Final Apprentice Entry - Highlights & Aspirations

As my apprenticeship comes to an end, I'm able to look back and reflect on all of the highlights and experience I've gained from working as OperaUpClose's Trainee Producer. The apprenticeship as a whole has enabled me grow as an individual and a professional, allowing me to learn and build knowledge in areas such as; Event research/ planning, logistics, commercial awareness, delegate management, sustainability regulations, EDI, H&S and etc.

I have had the opportunity to learn and become skilled in so many different areas through working with OperaUpClose, and although the apprenticeship as a whole has helped me get to this point, I would like to talk about some specific key moments that I feel have really allowed me to develop as a professional.

Working as ASM - Productions and Workshops

I have assisted on a multitude of events for OUC, whether that was smaller workshops or as backstage crew for our productions, however I have mostly enjoyed being able to work behind the scenes on our 'OperaCocktail' tour as our Assistant Stage Manager. As someone who has had no experience in stage management prior to this role, I have found it such an exciting experience being able to take on the roles and responsibilities and run the show behind the scenes, alongside understanding how the tech is ran and what goes into making productions run smoothly. In addition to becoming experienced in this, it will also help me when applying for a wider range of jobs in the future.

Credits as ASM:

Ventnor Fringe Festival (‘OperaCocktail’ production/ Isle of Wight), Youth Choir Recordings Session (Working with primary school choirs in the recording of ‘LBOTM’/ Solent University),  rehearsal periods (‘OperaCocktail’ rehearsals/London), and ‘OperaCocktail’ Autumn tour (Riverside Studios, London/The Spring, Bridport). 

Marketing - Creating Content

Since joining OperaUpClose I have worked closely with the Creative Campaigns Producer's to help create digital content for social media - including taking ownership of the TikTok from the start of my apprenticeship. Between October 2024 - January 2025 we were having a transition of marketing managers, and due to my experience and knowledge, I took on the role for those 3 - 4 months where I held responsibility over all social media accounts, our website, newsletters, and marketing strategies for upcoming shows. During this time I was also given the opportunity to create a trailer/ advertisement video in support of our 'The Big Give Christmas Challenge' campaign in which I had to promote and encourage people to donate to us during a 2 week span in December.

I enjoyed doing this so much because I could really show off my creative expression and was able to prove my creativity and techniques through promoting our content. I am so thankful for the opportunity to fill this role even for a few months, and I continued to help the Creative Campaigns Producer once they started in January. However, this experience mostly taught me that Marketing and Creative Campaigns is something I am really passionate about and is definitely an area I will be looking for in potential future job roles.

Insightful Courses

Alongside general IHasco online courses supplied by Artswork, I have been able to attend a few courses online/ in person which OperaUpClose enabled me to get involved with.

One of these being an extremely insightful CopyWriting course based on and around marketing strategies and different ways to attract more audience engagement online. The course involved me joining a conference zoom call with hundreds of different marketing associates from different theatre and arts organisations across the uk. The day consisted of a few talks from top marketers from 'Shakespeares Globe' and 'The National Theatre', strategists who spoke about different platforms and media tactics for socials, and people giving tips around what content is more accessible and inclusive to audiences.

As someone who wants to eventually work in this field, this course was extremely helpful and gave me a whole new perspective on the world of marketing and the knowledge that goes behind it.

Another course I was involved in was an in-person sustainability project that came to the MAST. I found the day extremely interesting and found out more than I thought I already new, widening my perspective on the smaller issues that overall effect our climate and the environment. After learning so many things around maintaining sustainability for our ecosystem, I have taken it upon myself to make changes in my personal and professional life to ensure that I am making as less damage to the environment as possible.

Although i've only added a few highlights from my experience as an apprentice, the entirety of the course has been an incredible opportunity for myself which I am utterly grateful that i've been able to pursue and complete. Without sounding too cheesy, I have everything to thank for being given this role alongside the apprenticeship with the Artswork team.

I have always seen myself as a creative individual with high aspirations, but have never known where to start when it comes to making a sustainable lifestyle out of these interests. For a majority of time, as someone who wasn't able to go to university or even finish A Levels, I assumed for the longest time that due to my previous mental health I would no longer have the opportunity to work in the creative industry. As someone with ADHD and other previous issues, I have found it difficult to work previously and it has overall affected my mental wellbeing, however this position has offered me so much (it almost seemed too good to be true!) that has overall changed my life for the better, mentally, physically, and professionally.

I will be taking everything i've learned through this apprenticeship and using it to benefit myself for the rest of my career. Thanks to the OperaUpClose team, I have been able to work in a multitude of different fields and explore different creative paths which I could go down in the future. I have been able to work intimately with a wonderful small team that have helped shaped me to the person I am now, where they have trusted and supported me through my passions, and I have easily felt safe and comfortable within a lovely work environment.

There have been moments where I have felt challenged and pushed to my limits, however through the good and bad I have always stayed resilient and mindful due to the incredible support from both OperaUpClose and Artswork, ensuring I complete all work to the highest possible standard despite any and all pressures. Reflecting on the person I was prior to this apprenticeship, i'm mostly proud of my growth as an individual and I am so excited to see what the future brings / the next steps in both my professional and personal life.

Thank you to Artswork and OperaUpClose for believing in me and helping me reach this point!

As a final note - I would 100% recommend the course to any and all creative people who don't know where to start in their careers and want to learn and work in a fun, fast paced environment. This truly has been a life changing experience!