Joseph Bryant: 'Know your worth'

I was 16 when I got my first job at Pleasance Theatre in Islington. The opportunity came about during an interview to join the Young Pleasance company as the lighting associate and operator for The Red Shoes that we would be taking to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018.

At the end of my interview, the associate producer at the time, Heather Rose, asked if I would be interested in some work experience with the Pleasance London technical team.

On my first day of work experience with Nick Ward, the technical and production manager at the time, I rigged some lanterns and helped with the focus for a show going into the main house. I was so excited and enamoured with being able to work backstage in a theatre that I wasn’t too nervous.

At the end of the day Nick invited me to come and work at Pleasance as part of the casual technician pool. I was really surprised and didn’t believe him at first, but after some reassurance we began to talk through the next steps of getting me inducted into the venues and how to invoice for my work as I had never done that before.

A valuable part of that moment was when he asked how much I would like to be paid. I didn’t understand the financial side of the industry at the time or how much to expect to be paid in different circumstances, so I wasn’t able to give him an answer. He then told me to “know my worth”, and I think that is great advice for anyone thinking of getting into the theatre industry.

Knowing my worth is something I continue to work on today. Learning to balance the value of the opportunity with how well you are being compensated is a constantly changing mark, but the higher your awareness of your value, the further you can thrive in the industry.

I would suggest to anyone looking at starting a career in this industry to not be afraid to reach out and talk to people; we are all here to help each other do what we love.

CV Joseph Bryant

Age: 20
Training: the BRIT School, Production Arts; Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, BA (hons) Lighting Design (in progress)
Theatre includes: As show staff: Mamma Mia! The Party (O2), Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych), The Book of Dust (Bridge Theatre). As a designer: Cinderella (Aylesbury Waterside), Emilia (BRIT Theatre), Lion in the Streets (Webber Douglas)
Other credits: Lighting systems for the Royal Opera House; Staging Places exhibition for the Victoria and Albert Museum