Creative jobs
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Actor
Don't act up, just act your heart out
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Armourer
Is that a gun in your pocket...
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Artistic/ creative director
They're very important and very creative at the same time
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Assistant director (AD)
The director's eyes and ears
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Casting assistant/ director
Cast your net far and wide
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Choreographer
Strictly come and get your dancing shoes on
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Circus performer
It's not all about clowning around...
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Composer
Keep you composure, you're a composer
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Costume designer
What to wear and what not to wear
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Director
Not directing traffic, but making the stage their own
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Dresser
Quick change artists, skilled in the trouser department
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Dyer
The job everyone's dying to have
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Fight director
Fighting talk will take you far
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Lighting designer
How, when and where to shine that spot
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Make up/ hair artist
You'll be made up with this hair-raising job
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Movement director
The ministry of funny walks
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Musical director (MD)
Strike up the band!
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Musician
Playing with their instruments
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Playwright
Playwrights write plays, right
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Props designer/ maker
Be a property developer of the theatre
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Props manager
The person to see about lost property
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Puppeteer
If you like pulling the strings...
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Scenic artist
Just nipping down the paint shop
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Set designer
Setting the stage
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Sound designer
What you hear is what you get
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Street performer/ artist
Getting yourself on the right road...
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Theatre designer
No, not the building, but yes, pretty much everything else!
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Wardrobe department supervisor
No lions or witches here, but make sure you close the door
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Wig maker
Ringlets, beehives, quiffs and more
Agreed rates of pay
There are various unions and trade associations that have standard agreements for the payment of wages and salaries in the theatre sector. A good example and probably the most famous is Equity which represents performers, artists and actors.
Equity negotiates with employers to provide minimum levels of pay and engagement fees across the entertainment industry. You can see some of the rates they have negotiated.
Other theatre unions, trade associations and industry bodies that negotiate fee rates include:
“The best thing about my job is meeting lots of new people and getting into quite surreal situations”
Becs Andrews, 29, freelance theatre designer, Liverpool
Recommended reading
Get Into Theatre has asked industry experts to name their most inspiring reads and the books that made them who they are today.
We’ve got books on acting, directing, theatre design, marketing, stage management, street arts and much more on our.
“There is no substitute for experience, and learning by doing. However, qualifications are increasingly essential and form a fantastic basis from which to build a career.”
Adam Bassett, 28, lighting designer, London
