This week is National Apprenticeship Week, in 2021 we took on a group of Apprentices across a range of departments at Birmingham Hippodrome. This week we are highlighting some of the different roles across the theatre.

What is your title and which department do you work with?

Hi I’m Jack and I’m a Technical Apprentice at Birmingham hippodrome.

What do you do?

I help visiting companies to build sets and lighting plans and help to provide shows with the equipment they require. I also look after the equipment doing repairs and maintenance jobs around the hippodrome building.

Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?

I chose to do an apprenticeship as it was a good starting point in the industry where I can learn the skills I will need to become a technician in a working theatre environment.

Why did you want to work for Birmingham Hippodrome?

I wanted to work for Birmingham Hippodrome because it’s a large venue that houses and provides many different and diverse opportunities.

What has been your favourite moment so far?

During this year’s panto, to ensure the show could continue amongst Covid, the backstage crew were divided into departments. We were tasked to create a new crew room. We were able to upscale things we found around the building and provided the essentials for a comfortable rest space.

What is something you have learnt whilst on the job?

I’ve been taught all about electricity and how to ensure it is being handled safely, thankfully our full-time theatre technicians are always there to answer questions and teach us at every opportunity.

What are you looking forward to?

This week marks our first show run where we have been given cues and left to run the show, this is exciting and a great opportunity to learn quickly. I look forward to being able to do this more often in the future.

Which show are you most looking forward to working on?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time this is one of my favourite plays and the technology used in this show amazed me the first time I saw it at the Hippodrome on a school trip. I’m looking forward to being able to see the development of the show from backstage.