Theatre and AV Technician

The Royal Ballet School; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Ballet School is seeking a practical, hands-on theatre technician to deliver lighting, sound, stage and AV support for in-house and external performances, rehearsals and events. The role involves technical preparation, operation and maintenance of equipment, working with students and staff across spaces and venues.

Liaising with the Artistic Operations and Production Manager, you will help coordinate technical delivery, AV requirements and digital media activities, including filming,

Qualifications

• Experience in technical theatre production and live performance delivery.
• Strong understanding of lighting, sound and AV in a performance context.
• Ability to work flexibly across departments and with students.

Responsibilities

• Provide lighting, sound and stage support for performances, rehearsals and events.
• Set up, operate and maintain lighting, sound, recording, streaming and multimedia systems.
• Collaborate with Artistic Operations, Production Manager and teams to plan and deliver technical requirements.
• Coordinate with venues and external teams for external performances.
• Support AV and digital media activities, including filming, streaming and archive management.

Job description

A practical, hands-on technical role providing primarily theatre and production support, alongside AV support, for the School’s performances, production events and artistic activities. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of technical operations across lighting, sound, stage support and selected AV and multimedia activities, supporting the delivery of highquality in-house and external performances through technical preparation, operation and maintenance of equipment and performance spaces.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE

This role would suit an experienced theatre technician with a strong understanding of live performance production and the practical requirements involved in delivering performances and events. Working closely with the Artistic Operations and Production Manager, artistic teams and students, the post holder will take operational responsibility for the technical delivery of performances and production activity, contributing from technical preparation through to delivery.

The role includes providing lighting, sound and stage support for in-house performances, rehearsals and production events, ensuring technical requirements are planned, prepared and delivered to a high standard. The post holder will also support key AV requirements within the performance environment, including QLab, video playback and recording. They will be confident working across Windows and Mac operating environments and will support the effective use of specialist creative and production software used throughout the School.

For external performances, they will liaise with production teams and venues to communicate and coordinate technical requirements, supporting the practical arrangements necessary to enable performances to take place.

In addition, the role supports a range of AV and digital media activity, including filming, editing and maintaining the School’s performance media archive, and may include live streaming, digital content capture, postproduction editing, media storage and archive management. The post holder will work closely with the IT & Digital Department where production technologies interface with wider School systems and infrastructure. The role requires a flexible and collaborative approach, working across departments and School sites to support the varied technical needs of a busy performance environment.

CONTRACT TERMS

Hours: 35 hours per week, Monday - Friday. Occasional evenings and weekends, compensated via TOIL

Location: Upper School, Covent Garden and White Lodge, Richmond Park

Salary: Based on knowledge, skills and experience

Annual leave: 30 days per annum (to be taken primarily outside of term time)

Reports to: Artistic Operations and Production Manager, with additional oversight from the Head of IT & Digital

MAIN DUTIES

TECHNICAL DUTIES

• Provide technical support for School performances, rehearsals and production events, including lighting, sound and stage support, ensuring technical requirements are effectively prepared and delivered
• Undertake the setup, operation and maintenance of lighting, sound, recording, streaming and multimedia systems, ensuring equipment, software and associated hardware platforms are configured and functioning to required standards
• Provide technical guidance and support to staff and students using the School’s theatre and performance spaces
• Work across technical disciplines, demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to support a range of production requirements
• Support the sourcing and use of specialist equipment and external technical support where required
• Configure and support specialist production software including QLab, OBS Studio, Adobe Creative Cloud applications and other theatre, AV and content creation tools used by the School
• Contribute to the safe and effective running of performance spaces.

PRODUCTION AND EVENT SUPPORT

• Work collaboratively with the Artistic Operations and Production Manager, artistic teams and other departments to support the technical delivery of production activity across the School
• Attend production meetings, technical rehearsals and performances, contributing relevant technical information and input as required
• Support the planning and preparation of performances and production events, including technical specifications for recording, streaming, media playback and digital production requirements
• Provide technical information for external performances, liaising with production teams and venues to coordinate requirements
• Maintain effective working relationships with colleagues across the School
• Work with freelancers and external technical support providers to coordinate additional technical resources where required
• Carry out other reasonable duties consistent with the scope and level of the role.

