GSA Scenic Workshop Supervisor

Guildford School of Acting (GSA) at the University of Surrey is one of the UK's leading conservatoires, with a vibrant community of performers, creative practitioners and technicians graduating from a wide range of programmes each year. Alongside undergraduate and postgraduate training, GSA runs a Junior Conservatoire, a Saturday School, short courses, and an extensive programme of public productions and events.

GSA delivers more than 30 assessed student productions annually, ranging from small-scale black box performances to fully realised productions in venues on and off campus, as well as filmed showcases.

We are seeking an experienced individual to take up the post of Scenic Workshop Supervisor in the Production Team, within the Operations and Events Department at GSA.

The role

The Scenic Workshop Supervisor provides technical expertise and support for the delivery and realisation of production designs. A key aspect of the role is supporting students across two production courses, helping them develop practical skills through the application of scenic construction processes and industry-standard procedures.

Providing an excellent student experience is central to everything we do. The role will include teaching support for carpentry classes and delivering practical skills training to production students. The workshop is equipped with a wide range of carpentry and metalworking machinery, including welding equipment and a CNC router.

Working closely with the Scenic Arts Supervisor, the postholder will contribute to the delivery of all scenic elements for productions. Responsibilities include supervising, demonstrating and mentoring students and freelance staff, maintaining and repairing equipment, liaising with colleagues across the production team, and ensuring projects are completed safely and on schedule.

About you

The successful candidate will have experience in a supervisory or leadership role within a workshop environment, together with onsite build experience and strong carpentry and metalworking skills gained in theatre, live events or a related industry. Experience of working within a conservatoire or higher education setting would be advantageous.

You will be an experienced scenic construction professional with good organisational, administrative and interpersonal skills, and an understanding of current practices and techniques in theatre and entertainment production. You will be able to manage your own workload, meet deadlines and take responsibility for supporting students and freelance staff.

You will also have up-to-date knowledge of health and safety requirements and a commitment to promoting safe, inclusive working practices.

We are actively committed to looking for all kinds of talent to build a diverse staff team at the GSA. We understand creating and maintaining a work environment in which all social groups are represented and moreover, feel safe and respected, is something we must work at. We do not take this for granted. We see anti-racism and anti-discrimination more broadly as a life-long commitment. We are working towards removing all barriers that staff, applicants and students may experience. Steps taken include having gender-balanced and racially diverse panels, undertaking anti-racism training and unconscious bias training and considering all candidates against a clear, realistic and well-defined person specification. We would particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from the Global majority, people with disabilities and those identifying as female, non-binary or trans.   

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 5th August.

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