Kate Collins Interview: Relationship with Staff, & Customers, plus Panto Goosebumps!
Title
Kate Collins Interview: Relationship with Staff, & Customers, plus Panto Goosebumps!
Date
21 January 2019
Description
Oral history interview with Kate Collins, Operations Director for the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall.
What's the story?
Having worked at theatres in Wolverhampton and Sheffield, Kate Collins started work at the Theatre Royal in 2001 as Front of House Manager.
As Operations Director for the venue, she now occupies a senior role, overseeing what she has described as “everything that doesn’t happen on the stage”. This includes managing front of house, security and cleaning teams, as well as involvement in conferences and events.
Describing herself as “a people person”, in this interview Kate talks about the good, informal relationships she has with staff and how this same connection is made with customers.
This is particularly enhanced during the Pantomime season, in which she recollects her own childhood memories.
I’m essentially a people person and we have quite a good relationship with our staff in the sense that it’s not too formal, it’s not kowtowing every time somebody walks past that you know is your boss or anything like that. It’s a very friendly place to work. And so you make that connection with the staff, but obviously you’re making that connection with the customers, who actually are the people that you’re doing it for at the end of the day. And you interact with them and obviously you’ve got your badge on or you’re looking like you know what you’re doing and they approach you and say “can you tell me the toilets are?” or “can you tell me what time it finishes?” or whatever and straightaway you’re immediately involved in their journey, that whole process of them coming to enjoy the show. And it’s great and Panto, I’m saying that because it’s been the most recent show and it’s just obviously recently finished, with the kids and that whole family demographic that you get in, it’s amazing because you suddenly do realise that it really is from nought to ninety. The appeal is huge and I love it. I’ve gone goosepimply talking about that now because that’s how it makes me feel: it makes me feel excited.
I remember, Panto’s probably quite synonymous with lots of people’s first foray into coming to see the theatre and when the bells go, the 3-minute bell for the start of the show, I used to be with my mum and dad and my brother and the family coming to see Panto and I used to get goosepimples going “Oh my God, the show’s going to start in a minute”, And I used to be so excited and that “smell of the greasepaint and roar of the crowd” really is something that really gets people going and I get that just by talking to the customers from their reaction to what they came in to see. The kids’ reaction is one of the best because they’re joyous about everything. They laugh loudly, and talking and there’s a buzz about the place. So having shows that are like that and having audiences in makes the building come alive and that’s what it’s all about.
As Operations Director for the venue, she now occupies a senior role, overseeing what she has described as “everything that doesn’t happen on the stage”. This includes managing front of house, security and cleaning teams, as well as involvement in conferences and events.
Describing herself as “a people person”, in this interview Kate talks about the good, informal relationships she has with staff and how this same connection is made with customers.
This is particularly enhanced during the Pantomime season, in which she recollects her own childhood memories.
I’m essentially a people person and we have quite a good relationship with our staff in the sense that it’s not too formal, it’s not kowtowing every time somebody walks past that you know is your boss or anything like that. It’s a very friendly place to work. And so you make that connection with the staff, but obviously you’re making that connection with the customers, who actually are the people that you’re doing it for at the end of the day. And you interact with them and obviously you’ve got your badge on or you’re looking like you know what you’re doing and they approach you and say “can you tell me the toilets are?” or “can you tell me what time it finishes?” or whatever and straightaway you’re immediately involved in their journey, that whole process of them coming to enjoy the show. And it’s great and Panto, I’m saying that because it’s been the most recent show and it’s just obviously recently finished, with the kids and that whole family demographic that you get in, it’s amazing because you suddenly do realise that it really is from nought to ninety. The appeal is huge and I love it. I’ve gone goosepimply talking about that now because that’s how it makes me feel: it makes me feel excited.
I remember, Panto’s probably quite synonymous with lots of people’s first foray into coming to see the theatre and when the bells go, the 3-minute bell for the start of the show, I used to be with my mum and dad and my brother and the family coming to see Panto and I used to get goosepimples going “Oh my God, the show’s going to start in a minute”, And I used to be so excited and that “smell of the greasepaint and roar of the crowd” really is something that really gets people going and I get that just by talking to the customers from their reaction to what they came in to see. The kids’ reaction is one of the best because they’re joyous about everything. They laugh loudly, and talking and there’s a buzz about the place. So having shows that are like that and having audiences in makes the building come alive and that’s what it’s all about.
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Stephen Bray & Liz Mackenzie
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
