Masters of darkness

In recent years I have kept hearing two things about training in technical theatre and production: that there are fewer applicants for courses than there have been in the past and that there is a skills shortage developing in the industry. The natural conclusions of these two seemingly negative facts, however, are positive: that it's a really good time to apply to train in these areas, and that there is a very high chance of good work on graduating.

Rob Young, Head of Technical Training at LAMDA, has been in position for 14 years and observed these changes in the market: ‘I think what's happened in recent years is that there have been more and more providers running courses training backstage areas. When I took over the course it was very much the case that you went to drama school to learn to do stage management, lighting or sound; and while we're still the specialist institutions, there are lots of courses now that have been set up by universities. So I think the training market has been diluted a little bit – and I think it's the parents who are often guiding young people to get their BA Honours or their foundation degree from a university rather than a drama school.’