Freelance Duty Manager & Theatre Technician

Arts Council England; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Collective Acting Studio in London is seeking a Freelance Duty Manager & Theatre Technician to run the building on evenings and weekends and to tech our shows. You'll operate lighting, sound, and AV for performances, supervise Front of House staff, and handle enquires with calm, clear communication.

Open and close the venue, ensure health and safety, and support classes and events with reliable presence on Tue/Wed evenings or Saturdays. Freelance, in person, starting ASAP.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience operating lighting and sound for live performance.
• Experience of being responsible for a venue, a building or a group of people, with a good understanding of health and safety.
• Confident working alone and making decisions on evening and weekend shifts.
• Clear, friendly written communication, as you'll be replying to students and customers by email.
• Reliable, organised and calm when things don't go to plan.
• Regular availability on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings and Saturdays.

Responsibilities

• Open and close the building and carry out routine health, safety and maintenance checks.
• Act as Duty Manager for classes, rehearsals and performances, keeping everything running safely and on time.
• Be the first point of contact for students, tutors and visitors.
• Supervise freelance Front of House staff when they're on shift.
• Answer short course and booking enquiries by email, and help with light admin.
• Write a brief shift report for the Operations Officer.

Skills

Lighting operation

Sound operation

Health & safety

Venue management

Communication

Tools

ETC lighting desks

AV equipment

Job description

Fri, 09 Oct 2026">published - Fri, 09 Oct 2026

Job Summary

Freelance Duty Manager & Theatre Technician for acting studio in Finsbury Park, London. 3–5 shifts a month on Tuesday/Wednesday evenings and/or Saturdays, plus regular paid show work. £18 per hour for duty shifts, £21 per hour when teching a show. Theatre technical experience essential. Start ASAP.

Job Description

Collective Acting Studio is an actor-training company in Finsbury Park, London, working to open up the performing arts to people who have traditionally been underrepresented in the industry. We're looking for a Freelance Duty Manager & Theatre Technician to run our building on evenings and weekends and to tech our shows.

On a duty manager shift, you'll open and close the building, look after students, tutors and visitors, and make sure classes and rehearsals for our Part‑Time School, Short Courses for Professional Actors and Youth Academy run safely and smoothly.

Quieter parts of a shift are used for answering course enquiries and light admin.

You'll also have the opportunity to operate lighting and sound for performances and events in our theatre and studio spaces.

3-5 shifts a month, typically Tuesday or Wednesday evenings (4-10pm) and/or Saturdays (10am-6pm).

Show work every few weeks, which needs some extra availability around performances, agreed in advance.

£18 per hour for duty shifts, £21 per hour when teching a show.

Freelance, in person, starting as soon as possible.

Additional opportunities to develop social media, website building and video editing skills.

Job Requirements

• Hands‑on experience operating lighting and sound for live performance
• Experience of being responsible for a venue, a building or a group of people, with a good understanding of health and safety
• Confident working alone and making decisions on evening and weekend shifts
• Clear, friendly written communication, as you'll be replying to students and customers by email
• Reliable, organised and calm when things don't go to plan
• Regular availability on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings and Saturdays

• Experience with ETC lighting desks
• An interest in actor training and arts education
• Skills in social media and video editing

Job Responsibilities

• Open and close the building and carry out routine health, safety and maintenance checks
• Act as Duty Manager for classes, rehearsals and performances, keeping everything running safely and on time
• Be the first point of contact for students, tutors and visitors
• Supervise freelance Front of House staff when they're on shift
• Answer short course and booking enquiries by email, and help with light admin
• Write a brief shift report for the Operations Officer

On show shifts

• Set up and operate lighting, sound and AV for performances and events
• Support visiting tutors, directors and companies with their technical needs
• Report any equipment faults or safety concerns

Job Overview

• Job Title: Freelance Duty Manager & Theatre Technician