Oliver! is looking for a Trainee Company Manager to join the team for 12 weeks. The Trainee will primarily be based at the Gielgud Theatre, but may work across other London shows. The trainee will be taught all aspects of the roles of Company Manager and Deputy Company Manager through a variety of training sessions, task based assignments and on the job shadowing.
No formal qualifications are required. This is an opportunity for someone to learn on the job in a structured and supportive environment with the aim of being equipped and confident to undertake a position within company management at the end of the post.
Essential
· A passion for pursuing a career in theatre and live events.
· Some experience working in a theatre environment (whether on stage, backstage or
front of house).
· Experience of or an interest in managing people.
· Positive and proactive attitude.
· Organised, efficient and able to prioritise tasks.
· Good verbal and written communication skills.
· Ability to remain calm and patient during difficult situations or in a busy environment.
Desirable
· Experience or understanding of working with children.
· Stage Management experience.
· IT and admin experience.
The Company Manager at Oliver! will be delivering most of the training. Some training in other specialisms will be organised with other professionals either within the CML team or outside training providers (for example First Aid). Topics covered include:
· Rules & Regulations, Health & Safety
· Company Management Paperwork
· Press and Marketing
· Payroll
· Company Care
· Production Management
· Producing
· Touring
· Networking
· Mock interviews
· Practical First Aid
· Mental Health First Aid
· Leadership & Management
Reporting to the Company Manager and Associate Producer of Oliver!
Assisting the Company Manager & Deputy Company Manager with managing the day to day running of Oliver!, including:
· Management of the production personnel.
· Managing cast holiday request enquiries.
· Drafting weekly schedules with the resident team.
· Maintain awareness of Working Time Directive across the departments.
· Have a strong understanding of the Producer’s health and safety policies and ensuring
that requirements in relation to health and safety are met within the department.
· Coordinate and manage promotional events such as publicity and photographic calls, press
and media interviews and other events where necessary.
· Support the DCM when they are covering the Company Manager during shows for days
off, holidays and sick leave.
· Book and organise company, cast and creative ticket requests.
· Learn one Stage Management plot for the show to cover as and when required
(experience dependent).
Start date: Flexible
Contract length: 12 weeks
Salary: £828.60 per week plus subsistence, if applicable, in line with the SOLT/Equity Agreement
Interviews – round 1 will be on Zoom, round 2 will be in person in London.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and have an equal opportunity approach across all personal characteristics.
Please note that all applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
For over 20 years, Westacre Theatre's esteemed Bursary Scheme has offered around 8-10 privately funded, residential placements per year for performing arts undergraduates, graduates & early-career artists, giving them the chance to gain hands-on experience in a professional, rural theatre, working on multiple productions, receiving mentoring, and developing their skills. “The scheme is an ideal opportunity for emerging actors to bridge the gap between training and the profession. For me, its key strength is providing professional experience that leaves recipients much better equipped to step into a professional career.” (Actor Nigel Hastings - Patron)
Westacre Theatre is an independent, rural, theatre and arts centre based in the village of West Acre, Norfolk. Housed in a converted historic chapel, and with an expansive outdoor auditorium for the summer months, we are known for championing, emerging artists and innovative performance, while also serving our local community. The theatre provides a platform for professional productions, artist development, workshops and residencies, with a strong focus on accessibility, participation and nurturing creative talent. Patrons: Sir Stephen Fry, Sir Anthony Gormley & Nigel Hastings.
We audition and interview bursary candidates to join our highly respected theatre company on 2/3 full-scale productions, which take place during our outdoor summer season. These productions run either consecutively or in repertory. Successful applicants will also gain hands-on experience helping to deliver young people’s workshops, hosting musical events, taking part in front-of-house duties and all the other essential “roll your sleeves up” jobs that keep the theatre running smoothly. Whilst bursary recipients benefit hugely from the guidance of our directors, musicians, technical experts and extended team, all with extensive professional experience and industry expertise, we place huge value on the fresh perspectives and creative energy brought by new and emerging artists. It’s a fully immersive opportunity to develop skills, work as part of a professional team, and experience every aspect of theatre life.
The Westacre Summer Bursary has long been a powerful springboard for emerging actors, musicians, dancers and technicians. Many former bursary students have gone on to successful careers across theatre, musical theatre, film and the wider creative industries, often citing their time at Westacre as a defining early experience. 2026 Summer Season will be announced ASAP – watch this space but expect high energy colourful versions of well-known classic pieces, told with an effusion of music, and always a quirky twist… Bursary Awards are designed to cover your expenses and are paid weekly. Placements take place from Mid-July to the August Bank Holiday weekend. Accommodation is included where needed. Auditions are in person and will take place on Saturday 18th April.
For any questions contact sadie@westacretheatre.com Please note: because this form asks for a file upload (headshots), you will need to sign in with a Google account to submit your response. 2026 Applications are open NOW
This exciting and dynamic full-time 2 year course has an emphasis on learning skills current to the performing arts industry with the aim of increasing your employability. It is a production-based course for students who wish to develop skills in the performing arts. The course is highly practical, but it also demands academic ability. We use Project Based Learning (PBL) approaches which give you industry relevant experiential learning.
