I finished my production, arts and media course at CAPA College in Wakefield in June and was fortunate enough to get the chance to work with Red Ladder on its new musical Sanctuary straight away.

Though I had worked on a couple of shows previously this was my first proper professional job. The course at CAPA College taught me all about what goes on behind the scenes with a theatre production, everything from the lighting and sound to the sets and the costumes. It was great, but there’s nothing quite like working on a touring show like this, especially with one of the most respected theatre companies in the North.

I knew about Red Ladder and what a great reputation they had, so it was a bit daunting coming in and joining a big touring production like this. I was part of the production team and I was effectively the touring stage manager and sound operator. This involved things like running the rehearsals before a show and doing the sound checks, so there was a bit of everything.

It really gave me the chance to build on my technical skills. I worked closely with the technical manager Tom Blackband who showed me how you take the production side of a show on tour. For someone like me – an 18-year-old fresh out of college – to be running a room full of professional actors was just incredible. The whole Red Ladder team were incredibly supportive, not just to me but to all the CAPA students who worked on stage and off it. They really did champion us.

And I learned so much. Not only about how a stage production works but also about myself. I was thrown straight into it and very quickly I learned how to work like a professional, that’s probably the biggest takeaway. I also discovered that I work quite well under pressure which was a pleasant surprise because until you’re put in that situation you don’t really know.

There were a few problems along the way, as with any big show, and to begin with it was challenging for us younger ones because we weren’t always sure what to do when a problem came up. But you learn on the job and by the end of the tour I felt like a bit of a pro.

You learn so much when you take a production on tour – and I loved it. It was great to see how the show worked in each of the venues, especially the churches. A highlight for me was doing the show in Selby Abbey, which was simply stunning. I really enjoyed the variety of places we went to. Most of the time you either do a tour of community venues, or you go to the big theatres, so it was great to experience both.

I loved going to all the smaller venues in towns and villages because that’s where we got some of the best audiences. The Red Ladder team kept saying it’s all about bringing theatre to the communities and this is exactly what we were doing. People don’t always want to travel to their nearest big city to see a show, whereas if it’s right on their doorstep they will. I think it made a real difference that they could go and see a show like this in their local church, or the community centre where they take their kids to karate or dance classes.

Being part of the team and taking Sanctuary on tour for a couple of months was a brilliant experience for all the students. I can’t overstate just how important opportunities like this are for young people. It means that more people get an opportunity to do what they love and try it out in a professional setting. It’s so easy for young people to fall into a job, or get pushed towards something they don’t enjoy, and to have people believe in you like the Red Ladder team did with us is just amazing.

It doesn’t only build your confidence it pushes you to challenge yourself. It gives young people a platform from which they can start building their career doing something they’re really passionate about – and that’s priceless.

In my case it helped me get the job I’m currently doing. When we were at the first venue, the Theatre Royal Wakefield, I got talking to the production manager and she mentioned they needed some stage crew for their panto and I said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I’d done bits of work for other visiting productions so they knew who I was and I got offered a job there and then. I thought I would have a quiet Christmas this year but instead I went straight into rehearsals for Cinderella, and I’m loving it.

Would I have got this job without having worked on Sanctuary? Probably not, which shows just how important it is that young people from all walks of life get these opportunities because you never know where they might lead and what doors they might open.

By Rosie Whelpton

Main picture credit: Robling Photography