Andrew Ellis 

What were you doing before lockdown happened?
I was a lighting designer and technical manager for BalletBoyz and we’d just started a UK national tour that was due to go on until May. We’d just finished our dates at Leicester Curve, and Phantom of the Opera was playing alongside us in the main space and we were in the studio. We were all huddled together in this venue, anticipating what was to come, and sure enough, the lockdown came. When it happened, it was all-consuming; there was a massive feeling of emptiness. I’d just been hoping against hope that it wouldn’t go as far as it did.

What did you do next?
I’m one of those people who just needs to be occupied. So, two weeks after lockdown, I got the Tesco delivery driver job and I did it for six months and finished at the beginning of September.

Did your theatre experience help you in the role?
We’re used to working long hours and going beyond the job description. Certainly, I never returned to a depot without delivering everything. Especially in those earlier days, seeing how dependent some of those people were, including those who were shielding or had young children. I really felt for them and it was an eye-opener to see how much people were depending on those deliveries, so you would go above and beyond to get them done. In the same way, generally speaking, we go above and beyond to put on a show. We stay those extra hours, we work those long shifts and we make it happen. So I think probably the desire to get it done and creative problem-solving to some extent – although there’s a process and you’ve got to stick to it, so there’s less creative freedom.

Have you done any creative work since lockdown?
I was really lucky that somebody I’d worked with before said the Drive In cinema [at Troubadour Meridian Water] in north London, which opened in July, needed somebody to design the side lighting, which I did, and then they needed someone to stay on and be technical manager. Originally that was only meant to go on through the summer, but people need to feel like there’s something they can do collectively together, even if it is in a socially distanced way. And we’re carrying on until the end of the year – local lockdowns withstanding – so hopefully that’s enabled me to step back from Tesco and do something closer to what I’ve built up a career in.

CV Andrew Ellis

Training: BA (hons) Theatre Practice, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2002-05)
First professional role: Followspotting the summer season at Cromer Pier (1999)
Agent: None

Visit: andrewellislx.com