Interested in joining our Young Technicians course? Members of our last cohort who went on to do work experience on the Young Company production are sharing with us their experience - first up is Jam. Read on to find out more, and apply to join the Young Technicians Course here.

I’m Jamie, I’m 18-years-old and I’m currently taking a gap year after completing a level 3 diploma in performing and production arts.  

I took part in the Young Technicians programme last year where I learnt various backstage skills within theatre and gained more confidence in my technical abilities. 

After finishing the course, I took on a work experience placement on Stratford East’s Young Company production of HERE, HERE, HERE.  

During this work experience behind the scenes at Stratford East, I got the opportunity to observe the technical process (light, sound and stage management) of a theatre production. Here are my notes from the four days of work experience I completed: 

• First impressions: a minimalist set works well in terms of the audiences' focus on the characters and dialogue. It also allows more room for lighting and sound to create the intended atmosphere of the play. 

• It is interesting to see the configurations of the production - including placements of cast members to work with lighting. 

• I enjoyed observing how light and sound are coordinated during tech and dress runs. 

• It is important to repeat scenes to ensure smoothness / quality within the production. 

• I listened in to the technical arrangements on comms and watching them being put in place on stage gives really nice insight into the production / technical process of theatre. 

• The combination of lighting, sound and smoke is captivating and atmospheric – it was the right amount of intense for the show. 

• I like the variety of lighting: the different colours, shades, levels of light and movement of light (flickering, pulsing, slow lighting up). 

• It was super cool to see the show in action during the dress run. Watching all the lights, sounds and transitions coming to life was very exciting and really displayed the importance of technical production and how much of an effect it can have on a theatre show. 

Overall, watching the configurations and organisation of the production of HERE, HERE, HERE was a very insightful and informative experience. I am grateful for what I’ve learnt during the week that I spent at Stratford East and I’d say it has made me more interested in pursuing a career in technical theatre.