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Big Wheel Theatre Company occasionally recruits new teams
to present shows. We use shows to teach people things.
We usually recruit once a year, in the summer. We have no
plans to recruit at present.
For those of you who are curious, this is
what we look for in a new 'Big Wheeler'. Feel free to e-mail
us your profile if you think you may be suitable. However, we
probably won't reply. This is not because we are bastards, but
because we get dozens of 'on spec' applications every week and
simply don't have the staff to reply to them. If we like your
c.v. we will keep you on file and let you know when we are next
recruiting.
THE JOB
THE ONLY QUALIFICATION YOU NEED
IS A FULL DRIVING LICENCE
(if you can't drive, DO NOT APPLY.
You will not be considered. The job involves A LOT of driving)
You also need a valid British or
other E.U. passport. Please don't bother applying if you don't
- we simply aren't allowed to employ other nationals.
WHAT'S A BIG WHEEL SHOW?
Our shows are very theatrical, but they are not like
traditional theatre.
Our shows are very educational, but they are not like
a traditional lesson.
Most of our work is a mixture of different genres. The
best comparison is with kids T.V. (but a lot of what we do is
not for kids, this is just to give you a clue)
Some of our work is in schools, but we are not a traditional
T.I.E. company. More than half our work is for businesses and
institutions like the N.H.S. We do all sorts of other things
as well: outdoor 'happenings', conventional theatre, voice training,
writing workshops, festivals, films, courses.
Have a good look through this website to get more of
an idea of what we do. We really suggest you do this and think
hard whether our approach seems like your cup of tea. (Warning:
we will test you on this at your interview.)
THE JOB
We are looking in the first instance for a team
to present shows for schools on the continent, mainly Holland,
Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden. Shows are in English - have
a look at the schools workshops page to get an idea of the kind
of things you'd be presenting.
Training will start in the last week of September
(first rehearsal 24/9) and last three weeks. The team then spends
a couple of months touring continental schools.
A team is usually four people. Shows are presented
by two people. You continually swap presenting partners so that
you don't get fed up with each other, and learn from each other's
skills and techniques.
We provide all your accommodation on tour and
a daily allowance. Wages are based on Equity guidelines (around
£300 per week plus allowances).
You are encouraged to continue to develop throughout
your time with Big Wheel - your directors visit regularly to
watch your shows and help you sharpen your presenting skills.
Most people who work for us go on to do further
tours, usually immediately, either abroad or in the U.K. Some
branch out into specialised work, such as our presentations
for the N.H.S. Many people have worked with us on-and-off for
more than ten years, and even the rich and famous ones still
come back for more, as a Big Wheel tour is such a fantastic
experience.
The people who we select to work for us are very
mixed. Some are professional actors, some are professional teachers,
many have experience of using drama in schools. But we have
also employed people who have done none of these things. Some
have done absolutely nothing: they're just nice, fun, and love
the job.
Touring is fantastic but it is also hard work.
When you are thinking about whether to apply for this job, remember:
- The shows really are possibly the most exciting, thrilling
thing you have ever done. Think of the most exciting, thrilling
thing you have ever done. Go on, do it now. OK, thought of
it? A Big Wheel show feels better than that.
- You will frequently find yourself sipping a capuccino in
a glamorous cafe in a lovely square in one of Europe's most
beautiful cities, feeling a wonderful sense of well-being.
- You will often have to get up at 5.00 in the morning, walk
through a muddy forest in the dark, scrape ice off the windscreen
for half an hour, then spend two hours in a traffic jam before
getting to the school just in time, to find the hall has not
been prepared and you have to persuade a 'Scooby-Doo' style
scariest caretaker in the world to move 100 chairs from the
other side of a large school full of spooky statues of the
Crucifixion.
- You will feel a new sense of invincibility as you discover
you can do things you'd never thought you could do, like convince
a large Swedish farmer to pretend to be the Great Gatsby,
turn a sea of sad, serious, repressed Belgian teen-agers into
a Calvin Klein ad, and drive from Geneva to London in a day
and still feel like going out clubbing that evening.
- You will experience a specific new sort of head-ache caused
by 60 Dutch children shouting at you in huge excitement at
8.00 in the morning having all eaten a breakfast of chocolate
spread.
- You will encounter a large number of fantastic, beautiful
people and fall in love.
- You will encounter a small number of total dickheads.
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