Backstage Academy consistently secures work placement opportunities for our students at ‘Glasto’, the world’s favourite festival. Our students work in a wide range of different roles across the 5-day event, including The BBC Introducing Stage, The Other Stage, Block9, Shangri-La, William’s Green and The Park. Gaining experience at this world-leading event is an experience our students remember for years to come.
Virtual Open Day - Work Opportunities
Gain experience across the UK and beyond
Whilst the current COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the live events industry, we firmly believe that our industry will resurface and events will return. When it does, the next generation of live events professionals will be vital to drive the recovery of the industry forward and create the experiences we are renowned for the world over.
Through our work opportunities programme, when events return, there will be many opportunities for you to gain invaluable experience and get paid across Production Park, the UK and beyond - from live music, festivals and theatre, to motorsport, corporate and experiential events.
You could be managing a stage, creating content, operating a lighting/sound desk, liaising with artists, projection mapping a building, helping with logistics or assisting with set construction to name a few. Most importantly you will get to work alongside industry professionals and learn from them in real-life environments.
Here’s a taster of past work opportunities
Year-on-year we build upon our industry connections so our students gain unrivalled experience at exciting events across the globe.
GLASTONBURY
IBIZA ROCKS
Our students regularly jet off to Ibiza to work with the island’s leading live music promoter, with acts such as Royal Blood, Stormzy, Clean Bandit, Bastille, Jess Glynn, Rudimental and Craig David headlining sets at the venue. Backstage Academy students have been placed in key positions at the festival including stage manager, front of house engineer, stage crew, production office assistant and video technician.
Summer 2019 at Ibiza Rocks Hotel
BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND
The annual festival, brought to you by BBC Radio 1, has been around for over 15 years and goes to a different location every year. Each year we have students working on the In New Music We Trust stage in a variety of production roles, from artist liaison officers and transport managers to stage hands and load-in/ load-out crew. The festival attracts a wide selection of well-known bands and is the biggest free ticketed music event in Europe.
GRØN KONCERT, DENMARK
Backstage Academy students from across all our courses travelled to Denmark in the summers of 2015, 2016 and 2017 to join the production team for Grøn Koncert, a show that moves from city to city, starting and finishing in Copenhagen. The students became fully integrated members of the crew as they rose to the challenge of setting up, running and taking down a stage and set every 24 hours for 8 shows. Students worked in a range of roles, including sound, lighting, crewing, logistics, stage management, hospitality and concessions.
HEAR FROM OUR ALUMNI
Studying at Backstage Academy allowed me to meet industry professionals and get amazing work opportunities. I was also really well supported throughout my degree. Since then, I’ve gone on to work on some incredible events such as Leeds & Reading Festivals, the One Love Manchester concert and Jeff lynne’s ELO tour.