AUDIO VISUAL (AV) DUTIES

• Record and archive all School in-house performances to an agreed standard and format
• Assist with filming, editing and preparation of performance footage for artistic, academic and archival purposes
• Maintain the School’s AV media archive, ensuring footage is accurately labelled, stored and retrievable
• Support students and staff with video recording requirements, including rehearsals, assessments and audition submissions
• Manage digital media workflows, including file transfer, storage, backup, metadata tagging and archive retrieval processes
• Support livestream and hybrid event delivery, including camera operation, video switching, audio integration and streaming platform configuration
• Work with relevant colleagues, including the content team where appropriate, to support the effective use of performance media.

HEALTH & SAFETY, EQUIPMENT & TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

• Take personal responsibility for the safety of self and others, complying with and promoting safe working practices within studios and performance spaces
• Undertake Health & Safety and other relevant training as required
• Maintain clean, organised and safe working environments across performance and technical spaces
• Contribute to risk assessments and safe working procedures for theatre and event activities
• Report near misses, incidents and accidents in line with School procedures
• Maintain an accurate inventory of technical equipment and materials, ensuring items are stored safely and are accessible
• Undertake routine maintenance, testing and basic troubleshooting of technical equipment, ensuring it is safe, functional and performance-ready
• Advise the Artistic Operations and Production Manager on equipment condition, maintenance, lifecycle planning and potential upgrades
• Work collaboratively with the IT & Digital Department where production technology interacts with School systems, including Windows and macOS devices, network-connected AV systems, software licensing, storage infrastructure, cybersecurity requirements and technical standards.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Technical Theatre & Live Performance

• Demonstrable professional experience in technical theatre within a producing organisation, theatre or performance venue, with a strong understanding of live production from technical preparation through to performance
• Relevant qualification or equivalent practical experience in technical theatre, production or a related field
• Strong practical skills across lighting, sound and stage operations, including experience operating, maintaining and troubleshooting theatre equipment and digital control systems, including lighting consoles and digital mixing desks
• Ability to troubleshoot technical issues during rehearsals and live performances and respond calmly to changing requirements
• Experience working in a live performance environment where technical preparation, teamwork, timing and reliability are critical.

AV & Digital Performance

• Practical experience using QLab or similar software for live audio and video playback
• Experience supporting video playback, recording and basic video production as part of performances, rehearsals or events
• Ability to operate, troubleshoot and maintain AV equipment and systems used in live performance and event environments.

Organisation & Communication

• Ability to maintain high production standards, organise and prioritise workload, and respond effectively to changing operational demands
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical colleagues, including staff and students
• Ability to work independently using initiative, while contributing effectively as part of a team.

Health & Safety

• Commitment to safe working practices, including manual handling and working at height.
• Understanding of health and safety responsibilities within a technical theatre environment.

Other

• Flexible approach to working hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Word and Excel.
• Empathy with the aims and ethos of the School.

AV & Digital Media

• Experience using specialist production and AV software including OBS Studio, Adobe Creative Cloud applications (Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition), and video editing platforms to support playback, recording, streaming and content creation
• Experience of livestreaming and supporting hybrid events.
• Experience with audio networking, networked AV and/or audio-over-IP systems.
• Experience of filming, editing and producing digital content beyond basic performance recording.
• Experience managing digital media and performance archives.

Performance / Education

• Experience working in dance, ballet or a similar performance environment.
• Experience working in a school, college, university or conservatoire theatre environment.
• Experience supporting or advising young people in technical theatre or production.

Additional Training

• Training or experience in health and safety processes and risk assessment.
• Training in working at height, manual handling and/or electrical safety.

This job information cannot be all encompassing. It is inevitable over time that the emphasis of the job will change without changing the general character of the job or the level of duties and responsibilities entailed. Consequently, this information will be periodically reviewed, revised and updated in consultation with the post holder to reflect appropriate changes.

We are committed to creating an environment where all our employees feel part of our team and can flourish, regardless of their background. We’re proud to be an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.