Digital Production & Venue Support Technician (Lighting Specialism)

Guildhall School of Music & Drama; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is seeking a Lighting Technician to join the DPVS team. You will operate and maintain lighting equipment across Silk Street Theatre, supporting a busy programme of drama, opera and performances with a collaborative, learning-focused approach.

You will work with conventional and intelligent fixtures, contribute to technical rehearsals, and ensure safety and high professional standards. Evening/weekend shifts apply.

Qualifications

• Experience in theatre, opera or live performance lighting environments.
• Ability to rig, focus, patch and fault-find lighting equipment.
• Experience with moving lights and modern control systems.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain theatrical lighting equipment for main productions.
• Support lighting control systems and programming through rehearsals to performance.
• Collaborate with designers, lecturers and students to realise ambitious productions.

Skills

Theatre lighting

Rigging

Patching

Programming lighting

Moving lights

Lighting control systems

Safety

Job description

Contract: Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

Salary information: £39,410 – £43,620 per annum, inclusive of Inner London Weighting

Digital Production & Venue Support Technician (Lighting Specialism)

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is looking for an enthusiastic, skilled and collaborative Lighting Technician to join our Digital, Production & Venue Support (DPVS) team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves theatre lighting, enjoys being part of the creative process and wants to work somewhere where the productions are ambitious, the facilities are substantial and the students are at the centre of everything we do. You will work primarily within Guildhall’s Silk Street Theatre, supporting a busy programme of full-scale drama, opera and performance work throughout the year. Alongside that, you will become part of our wider 26-person DPVS team, working across Guildhall’s theatres, concert halls, studios and performance spaces and contributing to the extraordinary range of technical work that happens here every day.

The role

At its heart, this is a hands‑on theatre lighting role. You will work alongside our Performance Venues team, production staff, lighting lecturers, students and academic colleagues to realise ambitious productions safely and to a high professional standard. One production might be a large-scale opera with complex lighting, flying, sound, video and scenic requirements; the next might be a contemporary drama production, an experimental student project or a visiting professional company.

You will operate and maintain theatrical lighting equipment, work with conventional and intelligent fixtures, support lighting control systems and help take productions from fit-up and technical rehearsals through to performance and get-out. We are looking for somebody who enjoys the craft of making a theatre work well: someone who cares about the quality of a rig, understands the importance of preparation and maintenance, and remains calm and collaborative when the pressure increases.

Just as importantly, you will be working in a conservatoire. Our students are exceptionally talented young actors, musicians, production artists, designers and theatre-makers who are developing the skills that will take them into the professional industries. We want somebody who genuinely enjoys being around students, sharing knowledge, explaining things clearly and helping them develop strong professional habits. You do not need to be a lecturer, but you should enjoy being part of a learning environment.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a lighting technician with strong practical experience in theatre, opera, live performance or a closely related production environment. Perhaps you are currently freelancing and would like the stability of a permanent role while continuing to work on ambitious productions, or perhaps you are a venue technician, assistant electrician, programmer or production technician ready for the next stage in your career.

You should be comfortable with the fundamentals of theatrical lighting: rigging, focusing, patching, fault‑finding, operating and programming lighting systems and working safely at height. Experience with moving lights, modern control systems and networked lighting infrastructure will be valuable, while knowledge of rigging, flying, sound, AV or projection would also be welcome.

We are not looking for somebody who already knows everything. DPVS is deliberately multidisciplinary, and we want our technicians to continue developing throughout their careers. Training can be provided in areas such as flying systems, working at height, LOLER and PUWER inspection, access equipment, PAT testing and other specialist technical disciplines.

The wider team

Although lighting will be your specialism and Silk Street Theatre your principal working environment, you will be part of the wider DPVS department, which brings together theatre and concert technical operations, lighting, sound, stage, rigging, recording, broadcast, AV and projection. There will therefore be opportunities to contribute to concerts, events, recordings and projects across the School while retaining and deepening your lighting specialism.

Guildhall is an unusually exciting place to work technically. Our performance spaces are professional working environments, but they are also places of learning, experimentation and creative development. Productions can be technically complex and artistically ambitious, and our role is not simply to make the technology work, but to help create an environment in which ambitious creative ideas can happen safely and successfully.

We particularly value technicians who are technically strong, approachable and collaborative; who communicate clearly with colleagues, students and creative teams; and who understand that high professional standards and a friendly, supportive working environment should go hand in hand. Safety is fundamental to the role, and you will work with the wider team to ensure our equipment, systems and working practices remain safe and compliant.

Why Guildhall?

This is a theatre job where the work has a visible impact. You will see productions develop from an empty stage through fit‑up, plotting and technical rehearsals to opening night, working alongside professional designers, directors, conductors and production teams while helping some of the most talented emerging performers and production artists develop their craft.

We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and career routes. You might currently work in a producing theatre, receiving house, opera company, touring production, concert venue or commercial events environment, or you may never previously have considered working in higher education. If you are a good lighting technician, care about the work, enjoy working with people and are excited by the idea of helping talented young artists realise ambitious productions, we would encourage you to apply.

This is a permanent, full-time role working 35 hours per week across a Monday‑to‑Sunday rota. Evening and weekend working forms a normal part of the role, with overtime arrangements applying where appropriate. The salary is £39,410 – £43,620 per annum, alongside the wider benefits of employment with the City of London Corporation, including membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

For further information, please download the Job Information Pack.

Interviews to be held: 26 November and 27 November 2026

Please note that late applications will not be accepted.