CAREERS

Working at the Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre, Blackpool operates a fair and open recruitment process and is an equal opportunities employer.

All information for vacancies will be available online. If you have any questions please feel free to contact:

The Manager
Grand Theatre – National Theatre of Variety
33 Church Street
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY1 1HT

Tel: 01253 290111
Fax: 01253 752981

CURRENT VACANCIES

There are currently no vacancies.

WORK PLACEMENT/EXPERIENCE

Unfortunately at this time we are not accepting work placements.

INTERVIEW WITH OUR STAFF
MATTHEW ARMISTEAD
on working in the Box Office

The main point of contact between the public and the Grand Theatre is our box office. There is a phrase in theatre language, ‘It is the box office which tells the story’, and on the morning after a first night everybody concerned with the show – manager, finance manager, marketing manager, producer, impresario and production company marketing agent – discuss the progress of business. The seats sold in ‘advance’ are critical to success, and if a show is to catch on, there will not only be signs of success through the ‘advance’ prior to opening night, but in the public response the day after opening. Our box office staff shares in this excitement! Our sales team comprises nine people, led by Box Office Manager Mary and her Deputy Simon. This team has one of the most difficult jobs at the Grand Theatre and a great deal depends on their handling of the public who, especially when a show is very popular, can be quite demanding. They also give feedback to the manager about ticket prices and theatregoer opinion. There is a complex system of computer accounting for our many prices and concessions, but once it is understood it is quite simple.

Working in the Grand Theatre box office is an interesting job because it has evolved from tradition. Historically, tickets were issued only for VIPs. Ancient Greek theatres had a designated seating area for ticket holders and a design which specified which performance the holder could attend. In ancient Rome, senators could reserve tickets made of wood and carved ivory while everybody else was required to enter as ‘general admission’, and sit in the remaining 50,000 seats on a first come, first served basis. Later in England, brass ticket tokens were introduced in the eighteenth century. Today, computers create the theatre ticket and we sell by telephone, in person, on this website and through third-party agents. But regardless of where the ticket is generated, the box office is always the place of the final accounting of tickets.

How long have you worked at the Grand Theatre?

I’ve been here for nearly two years.

Is theatre something that interests you?

Very deeply yes, I can’t explain it fully but it’s one of these things that I care about.

Is there anything about the Grand that you particularly like?

The staff I would say, they’re the friendliest I have ever worked with.

It is a very friendly, almost family atmosphere at the Grand, do you all get on well?

Yes I would say we do all get along here, and a lot of people comment on the warmth of our welcome.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

I would have to say meeting new people; I enjoy coming into work and meeting my friends in Matcham’s Bar. Of course, watching the shows is good too!

What’s the best show you’ve seen here at the Grand?

Without a doubt the dance cacophony Stomp. This was fantastic and amazing! What noise you can make with some rubbish!

Are show tickets all that you sell?

No, we offer more than tickets. We also offer Gift Vouchers and Theatre Tokens, programmes for the show, and now for that special occasion we sell programme-and-drink vouchers. Also the box office provides the initial welcome, as well as help and assistance to the general public.

Why do you take a postcode when we book tickets?

Several reasons: marketing (sending out brochures, mailings, show leaflets etc), and security. We take other contact details so that we can contact patrons if there are any problems. It also helps to have a name on a booking, for example when tickets go missing we can replace them if we know what name they were booked under.

So besides a postcode does the computer know anything else about theatregoers?

We keep a record of bookings, what you’ve booked to come to and what you’ve already been to. For regulars, like the Friends of the Grand, we can use this information to tell you about forthcoming productions. It’s not really ‘Big Brother’. It doesn’t tell me what you had for breakfast. From the postcode we get the name of the street, all other information, such as your name, telephone number, house number and email address we ask the customer for.

Can I still buy tickets and not tell you my details?

Yes you can still buy tickets without providing this information. If you wish not to give details you will miss out on any marketing opportunities we can send you, such as a brochure and newsletters.

