Technical theatre students had a taste of the industry from an Ellesmere Port professional.
Lighting designer and dimmer technician Joe Dowling, 25, popped back to where it all started for him to give a series of master classes to the students at West Cheshire College.
He demonstrated a state of the art professional deck to the learners.
Joshua Jones, 20, studying a HNC in technical theatre, said: “As part of the class we also had the chance to put into practise what he was teaching us.
“The master classes worked really well alongside our course, it was great to get hands-on and I found it really interesting.
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“West Cheshire College has been a great place to study, it’s challenging and exciting and every day is different.
“Once I complete my college course, I would like to go to university and then eventually work on a cruise liner as part of their production team or with a touring company.”
Harry Pattinson, 16, studying technical theatre and event management, added: “The session was fantastic and I learnt a lot.
“Joe was fantastic at demonstrating the equipment and giving us detailed explanations. We learnt new skills that we can now use within our career and help us to go further.
“In the future I would like to work in big theatres in the West End and Broadway. I would also like to go touring on cruise ships helping with lighting, sound and stage management.”
Quick learners
Joe himself said: “It was great to come back and teach the students, they were all really enthusiastic and quick learners.
“I absolutely love working for myself, I get to work on exciting projects all the time such as festivals, concerts and theatre shows. My job is to make sure the entire infrastructure and cabling of the lighting is correct.
“It was so nice to come back to where it all started for me.”
Angie Berwick, course leader, said: “The master classes taught by Joe were fantastic. It is great when we can bring in outside employers to teach the students about the industry, especially when former students have gone on to do so well.”
