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Application Pack: Resident Technician
Resident Technician
Magdalen College School in collaboration with Oxford Playhouse is offering an opportunity for a talented,
ambitious technician. The post holder will undertake a wide variety of duties, with opportunities for
mentoring and training at Oxford Playhouse. A certain level of expertise is expected in lighting, sound, setbuilding and stage management, but it is likely that the Technician will have more experience in some of
these areas than others.
There may be the opportunity for additional shift work for Oxford Playhouse, to be remunerated
separately.
Main tasks and responsibilities:
The Technician will work closely with the Head of Drama and Associate Director to maintain and develop
the artistic and professional standards of Magdalen College School drama productions during the school
year.
The Technician will support all school productions as required. This will typically involve:
 Liaising with the director (and Head of Drama as applicable) about the schedules of key rehearsals
and performances, as well as get-ins, get-outs and any other necessary considerations;
 Liaising with the maintenance department about the use and set-up of performance spaces, taking
into account other school business;
 In conjunction with the director and producer, costing the technical aspects of each show;
 Overseeing (usually with pupil collaboration) lighting and sound designs, taking into account
budgets and facilities;
 Overseeing set design and construction, sometimes (on larger shows) in collaboration with a
professional designer. Where possible, set construction will be completed without hiring in external
labour.
 Assisting the producer and/or designer with the construction/sourcing of props and other materials
 Overseeing, with the director, the technical and dress rehearsals, and ensuring smooth running of all
technical aspects of performances (often in a supervisory capacity, while pupils operate);
 Overseeing the get-in and get-out for each show, in conjunction with the maintenance department
where relevant. This may often be over weekends;
 In conjunction with the producer, creating up-to-date risk assessments for each show, and
continually assessing the risks associated with performances spaces and sets.
We would also expect the Technician to provide support and coaching for pupils interested in developing
their technical skills over the course of the academic year. This would involve running a weekly lunchtime
or after-school club, as well as undertaking the supervisory role in school productions as detailed above.
There will also be the opportunity to devise and deliver a number of technical workshops as part of the
MCS Drama Academy programme, which takes place on Saturday mornings. The school is developing a
relationship with the Pegasus theatre, and is planning to offer pupils the opportunity to work towards a
technical theatre qualification through the Academy.
The Technician will be expected to maintain the technical equipment in Big School (proposing
improvements where necessary) and ensure that the backstage and under-stage area is kept tidy, safe and
usable, including regular maintenance of the props area and dressing rooms.
About Magdalen College School
Magdalen College School, Oxford and Oxford Playhouse have collaborated for six years in offering a
Residency programme for early-career directors and producers, and have more recently extended the
programme to include an Outreach and Participation Assistant.
Magdalen College School, founded in 1480 by William of Waynflete, is one of the country’s leading
independent day schools. Situated in an enviable location at the heart of Oxford beside the river Cherwell
the school has an excellent reputation for academic, sporting and artistic success. Magdalen College
School educates boys from 7-18 and girls as well as boys in the Sixth Form. Further details can be found on
the website: www.mcsoxford.org
The school has a long tradition of interest in drama, extending back at least to the 17th century. In recent
times, it has been particularly keen to explore and consolidate this tradition. Recent former pupils include
directors John Caird and Sam Mendes.
In expanding all aspects of its extra-curricular tradition over the past six years, the school has increasingly
involved professional experts. MCS’s inaugural performance at Oxford Playhouse took place in July 2012.
This was an adaptation of Aeneid: The Journey by RSC Associate Artist Joanne Pearce Noble, who continues
her close collaboration with Drama at MCS. This production met with great critical acclaim, and was
followed by the world premiere of an adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies in 2013, of
Tennyson’s Idylls of the King in 2014, of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in 2015, and Kenneth
Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows in 2016
Drama thrives at the school. One production per year now transfers to the Edinburgh Fringe. The success
of the 2011 Edinburgh production, Pinter’s Celebration, was sufficient to persuade the playwright’s widow,
Lady Antonia Fraser, to speak about her former husband at the school in 2012. Other regular productions
include a main school play (most recently A Doll’s House and Time and the Conways), an annual Greek play
(most recently Hippolytus, The Bacchae and Ajax) and a school musical (recently 1917 – a new piece written
for the school – and Cabaret).
There is a diversity of other productions, for pupils of all age groups, including plenty of opportunities for
pupils to help with the technical aspects of theatre. Two productions a year take place in the Burton Taylor
studio at the Playhouse, one of which transfers to Edinburgh. Since September 2011, a Drama Academy
has taken place on Saturday mornings, and outside teachers deliver LAMDA lessons to about 60 pupils.
The school is committed to fostering creative and cultural opportunities within the wider community, and
hosts an annual Arts Festival in June-July each year which forms a particular focus for its partnership work.