How do you know which tickets to offer people, does the computer choose for you?

The computer gives me a choice of which ticket to give, but it is down to me as an individual to listen to the customer’s needs and process the information through the computer.

I can now buy Grand Theatre tickets online; does this mean your job is under threat?

Yes you can buy online now, but no I am not threatened by this because there are still a significant proportion of patrons who are not on the internet and would still prefer the human element in purchasing the tickets. As I said, I like meeting people and I think people still like to talk to a person not a machine.

Do you get to meet all the stars? Who have you met?

I’ve had a chance to meet some of them. I met the Osmond Brothers and Billy Pearce last summer but most of the time the performers use the stage door and we don’t see them other than on stage, or sometimes in Matcham’s Bar after the show.

What’s the funniest question you’ve ever been asked?

I’ve been asked ‘is my seat directly facing the stage’? Or when we had the production of Titanic: The Musical and someone asked me ‘Is it a happy ending’?

You were a member of the Grand Theatre Academy, what is that and how long were you a member?

The Grand Theatre Academy is a theatre school in which the young generation can express themselves and develop as a performer. It’s a kind of stepping stone for young actors to display their talents to audiences. I joined at the age of 17 and stayed until I was 19. It was a great time for me: I performed at the Millennium Dome in 2000 (Our Town Story) and performed on the mainstage of the Grand Theatre itself (Rent, 2001). There’s an age limit and I could only stay until I was 19, but recently a new group started for 19-25 years and I have rejoined this year. So I am looking forward to performing again.

Do you expect to still be at the Grand in five years? – What will you be doing?

I don’t really know, you can’t expect anything in life. Hopefully I would have starred in several stage production and a few films as well. I’m also studying to be a football coach, so I might be the England manager in five years, you never know!

Tell us something we don’t know about the theatre.

There is a Victorian ‘box office’ on the stairs leading to the Gallery (the Gods). Few people will have seen this, as this stair is now a Gallery exit. Also, fewer people sit on the Gallery benches these days. This ‘pay box’ is only big enough for one person and is a relic from the theatre’s past when we had separate entrances for different social classes. We have recently restored it, to be part of the Grand Theatre heritage trail for our fascinating guided tours. We are dressing a mannequin in nineteenth-century attire, but he does not look as jolly and professional as the Grand Theatre box office staff today!

One last question - Which are ‘the best seats in the house’?

Well, in any theatre, patrons have their favourite seats. I personally like the stalls because you can have a dance in the aisles if it’s a musical production, such as What a Feeling or Abba. I’m told that when the Queen visited she and the Duke of Edinburgh sat in the stalls. I don’t think she got up and danced though. When the theatre reopened in 1981, Prince Charles sat in the Royal Box. He must have had a better view of the audience than of the stage, because the Royal Box was designed for the occupants to be seen and admired, rather than to have a full view of the stage!

JIM KINNIER
on being a Stage Technician
(a verse for World Poetry Day, 2007)

THE FIT UP
The countdown starts precisely at nine,
The wagon doors open right on time.
We enter the back of the vehicle,
Pondering on which piece to get,
It’s important we start with the right ones,
When we begin to build the set.
We only have ten hours to build it,
To plot the sound and lighting too,
For the doors will open at seven,
To let the public through.
The stage crew will take
All this in their stride,
To get it done is a matter of pride.
It goes up in stages,
First the floors then the walls,
Then finish off by masking,
Checking sightlines from the stalls.
This takes us to a break,
At least an hour we hope,
Because straight after dinner,
It’s out with the ‘scope,
Three hours of lighting,
Then one hour of sound,
This just leaves us sixty minutes,
To check all around.
We’ve all just managed to drink our teas,
When over the tanoy,
We hear beginners please,
Only four hours left to the end of the day,
But another show opens we’re happy to say.
We’ve done our job and earned our keep,
We just want to go home and get some sleep.