WORCESTER THEATRES CHARITABLE TRUST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Participation Officer
Hi, I'm Aaron and I'm the Outreach & Participation Officer at Worcester Theatres. I've worked for Worcester Theatres since January 2022 in various ways, mainly as a Youth Tutor, but I started in this new role in April 2023. I have a Master's degree in Touring Theatre from the University of Worcester and since graduating I've facilitated workshops for Worcester Theatres, the Birmingham based Theatre Company Stan's Cafe and by myself as a freelancer.
As part of my work with Stan's Cafe, I was able to facilitate a Birmingham wide schools project that was connected with the Commonwealth Games. It involved bringing together 12 different schools to create one performance - it was hectic but a lot of fun.
I'm very passionate about working with young people, creating activities that engage them and building safe spaces where they can explore theatre and drama. My role within the Outreach department means I get to work with young people from all different backgrounds, which is very important to me. We want to reach out (see what I did there?) to people from all over the County, and show them the joy that theatre can bring.
Fun fact about me, I have an intense hatred for mayonnaise.
I've worked in Technical Theatre for almost 30 years. I've worked on touring shows, in-house productions, with Hemp and counterweight flying systems, and I've done Set Design and Construction throughout my career. I've done a bit of lighting and sound as well to top it off but Stage Management is what I really love. One of my favorite things I've done was designing and constructing a 48 ft Hadrians wall in traverse, for the production "Adrians Wall" by Malvernbard. I've been the Theatre Technician at Worcester Theatres since 2021, and I'm in charge of maintaining all our lovely venues and spaces. I support all our departments in different ways, but mainly I'm a Technician on incoming shows, and assist on the production management of our Worcester Repertory Company and Young Rep Company shows. I also do all of the prop sourcing and making for all of our in-house productions. I'm known for making a mean jammy dodger!
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Communications Officer
I studied a Masters in Touring Theatre at the University of Worcester and always had a passion for the marketing side of things, so I was thrilled to join the Worcester Theatres team in 2022 - and I've loved every minute of it.
I was incredibly proud to use my design skills to create the programme/map for the Worcester Fringe in 2022, only a couple of months after joining the WT team.
As Marketing & Communications Officer I'm responsible for supporting the Marketing Manager as we continue to develop the department, doing my best to find new ways to support our shows. I spend my time spreading awareness about our upcoming events, planning and creating social media content, newsletters, press releases and communicating with various promoters to make sure we're doing all we can to support them.
I am an enthusiastic soul, and I am always happy to help! I love immersive experiences, such as escape rooms and virtual reality experiences!
I'm Erin and I'm the Marketing Assistant at Worcester Theatres, I started working here in November 2022 and I'm absolutely loving it! I studied Fashion Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University with modules in Graphic Design and Marketing. Because I loved these elements of the course so much, I knew Marketing was something I wanted to pursue.
One of my proudest professional achievements is from a previous role when a social media post I created blew up, gaining four times our usual engagement!
As Marketing Assistant, I support the Marketing Team in any way I can, from managing our social media accounts and creating content, to overseeing print across both venues and designing signage - I love the variety within my role.
I'm a crafty person with a love for crochet and I hold a wholesome craft club at a local café every month!
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager & Production Manager for the Worcester Repertory Company
I am the Technical Manager for Worcester Theatres and the Production Manager for the Worcester Repertory Company. I have been working in Professional Theatre for over 30 years in roles from Flyman to Stage Manager and have worked all over the UK and Europe.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Box Office Manager
I have worked at Worcester Theatres as the Assistant Box Office Manager since 2020 and before I worked here, I was part of the Box Office team at Malvern Theatres for over 20 years.
I'm a big lover of film, and I was once able to programme a film festival of Documentaries at the theatre I worked at. I picked some of my personal favourites, and a handful of ones I hadn't seen yet!
Job Titles:
- Our Partner Venue, Based at Royal Porcelain Works
Job Titles:
- Voluntary Finance Advisor to the Board - Rob Richards
Job Titles:
- Junior Theatre Technician
Hi, my name is Lewis, and I am the newest addition to the technical department at Worcester Theatres, taking on the role of Junior Theatre Technician. Although this is my first official theatre job, I have a background of working in many different studio spaces for both education and work purposes.
Having done music technology at A-level, I have always had an interest in live music and performance and I am very proud to say I work here at Worcester Theatres and that I am involved in making these performances possible.
I started work here in late 2023 in time for the Panto Jack and the Beanstalk, and I was part of the stage crew team, helping build and take set on and off stage. I was thrilled to have been a part of such a successful show! I am also very proud to have been the main technician on the Theatre in Education tour of You In, which lasted three weeks and was the first official task I had been set - it was a great first show to work on.
I'm Mik Symonds and I'm the Operations Manager for Worcester Theatres. I started at Worcester Theatres originally as a volunteer in 1980 and then went on to become Admin Assistant for a short time before becoming the Operations Manager 2010.
