Team Curve: Favourite Memories Of Our Theatre

Without Team Curve, there would be no Made At Curve. A passionate group of people dedicated to creating and sharing the very best culture for everyone to enjoy, our team members put the beating heart into our building.

The ongoing situation means our doors are currently closed and, while digital tools may hold Team Curve together, nothing replaces the feeling of being in our building as a community. Until then, we’re celebrating our staff with a collection of memories from Team Curve members.

Scroll down to read more and to see our team in action.

Photography by Ellie Kurttz shows a day behind-the-scenes at Curve, with our team preparing for West Side Story.

“I first started at Curve in October last year, as a casual Box Office Assistant. As a theatre enthusiast, I had always loved visiting Curve, as well as performing here whilst at University. I remember on my second day as a casual worker, being taken on to the Mezzanine and joining in with the general team meeting. Coming from a company that had a very delineated chain of command, it felt so welcoming to have everyone in the building checking in together, and catching up. After two months working in the Box Office, I volunteered to help out the finance team – I was welcomed in the offices, and coached through a new area of work by colleagues I now call friends, which I am so grateful for.

“Then, two weeks after accepting a full-time role in the Box Office, the unthinkable happened; Covid-19 hit with a week left of our Phantom Run, and we had to close our doors for the foreseeable future. I had been training our new starter Jess for one day, and we closed our doors – first to the public, and then unfortunately to our staff too. I couldn’t be furloughed, but rather than terminating my contract, the senior management team decided to let me join our Business Continuity Team – helping to operate our communications team from home. At no point at Curve, have I been viewed as incompetent, or not been trusted like any other member of the senior management team, and I am constantly astounded by how much the Curve family cares about me. Within two months I’ve learned an innumerable amount of new skills, as well as meeting and working with teammates I normally would not get the chance to, and for that I am so grateful to everyone who allowed me to stay and help the team.”

Alice, Ticket Sales Assistant

“I have worked at Curve for over 10 years now, Chaperoning children during performances, watching them grow, develop, go off to drama schools all over the UK, then return as fully fledged actors and take to the stage alongside the new generation of Curve.

“I cannot list just one amazing memory as there have been so many, from having to crawl through a trap door to hide behind a full sized house in All My Sons, crawling on stage behind the set in Oliver! to give children their shoes that they had forgotten to take on, to going up the grid to watch over the Youth company set on a flying bed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“The real turning point for me and my adventures at Curve happened in May 2017 when I became Curve’s Head Chaperone. Things really stepped up and I became an integral part of Curve and began to play an even bigger part in the lives of the youth companies, helping them on their journeys and watching the many youths who participate in Curve Young Company productions and the youth cast members who took to the stage in Made at Curve shows such as the Cratchit children in Scrooge and the four young ladies who appeared in White Christmas.

“Every day at Curve is a new adventure. I’m so pleased to have been along for the ride for the last 10 years and look forward to the new adventures in the years to come.”

*H*, Head Chaperone

“I should have started with Curve at the beginning of February, however I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in January. To add insult to injury just as I was finishing my course of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy COVID-19 hit! Now I have started with Curve, working from home a few days a week trying to get my head around a building and department that I barely know, and can’t contact. What has struck me through all this adversity is the passion and dedication of the staff at Curve, and particularly of Chris and Nikolai who are both dedicated to not only the business but the welfare of the staff too. I look forward to the day where I can walk through the doors and greet my new team properly.”

Andy, Head of Production

“As a Breakthrough Artist I brought a show I directed, I Dare You, to Inside Out Festival in 2018.

“The creative team were predominantly artists from the East Midlands including the wonderfully talented Sabrina Sandhu (who was in the Made at Curve production of East is East previously). The writer was Tom Powell who is currently writing for the BBC with Jess Green. I remember moving Chris Stafford and a meeting off the Mezz so I could rehearse! (He was exceptionally lovely about it). The building was really welcoming during rehearsals and I thought I’d love to work here. Who knew a year later I’d be here full-time and running the New Work Festival and developing work in all our spaces. I fell in love with theatre when I was very little watching musicals. The first day of my job was the meet and greet for On Your Feet in RR1 and I remember texting my family saying I was living my childhood dream.”

Beth, New Work Associate

“My favourite theatre memory is going to the theatre with my Nanna when I was a child. I’m not sure what the first show she took me to see was but my earliest memory is going to see a ballet of Cinderella. I think I might have been 8 or 9. I do remember her taking me to the West End for my 10th birthday and she took me to see Beauty and the Beast and Doctor Dolittle. I just remember being in awe of it all (the set, the costumes, the choreography) and I have just loved theatre ever since. So really the reason why I do this job is because of my Nanna.”

Lucy, Deputy Head of Wardrobe

“One of my favourite memories of Curve was bringing a pair of socks with me on my very first day, as the building was still being constructed and we had to wear steel toe capped boots to get to training sessions. I still get the same feeling walking into Curve as I did on that very first day 11 Years ago – wow!

“Another great memory – During the second act of All My Sons it would rain on stage on top of the fake grass. On matinee days it was important for the grass to be dry ready for the evening performance so that the cast did not slip over. This saw a call to action for all staff across the building to help with drying the grass. The memory of everyone all working together shuffling about on the fake grass with towels on their feet is one I will never forget. A real team effort and a lot of fun.”

Liz, Lead Systems Administrator

“Curve Live! was a major stand out show that will live with me for a long, long time. It was the first public performance I had done that had been done in the round. This showed off what the building could do and the creative inspiration that was in the building. But the memory that will stick in my memory was during the final number in the dress rehearsal in the afternoon. The song was ‘This is Me’ from The Greatest Showman. A tear came to my eyes, as I realised that I had worked in the building since 2008, I had met my wife there, I bought my first house, and it was where I was working when my first child was born. Working there from the opening, we have grown up side by side and experienced the highs and the lows together.”

Adam, Lighting Technician