Technical Theatre Apprenticeships

[Tom]

I have been asked if I know anyone offering a paid Technical Theatre Apprenticeship.

It would be for a 17 year old student.

 

Anyone know of such a thing?

T

[gareth]

You don't mention where in the UK you're looking for one - but there's a Wales-wide scheme administered by the Wales Millennium Centre and Creative & Cultural Skills Wales, and involving several venues and producing companies around Wales. Several new apprentices are taken onto the scheme each year.

[Tom]

Thanks.

I actually don't know where this student is based (I didn't ask and the project they are on involves people from all over) so at present I'll take offers from anywhere.All good info to have anyway.

T.

 

[gareth]

Let me know if it's of interest, and I'll hook you up with the right person at WMC.

[natjones]

There are loads of schemes, but it really depends on where you are. Tell them to check out https://getintotheat...type=experience who also run talks and open days.

 

National Theatre, ENO, Royal Opera House, Donmar Warehouse, Trinity Laban and White Light have apprenticeships in London, and ATG, LW and HQ have schemes nationally. https://www.atgticke...pprenticeships/ They usually advertise annually.

Edited January 23, 2020 by natjones

[TeeJay]

I'd say as well to check out https://ccskills.org.uk/ and particularly their section on apprenticeships.

 

As for particular venues/companies offering, I believe that Sadler's Wells and the Roundhouse run a scheme having two apprentices at a time cycling between the venues. If more of a sound bias, then Brit Row have definitely run apprenticeships but going via CC Skills, or Get Into Theatre who should have up to date lists on schemes and any entry requirements would be a good starting point

 

Hope the hunt bears fruit

[bigclive]

Can I suggest a traditional apprenticeship in a specific trade first. Skills like Electrician, painter, carpenter, welder/fabricator etc will give the person a solid career and then let them enter the event/theatre industry with a relevant trade skill that they can fall back on later when they realise that the industry has more applicants than jobs and is rather exploitative.

[kerry davies]

I would second Clive's suggestion.

It certainly paid me to have more strings to my bow that a pure theatre training would never have supplied.

[Charlotte_R]

Thirding Clive's suggestion. I think that this also makes people much more rounded - in my experience, people who have only ever worked in theatre are very good at the theatre specific bits, but are a bit lacking in terms of their life experience outside of theatre.

[gareth]

Thirding Clive's suggestion. I think that this also makes people much more rounded - in my experience, people who have only ever worked in theatre are very good at the theatre specific bits, but are a bit lacking in terms of their life experience outside of theatre.

 

That might be true of the current generation who, since their school education, have only ever experienced a theatre-specific education and work environment. But I've been working in this business for more than a quarter of a century now, and many of my past colleagues, who have only ever worked in theatre, are more than capable of turning their hands to other things. An old chief of mine used to do the odd bit of house-bashing on the sites, to name one example ; and a very good scenic carpenter of my acquaintance did an excellent job at re-flooring the entire upper storey of my house a few years ago (doing a better and more thorough job than I suspect most domestic carpenters would have done!).

 

Life experience is something that comes with age, maturity and experience, regardless of your field of employment.

[Tom]

Thank you - all good stuff.

Tom