Start Backstage in UK Theatre With No Experience: Crew Roles & Pay
Backstage crew roles cover stage management, stagehands and technicians, and specialist departments including lighting, sound, props, wardrobe and rigging. Every production, from a school hall performance to a West End transfer, relies on this team to build the world onstage and keep it running safely once the curtain goes up. Roles range from entry-level stagehand work to senior stage management, and you can get into any of them through apprenticeships, vocational courses, or simply saying yes to your first get-in.
TL;DR:
Most backstage roles, especially stagehand and assistant stage manager, can be accessed through on-the-job training, amateur productions, or youth theatre programs without formal qualifications.
Safety certifications like IOSH, IPAF, and rigging training are crucial for high-risk roles such as fly crew, automation, and working at height, with formal certificates often opening career doors.
Experienced technicians earn around £32,000 per year, but entry-level pay for stagehands starts around £21,000, with income often irregular until securing a salaried position.
The main phases of a production include get-in, tech rehearsals, live performance, and strike, with quiet working and headset etiquette vital for smooth operation.
Ocean Theatre provides young people aged 14 to 19 practical backstage experience, teaching teamwork and composure under pressure, which are valuable skills across many careers.
Table of Contents
What are the main backstage crew roles?
Every production splits its backstage crew into two broad camps: the people who run the show, and the people who build and operate it. Understanding the shorthand helps you work out where you might fit.
Stage manager (SM): oversees the whole backstage operation, from first rehearsal to final performance, and holds ultimate responsibility for safety and schedule.
Deputy stage manager (DSM): usually the one calling cues from the prompt corner during the show. Sometimes just called “the caller.”
Assistant stage manager (ASM): handles props, scene changes and general backstage support, often the entry point into stage management.
Stagehand: moves scenery, sets props, and handles the physical shifts between scenes. No formal qualifications are typically required to start.
Electrics/lighting technician (LX): rigs, focuses and operates lighting equipment.
Sound technician: manages microphones, playback and the sound desk.
Carpentry/props: builds and maintains scenery and hand props.
Wardrobe/dresser: manages costumes and executes quick changes.
Rigging/fly crew: operates flown scenery and works at height, often the most safety-critical role in the building.
Stagehand and ASM work is where most people start. Lighting, sound and rigging usually reward some technical grounding or a willingness to learn fast on the job.
How does stage management run the show?
Stage management is the connective tissue of any production. The team acts as the operational link between the director’s creative vision and the backstage crew, translating rehearsal decisions into a workable running order that technicians and performers can follow night after night.
The stage manager leads rehearsals and owns overall safety. The deputy stage manager typically calls the show from the prompt corner, a fixed position backstage with a view of the stage, a headset link to every department, and the prompt book, the master script annotated with every lighting, sound and movement cue. The assistant stage manager handles props and supports scene changes, often shadowing the DSM to learn the calling role.
Prompt corner: the nerve centre for cue calling and communication.
Headset comms: keeps lighting, sound, flys and stage crew synchronised to the second.
Prompt book: the single source of truth for every cue in the show.
Pro Tip: If you want to test whether stage management suits you, volunteer as an ASM first. Calling a show well means staying calm when three things go wrong at once, and you’ll find out quickly whether that’s your temperament.
What do the technical departments actually do?
Each department has its own rhythm, but all of them exist to make the story land without the audience noticing the machinery behind it.
Lighting teams rig lanterns during get-in, focus them to the director’s plot, then run the LX desk during the show, firing pre-programmed cues and covering with followspots where needed. Pre-show checks confirm every lantern is working before doors open.
Sound technicians patch radio microphones, ride levels on the desk live, and manage playback tracks and sound effects. Radio comms keep sound linked to the stage manager throughout.
Carpentry/props builds and shifts scenery, maintains set pieces, and preps hand props for each scene.
Wardrobe and dressers manage costumes, execute quick changes in the wings, and handle laundering and repairs between performances.
Rigging and fly crew operate flown scenery and automation, following strict safe-flying procedures because working at height carries the highest risk in the building.
Senior rigging and automation posts increasingly expect practical rigging, automation and health-and-safety competence, so this is one department where a formal certificate genuinely opens doors early.
How does a show run from get-in to strike?
Backstage work follows a predictable lifecycle, and knowing where you’ll be busiest helps you plan your day.
Get-in and set-up: carpentry, lighting and sound load in and rig their equipment, usually led by the technical stage manager or head of department.
Tech rehearsals: every cue is set and timed, with the DSM building the calling sequence cue by cue.
Pre-show checks: props are set, costumes checked, and lighting and sound run through, following the same get-in, live-running and get-out structure used across the industry.
Show running: cues are called, scene changes executed in the dark, and problems (a jammed prop, a mic dropout) solved silently and fast.
