De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) graduate Adele Robinson has fought off fierce competition to secure a place on the graduate scheme with Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the dominant force in British theatre.
FIRST: Adele (centre) celebrates her First Class Honours at graduation ceremony at Curve Theatre, Leicester
Adele, who achieved First Class Honours in Arts and Festival Management, landed herself one of just two positions on the scheme that had 255 initial applicants nationwide.
ATG own and run 39 venues in the UK and internationally. They have a huge presence in London’s West End and run the Lyric Theatre (formerly Foxwoods), one of the biggest performance venues in Broadway, New York. ATG has also just announced the acquisition of the lease and management of the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia.
The first six months of the scheme will see Adele learning the trade by working alongside managers at an ATG-run theatre in Milton Keynes, before her attentions shift to London where her duties will be split between the company’s head office and helping out in designated host West End theatre.
Her final year will consist of two specialist placements, developing her skills and knowledge before she looks for a full-time job within the company, possibly as a manager herself.
“It’s going to help me massively,” said Adele, who had always been interested in performance and dance before developing in an interest in the backstage side of things as she grew up.
“They run all the theatres themselves, so seeing all the different areas of management will give me a wealth of knowledge. It sounds like a bit of a cliché but the world really will be my oyster afterwards; I’ll be able to go anywhere so it’s really exciting.”
One area where Adele believes she had the edge over the many other applicants was the practical nature of the course at DMU, which she firmly believes stood her in good stead.
She added: “I think the balance between theoretical study and the practical side, with so many opportunities to put theory from the seminars into practice, that was really important.
“Then the lecturers really encourage you to go out and get more experience; that push really helped me to get the job.”
Following such an intensive process for ATG to whittle down the original 275 applicants to just two successful candidates, Adele admits she is still getting over the shock of her achievement.
She said: “I was just in utter shock, I’d been panicking all day. I really didn’t expect it because I’d seen some of the talent I was up against at the assessment and interview days.
“I’m just extremely shocked but over the moon as well. I think I ran around in circles for about 15 minutes when I heard!”
Despite her remarkable achievement, Adele says she had a fantastic time at DMU, even going as far as saying she’d repeat her three years.
“The time spent at DMU was absolutely incredible. I would do it all over again, I honestly would.
“I would recommend it to anyone.”
Posted on Wednesday 5 August 2015