A Day in the Life of Matt Davis...

Q:    Are your days varied or very similar?

A:    My days are completely varied. One day I can be sweeping and weeding the yard outside - the next operating the lighting for a full scale musical!

Q:    What time do you start and what time do you finish?

A:    My hours are all over the place. I can do anything from a three to a 12 hour day. It all depends on what is on at the theatre at the time and what jobs are needed.

Q:    List what jobs you do in a typical day and any challenges/fun with these.

A:    A typical day would be -

1200: -  Unloading a bands' van full of music gear

1:00 pm - setting them up on stage

3:00 to 5:00pm - rigging the lighting, sound checking the mic's

7:30 to 10:00pm -operating sound and light for the show

10:00pm to 11:00pm - clearing the stage, then loading up the van.

Other duties include:

• sound
• lighting and lighting designing
• stage managing
• show set up
• recording
• unloading vans full of show equiptment
• making sure the show starts on time!!!
• looking after health and safety
• organising events such as Swindon Town Festival and Swindon Mela.

Q:   Do you meet/chat with the acts in terms of what they need you to do? Any interesting/ challenging things that have come out of that? Who is your most famous act?

A:   I have met and worked with loads of famous people. Some can be very demanding and want everything just right, but most are extreamly nice. Apart from the sound and lighting, they nearly always put other demands on you. I once had to take Julian Clary's dog Vallerie, for a walk. Julian said, "You can take it off the lead, it won't go far," but when I did I nearly lost the darn thing!! She went bounding off in the theatre and across the stage in full view of the audience.

My highlight was doing sound for Lee Evans, very nice chap and funny off stage also.

Q:   Do you enjoy your job?

A:   I love my job, I love the feeling of entertaining an audience. For me, the performance starts the moment the audience enters the theatre. It's great when you see the smiles on punters' faces when they have seen a good show, and you know you have contributed to that.

Q:   What did you do before this job?

A:   I have had many jobs before this, I worked at the Wyvern Theatre as a technician before this job, I have also worked for group4 Technology as a quality inspector and before that I delievered cattle food to farmers!!! (being the country boy I am!)

Q:    What experience did you have to get this job, how has your life before led to this moment?

A:    I have always been involved in the theatre from an early age. I grew up with my parents living next door to the theatre in Evesham, so I always helped out in the productions. Later I went and got formal qualifications in Music Production at Worcester University.

Q:   What are your hopes for the future?

A:   I don't really have any hopes. I suppose I am the "live each day as it comes" type, so I tend not to look to the future. The most significant things that have happened to me already in my life have happened by chance, I have a knack of being in the right place at the right time. I don't really plan my life. I suppose you could say I hope (and I do) to be working in a job I love, which is a very rare thing.

Q:    Any fun fact about you or your life?

A:    I compose music, musical direct, I have a twin brother, Justin who is six mins older that me (phew my poor mum!).

If you are interested in working behind the scenes in the theatre and would like work experience please contact Matt on mdavis@swindon.gov.uk