Get-out/strike: the set comes down, usually the same night, under time pressure.
Quiet working and clean headset etiquette (say only what needs saying, on the right channel) separate a smooth show from a chaotic one.
What safety training and certifications matter backstage?
Safety sits at the centre of every backstage role, not as an add-on but as a daily discipline. Risk assessments, manual handling training and clear emergency procedures are baseline expectations on any production, and working at height or with flown scenery brings a stricter set of rules again.
IOSH or equivalent basic safety training, often an entry expectation for technical crew.
IPAF certification for anyone operating mobile elevating work platforms.
Rope-access or rigging training for fly and automation work.
First-aid training and working knowledge of LOLER and PUWER regulations around lifting equipment.
Starter stagehand pay typically begins around £21,000, rising to roughly £32,000 with experience, according to the National Careers Service.
The industry is also shifting towards more sustainable working practice through initiatives like the Theatre Green Book, which is gradually being built into technical training alongside traditional safety courses.
What career pathways lead into backstage theatre work?
Most people start with casual stagehand work, school or amateur productions, or a college course, and build from there. Formal qualifications help, but they’re rarely the only door in.
BTECs, foundation degrees or full degrees in stage management or technical theatre.
The Level 3 Creative Venue Technician apprenticeship, combining paid on-the-job training with structured learning.
Casual crewing at local venues to build a reputation and a network.
Progression from ASM or junior technician towards deputy stage manager, company stage manager, or head of department.
Apprenticeship placements, such as the technical theatre apprenticeship route at LW Theatres, typically bundle hands-on experience across lighting, sound and automation with formal IOSH and working-at-height training. You can search live vacancies through the national apprenticeship service.
What can you expect to earn backstage?
Expect a wide spread: starter stagehand roles sit around £21,000, rising to around £32,000 for experienced technicians, with typical weeks running 40 to 50 hours. Much of the entry-level work is casual or freelance, paid by the day or the show, so income can be irregular until you land a salaried post with a producing house or venue.
How Ocean Theatre builds these skills in young performers
At Ocean Theatre, participants aged 14 to 19 get genuine hands-on exposure to backstage life, not just performing. Roles like prop handling, dressing, stagehand support and ASM shadowing sit alongside professional-led direction, so young people learn calm, quiet teamwork exactly as it works in a professional house, all within a supported and friendly group.
Why backstage experience matters more than people think
Backstage work teaches something acting classes rarely touch: how to stay composed when a costume rip or a jammed set piece threatens to derail a live show in front of an audience. That skill, working calmly under real pressure alongside a team, translates directly into almost any career, not just theatre. If you’re weighing up where to start, local youth theatre or volunteering on a small production is the most useful first step you can take.
— Andrew
Get hands-on backstage experience with Ocean Theatre
Reading about cue calling and quick changes only gets you so far. Ocean Theatre gives young people in Berkshire the chance to actually do it, working alongside professional direction on fully staged musicals rather than waiting years for a first opportunity. Participants join without audition, so backstage-curious teenagers get the same warm welcome as those chasing the spotlight.
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Through The Company (14-19), young people take on props, dressing, stagehand support and ASM shadowing across two large-scale productions a year, building exactly the calm-under-pressure teamwork that theatre employers value. Check out our current production, CRAZY FOR YOU, to see the scale of shows our participants work on, then visit the main company page to find out how to join.
Where to find out more
For deeper detail on pay, training and safety standards mentioned throughout this guide, these sources are worth bookmarking.
National Careers Service: stagehand profile for salary bands and entry routes.
Theatres Trust for guidance on venue roles and safety responsibilities.
ABTT for technical job packs and certification expectations.
Find an apprenticeship for live technical theatre placements.
Sources
FAQ
What are the roles of the backstage crew?
Backstage crew roles split into stage management (SM, DSM, ASM), technicians (lighting, sound, rigging) and specialist departments (carpentry/props, wardrobe). Together they handle everything from get-in and rigging to running cues live and stripping the set out afterwards, as outlined in the get-in to strike breakdown above.
What are the 9 stage positions?
There’s no single fixed list of nine, but a typical crew commonly includes stage manager, DSM, ASM, stagehand, lighting technician, sound technician, carpenter/props, wardrobe/dresser and rigging/fly crew, the nine roles covered in the role overview above.
What are the positions in a film crew?
Film crews use different job titles from theatre, such as gaffer, best boy and grip, because they work to camera rather than a live audience. This guide focuses specifically on theatre and live event crew positions, not film production staff.
What are some backstage jobs you can start with no experience?
Stagehand and assistant stage manager work are the most common entry points, since both are typically learned on the job rather than through formal qualifications. Youth theatre programmes, including Ocean Theatre’s main company, also offer supervised routes into props, dressing and stagehand support for young people wanting a first taste of backstage life.
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