back to the hotel and grab a shower before the show.

I watch to see that everything works and looks OK and at curtain down at 10.15pm I get the chance of going for a well earned pint.

This process is the same for the larger show except its spread over a longer time period.

What’s the best thing about your job?
There are some fantastic people that work in this industry; the sense of camaraderie can be amazing.

Satisfaction from getting it done quickly and right especially when others are saying it can’t be done.

And the worst?
On the flip side it can be quite a back stabbing bitchy industry. I also dislike being away from home a lot and staying in bad hotels.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
Just to continue working and improving and I think to be respected for what I do by the people that I look up to

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
It’s always a good idea to get a solid education, but for me I think theatre is such a practical discipline that real hands on experience is vital. To go to a big theatre and work as a casual member of crew gives you an immense opportunity the learn whilst your doing the job. You get to watch all manner of people and their differing methods of how to do things and you meet lots of great people.

In theatre it’s a case of both what and who you know. There are plenty of people who are working now who started like this and have been picked up by tours and shows and now have a solid career.

Other pearls of wisdom include no one knows everything, you’re never too big to sweep the stage or make the tea and be polite.

Wilky’s company website