b'Tom WebbArts Centre ManagerHello, my name is Tom Webb and I am the new Arts CentreIve been working in the theatre industry Manager at Ellesmere.for a little over eight years, starting my theatrical journey as the Personal Assistant to a disabled Stage Manager at Latitude Festival, working with the Almeida Theatre. The experience pushed me towards technical theatre, where I started my education at Lewisham Southwark College in London, studying Production Arts and Stage Management. I showed an immediate interest in stage and production management and threw myself into my course which included a vast variety; from making a Halloween scare event on a shoe string budget, to the end of term show, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which led to me achieving a Distinction. I then attended Drama School at Rose Burford College, where I undertook my BA (Hons) in Stage Management. During my time at university I served on the Student Union as the Welfare and Disability Officer. In this role I created and ran alternative disabled friendly events, I also created the Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic (BAME) Students Network. Throughout my education I have worked at various theatres around the country including Jermyn Street Theatre, as part of the stage management team on Noel Cowards Tonight at 8:30 - reviewed by the Independent as an extraordinary feat of team work. I worked at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival for eight weeks building and running venues, working with Guinness World Record holders and Russian dancers, and toured England with the Nissan Juke as a holographic technician.My ambitions have changed over the years - when I was five I wanted to be Batman but it wasnt to be! When I left university I was drawn towards mental health and education, I decided to study a Masters Degree in Drama Therapy, using stage management as a form of therapy, I was keen to ensure that whatever I did was geared towards aiding mental health and ensuring future practitioners are as prepared mentally as they are academically. Now that I have my feet on the ground at Ellesmere, one of my goals is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to get involved with technical theatre, understanding that theres much more to a performance than the people who appear on stage! Ellesmere College Newsletter Michaelmas 202011'