As a company, we know that one of our strongest assets is the people we employ. We’re very fortunate that our team is made up of individuals who are knowledgeable, experienced and share our passion to make performance spaces not only the safest they can be but help achieve their full potential. As such, we were delighted to recently welcome Matthew ‘Chilli’ Chillingworth to the company as a Technical Engineer. And whilst a lot of you will no doubt be seeing Matthew when he’s out and about visiting your venues, we thought this was a great opportunity to sit down with him and talk about his journey into the industry so far, where his particular passions lie, and what he expects from his role at Solutions On Stage.

Hi Matthew! So tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first get interested in the industry?

I was actually born in Hong Kong, before moving to the UK at aged 10. We settled in the village of Cheddar which isn’t a million miles away from Solutions On Stage’s current Bristol base. I suppose I first got interested in the industry during secondary school. I started studying drama in Year 9 and whilst I slowly realised that I wasn’t too interested in the acting side, the technical aspect was something that really appealed to me. I remember looking at how the lighting and audio worked and the impact this could have on a performance, as well as a space itself. After that, I soon found myself spending more time behind the stage than on it!

HOW DID YOU FOLLOW UP ON THIS INITIAL INTEREST?

The school drama classes were a great starting point but I was always keen to learn more. Outside of the lessons themselves, I was able to work on the big school productions, providing the technical support. By this point, I was fully bitten by the bug and so decided to join the Mark Youth Theatre which was a theatre club for youngsters and based at both the Princess Theatre in Burnham-On-Sea as well as the Strode Theatre in Street – two venues we both now service as a company! The more experience I gained, the more I realised how this was something I wanted to pursue when it came to my career. As such, following my A Levels, I put myself forward for an apprenticeship.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR APPRENTICESHIP!

I applied to become an Apprentice Electrician back in September 2020. The programme was everything I could have hoped for and allowed me to achieve a full installation and maintenance electrician qualification. My studies were very hands-on and I learned life-long skills such as how to install a dimmer, how to test equipment, how to fault-find, how to design, how to commission as well as how permanent wiring works in a performance space. As was the case during my school days, during this time, I was keen to continue expanding my knowledge hence outside of my apprenticeship, I also learned other skills such as permanent rigging, in-service appliance testing as well as other bits of production work which included building a stage, temporary rigging and supporting corporate events.

FOLLOWING yoUR APPRENTICESHIP, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL ROLE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY?

I was very fortunate that, once I finished my apprenticeship, I went straight into the full-time role of an AV Installation Electrician. This meant I was instantly able to put everything I’d learned to practical use and found myself spending a lot of time on site, whether this was a school LED upgrade package, venue servicing or lighting up the exterior architecture of a church. Having worked in that role for almost a year, an opportunity came up to join the team at Solutions On Stage – which felt like the next natural step to expand my knowledge and skills into other areas of the industry.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT SOLUTIONS ON STAGE?

The role of Technical Engineer is extremely versatile. One day, I can be taking part in an electrical install or a mechanical one then the next I can be making an initial site-visit or be on a call out to a long-term client. It’s a very front-facing role, which is important as we try and be as approachable with our customers as possible as we want them to be assured that it’s the same team and individuals working on their project from start to finish.

WHAT EXCITING JOBS HAVE YOU WORKED ON SO FAR AT SOLUTIONS ON STAGE?

I’ve been very busy since I started so it’s hard to pick just a few! Working at BBC Plymouth was a brilliant, if slightly surreal, experience. I also really enjoyed working on an installation at the Alan Cornish Theatre in Reading and then conducting some inspections at the nearby Watermill Theatre, which is in the most stunning location.

FINALLY, WHAT Excites you most about joining the company?

Simply put, I’m mostly excited about joining such a brilliant team. From our first introduction, it was clear just how passionate Darren and Gareth are about their work and how they want to offer their clients, new and old, the very best service possible. Similarly, I’m really looking forward to not only drawing on my existing skills and knowledge but also continuing to grow and develop these – especially given the versatility of spaces we work in.