I'm very proud to have worked with and to have helped so many volunteers over the years, giving them a purpose and an opportunity to be part of our family here at Worcester Theatres. I'm a people person, and working with so many incredible volunteers at the theatre has given me so much joy.
My role involves many jobs, from recruiting and training volunteers, to ordering all stock for both venues, banking, running our team of House Managers, ensuring our events run smoothly and making sure our audiences have everything they need in order to have a great experience. Over the years I've taken great care in creating a welcoming environment for visitors to our venues, which is a big part of what I do.
I joined Worcester Theatres over 10 years ago as Box Office Manager because of my love for theatre. I regularly visit the West End to catch up with the latest shows!
Job Titles:
- Creative Producer & Young REP Artistic Director
Hi, I'm Owen, and I began my career with Worcester Theatres in 2021 after completing an MTh in Touring Theatre at the University of Worcester. I began working for WT as a freelance producer, supporting our emerging artist work and as a Youth Tutor, and I'm currently the Creative Producer & Young REP Artistic Director overseeing our Outreach & Participation team. Alongside my work with WT, I'm also a freelance director and have worked with Birmingham-based theatre company Stan's Cafe and run ad-hoc workshops within education settings.
My true passion lies with directing, and I've had the pleasure to work on a variety of productions since joining WT. My favourite being the Worcester REP's production of Hollie McNish's Antigone in 2022; this was such a joyful experience for me working with both professional actors and a community cast to produce a fun-filled show.
I love working for Worcester Theatres, all our team are committed to providing the best cultural offers for our local community, and it's an absolute pleasure to be part of that journey. I can't wait to see what this team of people can do over the next few years.
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Participation Manager, Fundraising Administrator, Technical & Production Administrator
Hi, I'm Sarah! I am the Outreach & Participation Manager, Fundraising Administrator, Technical & Production Administrator for Worcester Theatres, which means a wear many hats and work closely with several departments. I started my role in Outreach in October 2022, but I've been part of the WT team for several years as a volunteer.
I am very proud to have helped run our NT Connections Festival. There were many months of ‘behind the scenes' planning to bring together a very successful and memorable festival for young theatre makers.
Being organized is a very important part of my job, because I handle a wide range of tasks to help our team run efficiently. I'm the first point of call for the busy parents who's children attend our Youth Theatre. I communicate, programme and organise our Culture Café events, from liaising with the artists to stocking our bar with delicious cakes - all home baked by me! I help manage the calendar for my department, including all meetings, Outreach events and I also arrange for young adults to come and do work experience with us. And during school holidays I bring together our experienced Youth Tutors and help them put on our popular holiday schools.
I am a big Orla Kiely fan (Irish designer). From my bicycle, clothing, kitchenware and duvets - everything in my home reflects this 1970's inspired designer!
Having worked at Nuffield Theatre & Malvern Theatres, as well as with the international touring company Middle Ground Theatre Company, I have experienced and worked in many areas of theatre; from theatre management, front of house, box office, marketing, administration, fundraising, programming and technical.
I joined Worcester Theatres as CEO & Artistic Director in June 2019. I am responsible for both the Swan Theatre & Huntingdon Hall's programming and I take the lead on the artistic and strategic direction for the organisation. I lead on all major fundraising, managerial direction and key operational decisions shaping, forming and developing Worcester Theatres through a period of evolution.
I am a passionate believer in ‘theatre for all' and I believe in accessibility for anyone who wishes to experience culture to enrich their lives. Therefore, challenging the removal of barriers - both physical and financial - is high on my agenda.
Job Titles:
- Theatre Technician - Sound
I'm Scott, and I'm currently the Theatre/Sound Technician at Worcester Theatres. I joined the team in 2022 after graduating with a BA (Hons) in Film, TV, and Theatre Production at the Northern School of Art, where I specialised in audio recording and design for stage and screen.
Job Titles:
- Administration & HR Manager
I'm a lifelong lover of music, and worked in music retail for Our Price and Virgin Music before joining the Box Office team at Worcester Theatres. On and off I've been part of the WT team for nearly 20 years, leaving briefly to run my own music agency, and then coming back to become the Deputy Box Office Manager. My work has developed over the years and I'm now proud to be the Admin & HR Manager here.
One of my best memories was meeting Janis Ian at Huntingdon Hall! But I am most proud of helping to turn our organization into the thriving hub of entertainment and community led events it is today.
My job responsibility includes the theatres administration, which entails a lot of paperwork, and knowing the answer to everyone's questions! I also help Sarah-Jane, our CEO, with the programming of our venues, which as a former agent I'm very passionate about. I'm always looking for exciting new programming opportunities to bring to Worcester.
I moved to Worcester for University and absolutely fell in love with the City - so I never left! I have a Masters in Touring Theatre and I've wanted to work in Theatre my whole life, so I was thrilled to join the Worcester Theatres team in 2021.
My biggest professional accomplishment was the first Brochure I was in charge of delivering on my own. It's a huge piece of work that takes a lot of time, so I was very proud to have that first one under my belt - and now I've done 4!