This course will provide you with a stimulating and challenging programme of study that will be both engaging and memorable, delivering the essential subject knowledge that you will need to progress successfully into further study or the world of work. You will undertake a substantial core of learning in the Higher National Certificate in year one, and can build on this in the Higher National Diploma in year two with optional units linked to your specialist area of study.
Content is continually refreshed so that it is closely aligned with professional body, employer and higher education needs. We provide a varied approach to assessment that supports progression and we offer assessment relevant to the local economy, thereby accommodating and enhancing different learning styles. We deliver a qualification designed to meet the needs and expectations of students aspiring to work in an international performing arts environment.
Explore contemporary performance to develop your creativity, critical thinking and practical skills for a career in creative industries and beyond.
Drama in the School of Arts and Humanities provides an exciting and challenging programme with an emphasis on contemporary performance practices. Our approach to teaching and learning integrates theories and practices of performance in order to extend our understanding of Drama as an art form in its social, political and cultural contexts.
Our expert lecturing staff are internationally-recognised researchers with a range of industry-related experience. Students are able to take advantage of our nationally-acknowledged teaching expertise and will have opportunities to extend their experience of contemporary performance practices through contact with part-time staff and key visiting lecturers. The Drama programmes benefit from extensive links with theatre practitioners and key Irish theatre companies, who use our spaces for performances and delivering practice-based workshops.
Drama allows students to learn in a rigorous and stimulating environment where they are encouraged to develop essential skills as thinking creative practitioners.
Drama at Queen’s combines history, theory and practice in an integrated and multidisciplinary approach, to discover why and how theatre works. Performance workshops and productions enable students to draw upon their reading of literary, cultural, historical and sociological studies to inform their practical understanding of performance. Students are also required to attend professional performances, and benefit from our exceptional links with the theatre sector in Northern Ireland and beyond. Visiting professionals lead workshops in specialist areas.
Student Experience
Extracurricular performance opportunities are offered by the Tyrone Guthrie Society and the student Drama Society, which have taken productions to student festivals in Ireland and the UK. Productions have also been taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and to festivals in Belgium and Italy.
Drama at Queen’s has unparalleled links with the professional theatre sector and collaborates extensively with leading arts organisations and theatre companies, such as the Lyric Theatre, Prime Cut Productions, Kabosh, Tinderbox and Bruiser, as well as with the Belfast Festival and the Linen Hall Library. Students also have the opportunity to undertake a work-based learning module in Year 3.
Students can access a range of international opportunities during their degree programme – both as year-long international exchanges and shorter learning opportunities and visits.
Lots of teaching happens in the Brian Friel Theatre, which is one of the best-equipped theatres in Belfast with a 120-seat studio theatre, rehearsal room, dressing rooms, green room and workshop all housed in the Drama and Film Centre which also includes the Queen’s Film Theatre.
Our staff expertise encompasses both professional and scholarly aspects of drama and theatre practice, with many of our team acknowledged internationally as experts in their fields. You will learn from experts in Irish and British theatre, Shakespearean and Restoration theatre, applied theatre practices, global and intercultural theatre, dance and movement, writing and directing.
Further study, including Master’s programmes, is also an option; see the School website for further information.
Work alongside industry specialists as you develop your skills and abilities through the three essential disciplines: Acting, Dance and Singing. Collaborate, create and gain performance experience from full scale musicals to a graduate showcase.
With this musical theatre course you’ll become a confident, creative and self-motivated individual, ready to break into the industry.
Apply your passion and complete your training at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – we offer drama school level training to mould you into a versatile actor and help you launch your career.
Our BA (Hons) Acting is designed to develop you practically, personally and professionally and prepare you for this challenging industry. We have carefully designed a contemporary course that will train you for a creative career in front of a stage, screen or radio audience. You will receive specialist training in voice, movement and singing, graduating with the skill and aptitude to take on the exciting and dynamic world of the dramatic arts.
This course equips you with the skills you need to become a professional actor; continually stretching and challenging you to reach new levels of personal achievement and self-discovery. As a vocational actor training course, full commitment and attendance would be expected.
If you love theatre and film, you can study them both in depth on the only course of its kind in Scotland. The innovative BA (Hons) in Theatre and Film combines theory and practice to prepare you for a flourishing career in the creative industries.
And… ACTION! Film and theatre are thriving industries, creatively and commercially. This course will give you the confidence and skills you need to enter careers in theatre, film, teaching, and professions demanding communication and creativity. You will be able to forge your own career path, taking full advantage of a course that is flexible to fit your needs.
Through in-house productions, industry based placements and hands-on training, you’ll learn all relevant skills relating to the work of the production technician in theatre, events, film and TV.
With technology at its core, this course offers practical, hands-on training in a variety of high-end lighting, sound, and video systems – skills that are in high demand for the theatre, events, film and television industries in Wales and across the rest of the UK.
You’ll have classes given by leading professionals operating at the top of their field, alongside several production placements, both based at the College and with our industry partners here in Wales.
With your placements, developing your expertise for a technical career in the creative industries is only one part of it. These experiences will also help you to build communication and team working skills that are essential to thriving in collaborative environments.
After graduation, you could take on roles such as a production electrician, lighting technician or programmer, sound and system engineer, video operator or programmer, among many more.
