Working in a London West End Theatre

Greta Geci

I am a 22-year-old Albanian working in a west-end theatre. I have had nearly 3 years of experience here, having worked part-time during uni, and now whilst I’m trying to find a full-time job fit for my degree, which is in History and English. I have watched around 34 different shows since I've started working there, and have worked for about 14 of them.

Having worked for 14 different productions, I can confidently say this job has taught me a lot. With each show, you're taught different ways of communication, resourcefulness and teamwork. There is a lot to know, and a lot to do. The biggest scaling production we’ve probably had has been Romeo and Juliet, adapted by Jamie Lloyd, famously starring Tom Holland. A few other ones we’ve had have been Barcelona, with Alvoro Morte and Lily Collins, as well as Enemy of the People with Matt Smith and Vanya with Andrew Scott. Working here is always exciting and I’m always looking forward to what is coming next. Though with terrible working hours and lack of hours to go around, it’s not always the most convenient job, especially in terms of socialising after typical working hours.

Though I have spent a lot of time in this theatre, I would definitely say I’m ready to progress further into something that is more aligned with my degree. I’m in a bit of a merry-go-round, and essentially have either too many ideas of what I want to get into, or I’m in a constant state of not knowing where I want to end up. In saying this, I had an epiphany over the summer, in which I did a lot of reflecting on who I am to my core, how do I present myself, and with this I started to look at myself as a British Albanian in an art field, and understand that we are severely underrepresented in film, screen and theatre. Since working in theatre, I have not met a single Albanian working either as front of house or back of house, despite the rising population of Albanians living in London. It can be isolating at times, knowing you’ve invested so much of your time and energy into something that you feel like you’re not truly a part of. So during the summer, I had the idea to write a script based solely around a girl and her role as a 20-year-old working girl in the arts. It’s a contemporary; written to explore the themes of self identity, self exploration and the role that culture and surroundings has in playing a part in your upbringing.

I do hope that both my passion for writing and my degree help me progress this further and gives me the opportunity to direct it, and portray Albanian culture in a different light to what we’re usually used to seeing. Other than script-writing and working in theatre, I have also thought of ways in which I could put my degree to use, and instead go down a very pragmatic, diplomatic, politics route in my career. I’ve always said I wanted to help people, and it never truly mattered what I wanted other than this sole factor. Whether I’m helping refugees from third world countries, housing immigrants, or working in embassies, my role wouldn’t matter as long as I’ve helped make a change. I’m currently embarking on a journey of self-discipline, discovery and understanding, and I can only hope I do find something that will fulfil my purpose; whatever it may be.

So, finally, after three years I’ve come to the realisation that eventhough I have loved working in theatre and would recommend people who are aspiring actors to do the same, I know it’s not where I want to end up working full time, but I definitely see myself writing playscripts and even directing something in the near future. I knew it was finally time to leave once I realised I felt I had learnt all that I needed to and needed to make progress for my career, rather than do something that was convenient for me at the time. It’s finally time to move on from being a front of house member in theatre, though I am very grateful and appreciative of having managed to be a part of something so big.