Apprentices Appointed By Trafalgar Entertainment And Stagecoach Performing Arts

Trafalgar Entertainment and Stagecoach Performing Arts have appointed two apprentices as part of a pilot apprenticeship scheme intended to give people a chance to develop skills, gain experience and open up opportunities in the theatre and entertainment industry

Shane Darrall, 28, joins Trafalgar Entertainment as Technical Apprentice and will be based at Trafalgar Studios in the West End. Prior to Trafalgar Entertainment, Shane worked at The Royal Court Theatre, The Playhouse in Derry and as a freelance DSM/sound engineer at a variety of venues throughout Ireland.

Fagner Melo Vilela, 37, is joining the Events Team at Stagecoach Performing Arts where he will work from the company's shared headquarters with Trafalgar Entertainment in Woking. Fagner studied at the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás and has previous work experience at Park Plaza County Hall in London and Costa Cruises in Genoa, Italy.

The apprenticeships are being delivered in partnership with the National College of Creative Industries (NCCI), which is dedicated to developing emerging talent in backstage skills and related sector needs, responding to the sector skills gap. The NCCI already works with an impressive list of entertainment industry employers, such as Royal Opera House, Live Nation, 02 and Royal Court Theatre, on delivering successful apprenticeships.

Shane said, "I am extremely pleased to have been offered the apprenticeship at Trafalgar Studios. I have been involved in the performing arts since 2009 working in a variety of roles and I feel the apprenticeship will be a fantastic opportunity to further my technical ability in theatre and the performing arts. I studied Audio Engineering at SAE London so I am excited to learn a completely new set of skills and widen my technical knowledge as a whole. I'm excited to see where it will take me in the future."

Fagner commented, "I am excited about working in the performing arts industry because I get a real buzz myself of watching live music, dance or theatrical performances. I am very keen to be in the Stagecoach learning environment because I will be surrounded by students who are also driven to learn and excited about their field, and it will be very rewarding to help deliver their Great Performances and see the excitement they get from it too."

Martin Scorer, Theatre Manager at Trafalgar Studios, said: "This new position attracted a great deal of interest and a large number of applications were evaluated by both the NCCI and the theatre itself before a select number of candidates were invited to interview. We are delighted that Shane has agreed to join our team and very much look forward to working with him."

Matt Clark, Head of Performance and Production at Stagecoach Performing Arts, added: "We are delighted to welcome Fagner to the events team. Having an apprentice really shows the commitment of Stagecoach and Trafalgar Entertainment in nurturing new and upcoming talent in the industry. Working with the National College of Creative Industries for his apprenticeship will really give Fagner a great grounding into the creative industry for his 2-year apprenticeship."

To post a comment, you must register and login.