Getintotheatre.org – Working your way into theatre
By Tim Marston, 21 July 2011 –
Getintotheatre.org – Working your way into theatre
To pursue a career in theatre is the dream of many but the reality of rather few. Contributing £1bn annually to our economy, it’s a growth industry, yet – more than most – it lacks standard entry routes and universally recognised qualifications, leaving plenty of its would-be employees out in the cold. So, though there’s no shortage of young people interested in theatre, there is a currently estimated skills gap of 6,000 skilled backstage staff by 2017.
This is the problem that www.getintotheatre.org seeks to solve. With layout and content as straightforward as its name, getintotheatre is one of the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural’s careers websites. Getintotheatre has been running for around 3 years – previously owned by the Arts Council – and in May this year it was given a revamp. It also has a sister site: www.getintolivemusic.org which was launched 4 weeks ago, after parts of it were briefly hosted on www.nsa-ccskills.co.uk.
Like getintolivemusic (which focuses on live music), getintotheatre offers a one-stop shop for anyone wanting to work in this exciting but fiercely competitive sector. Along with general information and ‘tips and tricks’, a panel of industry experts, job vacancies, training and workshop opportunities, getintotheatre aims to provide a direct connection between the theatre sector and its future workforce – ensuring that young people gain the skills their potential employers most value.
Maggie Saxon, an Arts Management Consultant and one of the experts on the getintotheatre panel, said:
"I often send people to the Getintotheatre site ... it's a really brilliant entry point for people wanting to know a bit more about what's involved in working in our industry. As a panel member it's also great to be able to offer advice and guidance to other aspiring theatre practitioners. I wish this resource had been available when I started out: it’s really helping to make the profession more transparent."
There are plenty of opportunities to contribute to getintotheatre and getintolivemusic. Please get in touch to see how you can get involved with these exciting young peoples resources.