JOHNATHAN PIKE - Technical / Lighting

Johnathan started with CHTC on the 1998 Town Show,  Fiddler on the Roof, as a junior member of the lighting crew.  Over the next 8 years he became a significant part of the team responsible for lighting 24 CHTC and HTC productions, including 9 Town Shows.  He was lighting designer for 17 of these, the last of which was Flower Drum Song in 2006.  (*See bottom of page for a full list!)

Johnathan says "This was effectively the starting point of my career and it  gave me the ‘grass roots’ technical knowledge and theatrical experience I am still calling on today. Doing the shows also taught me about the  ‘behind the scenes’ areas of the theatre.  A particular credit must go to John Miles who, when I began, taught me the basics of lighting, so fundamental in my everyday work."

After GCSE’s at JoG school he moved to Park House in Newbury and used the skills learnt at CHTC to bring new lighting, sound and technical ideas to a school with limited experience. During his time there he also helped design & stage manage shows that were taken to the Newbury Corn Exchange.  

After A-levels Johnathan continued at Park House for a year as their technician as he saved towards University. In 2004 he started his degree at Bretton Hall, the University of Leeds specialist drama campus. These would give him some of the most exciting years of his technical development. "There I learned to take the practical skills, and basic principles of design I had been developing at CHTC and direct them to create complex designs and use them in a professional environment. "

Says Johnathan "It was only because of my experience with CHTC that I was able to get on to the degree course in the first place.  I was then because of that experience I had the technical skills to take on a job as house technician for the universities new theatre.  This gave me the unique opportunity to work with every show in the venue; from theatre, to music, dance and conferences. This wealth of experience has now enabled me to work as a professional technician."

It is very rare for anybody to point a camera at a working technician so we can't show you much of Johnathan in action.  However, the three pictures on this page show examples of Johnathan's technical lighting work whilst at university.

At university Johnathan also gained experience in the professional world with work placements at the Royal National Theatre in London and helping the university tour shows to the Cartridge Works Theatre in Leeds.  It was also at University that Johnathan meet his Fiancée, who is also a technician.  He insisted she come down to work together with him on his final two shows for CHTC and we were happy to see her in Hungerford.  

Completing a degree course whilst working for the university was not easy. "The days were often long, and tiring, but if CHTC had taught me anything it was that theatre is like that. You often spend long hours (or even days) getting something right, but the satisfaction when you hear an audience give a resounding applause to show on which you have been an integral part, that makes all the hard work worthwhile".  However this commitment did mean that Johnathan had to miss out on the Town Show during his final  year in order to concentrate on his performance work.  

Graduate jobs as a "tech" are plentiful, but good ones that pay well are not, particularly if you want to work anything like normal hours and, as in Johnathan's case,  you need a job for yourself and one nearby for your partner.  Johnathan started as a hire technician with the company ‘Northern Light’. The work involved sending equipment to organisations like CHTC and working on events.  It meant a move up to Scotland and, with it, the end of his days with CHTC. Johnathan also realised that theatre really is a small world: his boss turned out to be a very old friend and colleague of CHTC’s very own David Clayton! 

Since starting with Northern Light Johnathan has progressed to a good position within the department and ensures that customers shows, events, weddings and conferences happen flawlessly.  Recently, he even organised the lighting for the closing night of the NODA annual conference and he often helps groups just like CHTC throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK.  

Archaeologists believe that the pair of legs standing on the tower to the left of this photo may well belong to Johnathan Pike as he rigs lights for Flower Drum Song in 2006.

If any one at CHTC is interested in the technical side of Theatre and wants any advice etc, Johnathan has kindly agreed to help them.  Just contact the webmaster for his contact details.  Johnathan says "I remember when I was looking for careers / general advice on the subject it was really hard to find so I will be pleased to help".

We will keep this page updated with Johnathan's progress and wish him the best of luck for the future.

* Johnathan's full list of lighting Credits with CHTC and HTC includes: Fiddler on the Roof, Curse of the Werewolf, Barnum, Party Piece, Cinderella, Oliver & Scrooge.  For the following shows he also took on the role of Lighting Designer: Henry Hereafter, Sleeping Beauty, Whoops-a-daisy Angel, You, Me & Mrs Jones, Daisy Pulls it Off, Once A Catholic, Salad Days, Card Play, Cinderella, Hoodwinked, Happy as a Sandbag, Alice, Annie Get Your Gun, Ritual For Dolls, The Gut Girls, The Piper and Flower Drum Song.