Rowan Clapham

Profile

After graduating the University of Glamorgan (now the university of South Wales Glamorgan) in 2005 I began my career in technical theatre working as a volunteer Technician at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre and then taking on the technical trainee role at Wakefield theatre royal until early 2007. From 2007 until 2016 I became  a freelance theatre technician in many venues and for theatre companies in West Yorkshire including Bradford Theatres, Leeds Heritage Theatres, The Leeds Playhouse, Northern Broadsides Theatre Company, Annapurna Indian Dance Company, Underbelly at the Edinburgh festival (2007), Gilded balloon Edinburgh festival (2015), and Square Chapel Centre for the Arts of which I stepped up to the role of acting technical manger once in 2010 and again in 2011. Most of my freelance work was large based in the sound and lighting departments of venues but as a multiskilled technician I have also worked in the stage departments, on the fly floor (both counterweight and automated), and as a Dresser in the wardrobe department. From 2016 to 2018 I worked at Malvern theatres in the electrics department with a bias in sound. In 2018 I came back to Leeds to work at Leeds Heritage theatres being given the full-time technician role at City Varieties Music Hall in 2019 which was a multi-skilled role working with sound, lighting, staging, Flying, stage management, Digital Cinema projection of which I did many screenings for Hyde Park Picturehouse on the road when they were based in City Varieties During 2021. In winter 2021/2022 I was the Assistant stage manager on City varieties pantomime Beauty and the beast.

Since 2022 I have been working at the University of Leeds as a Theatre Technician for the school of Performance and cultural industries. Supporting Students, Academic staff, PGRs with the use of Sound, Lighting, projection, cameras and editing, Sound recording and editing and set and staging needs. I also support touring companies with their technical requirements. since joining the university, I have joined the Faculty of Arts Humanities and Cultures Athena Swan team. I work with the PCI Blueprint team and have been looking into the Theatre Green Book and their carbon tracker for productions. I have also recently finished the Institute for Technical Skills and strategies Women in Technical Leadership course. Since March I have been volunteering as a wellbeing champion for the department.