In 2016, Festival projects have involved over 2800 children from 45 Oxfordshire schools, as well as a range
of community arts groups. Recent community engagement projects with a theatrical focus have included
workshops for primary school children in connection with the 2016 production of The Wind in the Willows,
a production of Catherine Johnson’s play A Letter to Lacey by vulnerable young people living in Oxfordshire
as part of the National Theatre Connections scheme, storytelling workshops with Crisis Skylight and
Restore, and collaborations with The Oxford Academy in 2014 and 2015 to create devised pieces of theatre
under the direction of Oxford Playhouse Associate Artist Ben Park. In 2015, the Festival will host Direct
Roots: A Theatre-makers’ Symposium, which aims to support young professionals making their way in the
world of theatre.
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The Magdalen College School theatre is the School Hall (Big School) which has recently been improved. It
also has a large dance studio, which doubles as a rehearsal space. There is also a diversity of other auditoria
available in the city, and in the University.
Based at:
Magdalen College School
Reports to:
Tim Knowles, Bursar, MCS
Line Manager:
Alex Thomas, Head of Drama
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Applying for the post of Resident Technician
Terms: The post will be a full time position, starting as soon as possible.
Normal working hours will be 9am – 4pm. It is additionally expected that the technician will be available
when necessary for evening and weekend work, for instance during production weeks for school shows or
in association with the school’s Theatre Academy, as part of their contractual commitment.
Salary: In the region of £17,000 pa (full time), depending on experience. In addition, there is the possibility
of additional shift work for Oxford Playhouse, which would be separately remunerated on an hourly rate.
Probationary Period: Six months
Holiday: 30 days pro rata paid holiday each year, plus normal UK public holidays, reflects the occasional
anti social hours necessarily required in drama production and performances. Holidays may only be taken
during the school's published holiday dates and by prior consent of his/her line manager.
Applications:
The application form is an important part of the selection process. To ensure fairness to all applicants, any
decision to shortlist you for interview will be based solely on the information you supply on your
application form. Ensure you read the job description and person specification before you start to
complete the form. It is important you give as much information as relevant regarding why you wish to
apply and what makes you a suitable applicant.
Magdalen College School is committed to the safeguarding of children and young people, and the
successful candidate will be required to undergo statutory safeguarding checks before the commencement
of his/her employment. Due to the nature of this post:
1) Self Disclosure: all applicants will be required to complete a self-disclosure statement.
2) Full DBS enhanced disclosure will be required in the event of an individual being offered the
position: the candidate will be required to produce necessary documentation for the processing of
a DBS check, details of which will be provided if we invite you to interview.
Completed applications
[email protected] .
should
be
emailed
to
Recruitment
Officer,
Mrs
Sarah
Hunter:
Applications should arrive no later than 12 noon 7 November.
Interviews will be held week commencing 14 November. If you do not hear from us, (usually within 7
working days of the closing date), unfortunately, on this occasion you have been unsuccessful.
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Application Form
(Private and Confidential)
Title of Post applied for: Technician
Personal Details
Name:
Email:
Address:
Phone Day:
Mobile:
Postcode:
All Applicants must read and sign the following declaration. It will be considered a formal document.
MCS Appointments Procedures conform to the provisions of this Act as well as to Guidelines recommended
by the Disclosure & Barring Service. Further details of these procedures are available on the school website
and applicants should note that a criminal record is not necessarily a bar to obtaining a position at the
school. In order to secure the safest possible environment for children in the school’s care all employees
are required to receive Enhanced Disclosure and random checks may be made with previous employers in
order to verify the details provided on this form. If you know of any reason why you should not be
successful in securing such a disclosure, you should declare it in the box below.
Supplementary Details Box
Declaration
I declare that
 All details provided by me as any part of this application are true and correct
 I have not been disqualified from working with children
 I am not on DFES List 99 or the Protection of Children Act List
 I know of no reason why I should not be eligible for this post and able to carry out my duties if
appointed.
Signed and submitted:
(Electronic signature acceptable)
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Date:
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Theatre Work:
1. Please detail examples of projects you have most recently worked on that you consider most relevant.
Ensure in your detail you specify: the title, role, professional/amateur and where performed.
2. Choose one piece of theatre you have seen that has inspired you and write up 300 words about it.
3. If you could work as part of the technical team for any production, what would be, and why? (Max 500
words)
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4. Why are you interested in this opportunity? (Max 200 words)
5. Education & Training
Please list education undertaken, qualifications obtained and training received. Please also include
membership of any professional organisations.
6. References:
Please give the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two people who may be contacted in respect
of your application. One should be your current employer. Where you are not currently working with
children but have done so in the past, one referee must be from the employer by whom you were most
recently employed in work with children. We do not accept references from relatives or referees writing
solely in the capacity of friends.
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