During our time in the crewing industry, we have had the opportunity to work at countless venues across the country. The purpose of our meet the venue series is to shine a light on the amazing venues that we have worked with while showcasing the skills of the Gallowglass team.
This month, we’ll be taking a look at the Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury to get to know the venue a little better and the sort of events that take place here.
A Brief History
The historic town of Shrewsbury is just a few miles from the England-Wales border, with the nearest large city being Birmingham, roughly an hours’ drive away. Despite being cloaked in heritage, the Theatre Severn is a relatively new structure, having recently been completed in 2009.
Before this venue, the town had been in dire need of a large, well-equipped performance space, with locals and visitors often exceeding the demand and capacity of older venues in the town. The Music Hall and the Old Market Hall were (and are) both very popular venues, but the need remained for a new space. Additionally, the continued success of these local venues gave legs to the idea of a new venue, showing that there was a real demand within the town for this development. After roughly two and a half years of construction, beginning in November 2006, the theatre opened its doors. As a testament to its success, they sold their one-millionth ticket in November 2015.
Nowadays, the theatre is a staple for many touring performers, allowing people from the west of England and North Wales to see live acts that they may have otherwise missed. Musicians, comedians, dance and theatre shows all stop off at Theatre Severn while touring, with big names such as Jack Dee, Ross Noble and Chris Ramsey all gracing the stage. The location is also popular with touring tribute bands, with Led Zeppelin, Queen and The Shadows all having their tracks recreated in a live setting.
Gallowglass at Theatre Severn
Gallowglass has had the opportunity to work with the venue since its opening in 2009. Over the last ten years, the crew have worked on 117 jobs, typically averaging one per month. During this time, the various teams have accrued over 3000 working hours, and over 500 crew have worked at this location.
Over the years, the teams have worked on a number of productions and supported varying roles within each. Our team at Gallowglass have a diverse range of skills, meaning we can dispatch crew with relevant skill sets where necessary. No matter the job requirement, whether this is building stages and sets, wiring and electrical tasks or managing the visual and audio aspect of the performance, we have crew capable of supporting. We also have qualified banksmen to ensure loading and unloading is stress-free!
Some of the highlights of our jobs here over the years have been:
Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – 2010
Blood Brothers – 2011
Peter Pan on Ice – 2011
Brit Floyd – 2012
The Mousetrap – 2014
Jeeves and Wooster – 2015
The Sound of Music – 2016
The Full Monty – 2017
Evita! – 2018
Birmingham Royal Ballet – 2019
Cabaret – 2019
If you think you have the skillset to work for the Gallowglass team, then why not get in touch here? No matter where you are in the country, we’re constantly on the lookout for new members to join our event crew! You can find out more about us by checking out our blog here!
