Closing date for applications: Wednesday 16th October 2024 at 12 noon
Salary: £650 per week
Contract Type: 18 week fixed-term contract
Bring high-quality theatre to schools, supporting young people's access to the arts while managing the technical and logistical challenges of a touring production.
Touring to schools is a key component of the National Theatre Learning programme. The NT firmly believes that all young people should have access to high-quality live theatre and this programme enables them to see it in their school.
Following successful schools' tours of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jekyll & Hyde, and Shut Up, I'm Dreaming, the NT is excited to be touring a new production of The LeftBehinds, a new play co-created by Bristol playwright Ross Willis and director Ned Bennett.
This 80-minute production has been specially commissioned for the National Theatre's secondary schools tour and features a cast of 8 performers.
Developed in consultation with teachers and young people, the secondary tour takes high quality theatre into priority schools to remove barriers to the artform and promote drama in the school. The production will visit schools in Doncaster, Leicester, North Devon, Outer East London and South Essex, Peterborough, Rochdale, Salford, Stoke, Sunderland, Wakefield, Wigan and Wolverhampton.
There will be a stage management team of five, made up of one Company Stage Manager, one Technical Stage Manager, two Technicians, and one Assistant Stage Manager. This team is supported on an ad hoc basis by local crew should a venue present exceptional technical challenges.
Responsibilities
- Being an advocate for the National Theatre's objectives of creating an open, diverse and inclusive working environment.
- Being present throughout the rehearsal period, supporting the Technical Stage Manager (TSM) on all the technical elements of the production when on tour and in the rehearsal room, liaising with the Company Stage Manager (CSM), TSM and creative team throughout the rehearsal period.
- Reviewing recce information for each venue in advance and working with the Producing team to identify and mitigate challenges ahead of each week.
- Supporting the Company Stage Manager and Technical Stage Manager in planning movements of the van (containing all set, props and costumes).
- Supporting the CSM and TSM in the unloading of the van, the get-in and fit-up of set, props and costumes at the school venue each day along with the Assistant Stage Manager (ASM).
- Setting up and operating the technical equipment alongside the TSM, including the sound plots for each performance, sharing this amongst the stage management team as required.
- Ensuring all work carried out on school sites follows the highest Health & Safety standards and adheres to the mitigation elements of the relevant risk assessments.
- With the CSM, TSM and ASM, being responsible for upkeep and maintenance of the set, props and technical equipment on tour.
- Supporting the CSM and TSM with the get-out at the end of each performance.
- Where possible, sharing the driving of the van with the stage management team as required between venues. Not all members of the SM team will need to undertake driving responsibilities so this duty may not be relevant to this post.
- Carrying out basic day-to-day maintenance of technical equipment whilst on tour.
- Attending a first aid training course, depending on the number of first aiders on tour.
- Being an active member of the touring team, working to support and assist all stage management staff and company members, providing support and assistance to the end of the get-out in each venue.
- Any other duties as reasonably required.
The successful candidate will have the following:
- Experience of touring theatre in a similar role
- Have a demonstrable record in the delivery of professional productions at the highest artistic and technical level
- Strong communication and organisational skills
- Proactive in problem solving and finding solutions
- Awareness of current Health & Safety legislation including LOLER, risk assessment and working at height
We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.
Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.