Scottish Apprenticeship Week – We chat to Joe McCowan our Flying Technical Apprentice

Joe’s flying ahead in more ways than one…

Joe McCowan is the second apprentice to take to the fly floor at the Festival Theatre. We are thrilled to be able to offer this unique opportunity for the second time thanks to funding from Foundation Scotland working in partnership with Edinburgh College supported by Skills Development Scotland.

As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3 - 7 March) we chatted to Joe to find out a little more about his story and experience of the apprenticeship so far.

Joe’s journey to theatre began following his time at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design where he studied product design. Throughout University and after graduating Joe worked as a stagehand at events such as BBC’s Big Weekend and Caird Hall in Dundee as well as large-scale shows at Murrayfield. With his degree in hand Joe made the decision to move to Edinburgh in search of greater opportunities, and it was during contracted stage work for the Edinburgh International Festival that would prove the catalyst for where he is now. “I had never thought about working as a flyman before then, but the team kept calling me back to do more and more, which is when I found out about the apprenticeship” Joe recalls, “it was clear to me this was an opportunity not to be missed”.

Joe’s application for the apprenticeship was successful after a competitive selection at the tail end of 2024. Under the supervision of experienced flyman Mark Pringle, who has been flying scenery at Capital Theatres for over 30 years, Joe quickly got to put his new skills into action, starting in true Capital Theatre’s fashion with the Cinderella Pantomime in November. “My first experience of the apprenticeship was actually being up on the fly floor, loading the bars and doing all the difficult sides of the job” Joe explains.  “There’s a lot of trial and error, making sure you match the weight with your colleague up in the gallery, knowing when to stop to make sure it’s safe – the communication is so important”.

But It’s not just the set-up, Joe has already been trusted to be alone on the fly floor, pulling bars by himself. “There’s a certain art to it, a finesse to getting the timing right, making sure you aren’t ramming the set into the floor and causing a show stop,” which Joe assures us he hasn’t done yet – “although you have to be constantly vigilant!”.

Mark knows better than most the experience of learning on the job and the importance of introducing new faces into the industry. “It’s really an opportunity for me to pass on my knowledge as it’s a skill which has to be learnt hands-on, you couldn’t pass on the nuances of the role in a classroom” he adds “if you can succeed whilst learning on a stage of our size, then you’ll be able to fly anywhere”. This is certainly true of Liz Dokukina, who since completing the first year-long flying technical apprenticeship in November, has gone onto a technical position working at the Royal Lyceum Theatre.

Through seeing Liz’s journey, it’s clear the apprenticeship opens a wide variety of opportunity. “It’s been really beneficial for me, as someone who didn’t have much knowledge of theatre or working shows before” explains Joe, “you’re not just the flying apprentice, you’re here for maintenance days, helping out the lighting technicians, building the set as well – there’s so many different things”.

The environment backstage at the Festival Theatre makes the perfect classroom. “It’s been quite nurturing, if you are struggling with something, everyone understands because they’ve all done it before”, says Joe reflecting on the atmosphere backstage working with the Technical Team. “I learn much better when I can get hands on, so actually receiving an opportunity through this apprenticeship like this makes a huge difference for me learning a new skill”.

As well as offering hands-on training in a traditional theatre rigging system, the apprenticeship also provides a qualification in Technical Theatre and Production Operations. The Edinburgh College Diploma is proving invaluable to Joe, with the variety of modules covering all aspects of Technical Theatre.  “I’m looking forward to learning more about prop design and getting to use the Edinburgh College workshop, which fits nicely with my degree” Joe continues, “there’s another module in set design, which feels like a natural combination of my degree and work as a flyman, I’m inspired by seeing how you can make such beautiful things which are simultaneously user friendly and can fit in a truck”.

So what next? Joe sums it up nicely, “this apprenticeship has given me a lovely glimpse into the inner workings of theatre, making connections, getting my foot in the door and elevating my skills to the next level – I’m excited to see where I can go next thanks to this opportunity, It’s given me such an appreciation for theatre”.

For more information on Scottish Apprenticeship Week, visit Apprenticeships with Skills Development Scotland here.