Balsall Heath dad lands a dream job in theatre

Dec 10 2009 by Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

A MAN who dreamed of working in the theatre has landed a role backstage as a paintshop apprentice at the RSC after spotting an advert in the Birmingham Mail.

Dad Paulo Riddle, from Balsall Heath, had been out of work for about a year when he beat 300 others to the job he began in October.

So far the 28-year-old has worked on texturing and paint effects for the scenery in productions of Twelfth Night, A Tender Thing and Julius Caesar.

“I remember the corner shop gave me the paper because I didn’t have any money,” said Paulo, who studied multi-media design and production.

“I was surprised to see a job advertised for art that wasn’t graphic design for marketing or sales.

“It’s really good because it’s given me so much direction and purpose. It’s hard work but hard work is good in my eyes. Better hard work than no work. It has changed my life really.”

Paulo, who is also a musician and enjoys photography and graphic design, started during one of his department’s busiest times when they were working from 9am to 6pm on Twelfth Night. 

“This is the kind of work where you learn on the job,” he said. “There aren’t really courses available which teach you how to do it. I never really questioned how I could get to work in the industry but I was interested in theatre. I know that I love art and I’m good at it. This is exactly what I wanted and it just came around at the right time.”

Watching the production after all their hard work gave him a lot of satisfaction, he said.

“It was a really good feeling to get,” he said.