Eliott Sheppard
Eliott Sheppard was working as a freelance stage manager when theatres closed in March last year due to Covid. He tells Nuray Bulbul how he has adapted to his role in the NHS as a domestic assistant for Cheltenham General Hospital…
What were you doing before the pandemic began?
I was working as a freelance stage manager and I was also a casual front-of-house usher at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham. I was based in Gloucester and working a lot in London. I was managing a show every three or four weeks, and even more in some cases.
How has your theatre experience helped with your NHS role?
As a stage manager, it’s vital to adapt. When I moved over to the hospital, I had no difficulty in learning because of my adaptability. I received some great training and found it easy to get used to the surroundings. Obviously, I struggled with the actual situation. Luckily, at the moment, cases aren’t too bad in Gloucester. Some days can be really busy, with a lot of people coming in and out. I’m largely based in Covid A&E, which is where anyone with a high temperature goes.
Are there any similarities between working in a hospital and a theatre?
The teamwork and passion for work. We don’t have the best hours and your sleeping pattern can get a bit muddled, but the team morale is high during shifts. The main preparation for an influx in Covid patients has been keeping morale high within the team and ensuring everybody is looking after each other.
Have you done any creative work since the pandemic started?
Before the pandemic, I was doing some producing, as well as stage management. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a producer, it’s just something I like to do on the side. Throughout 2020, I was writing a piece called Hold of Me, for which I did a rehearsed reading at the end of November 2020 at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden. I had a cast of people I knew and a director I had never worked with. We all got together, and I was allowed to take some equipment from the hospital, such as masks, hand sanitiser and an ear-temperature gun. We streamed the rehearsed reading for 48 hours. I knew some of my friends did not have any creative work, so I wanted to make work for them. This piece of writing wasn’t Covid-related, but I wrote it throughout 2020 and I wanted to get something out because I hadn’t been in a theatre since March.
What advice do you have for other creatives?
Keep up an open conversation, because the best thing that has happened to me since the first lockdown is that I’ve found myself getting closer to my creative peers. It’s so nice to chat to people who are going through the same situation, although I don’t have many creative peers who have moved over to the hospital or to a different sector. I think it’s important to have that open conversation with other creatives – being that shoulder to cry on virtually and setting up Zoom quizzes. The thing about team morale in the hospital applies for the creative industries. Be open and talk to others.
CV Eliott Sheppard
Training: Theatre and Professional Practice BA at Coventry University (2014-17), Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (2018)
First professional role: Freelance stage manager (2018)
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