LIGHTING (TECHNICIAN)
Since 2019 I have worked as a lighting technician, moving in 2022 in to West End roles. I have worked as a Board Op, a Stage LX, and a Followspot Operator, across Nimax and ATG Theatres. I am comfortable and confident working at this scale and enjoy developing my skillset.
Twelfth Night - Lighting Technician, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (2024)• Operated each performance on an ETC console - notably each performance had visual differences due to being performed outside
• Completed daily onsite maintenance tasks such as fixing and replacing lights in the front of house areas
• Handled testing and maintenance including daily rig checks and noting any issues for show reports


The Enfield Haunting - Lighting Technician, West End (2023-24)• Operated each performance on an ETC console
• Handled testing, maintenance, and setup of practical lights and rechargeable equipment onstage
• Participated in technical sessions to learn from discussions with the designer and programmer
Private Lives - Lighting Technician, West End (2023)• Operated each performance on an ETC console
• Represented the lighting designer and programmer in their absence during photo call
• Handled testing and maintenance including daily rig checks and noting any issues for show reports


Orlando - Deputy Board Operator, West End (2022-23)• Monitored and controlled additional effects such as haze
• Ran rig checks and worked closely with the Deputy Stage Manager and the Sound Technician
• Maintained skill and knowledge despite gaps between performances
The Drifters Girl - Deputy Followspot Operator & Stage LX, West End (2022)• Operated house-centre followspot, largely focused on leading musical numbers
• Built confidence with a complex cue sheet that required careful precision
• Conducted battery checks and resets in interval and post-show

LIGHTING (DESIGN)
I love lighting design, and have credits across theatre and comedy. I particularly enjoy discussing the work with the rest of the creative team in order to make something that they feel connected to and proud of. I can program on ETC, Jester, FLX and Grand MA consoles.

Welcome to the Big Show - Edinburgh Fringe, Filmed for TV Release Off-Broadway (2023)• Arranged hire of a moving special which required maintenance throughout the run
• Programmed on Grand MA
• ★★★★ The Scotsman - "highly watchable. One of life's good things"
• "The greatest show on earth" - Alan Cumming, Tony Award winning performer and investor in the show
Run to the Nuns - Brighton Fringe Festival, Riverside Studios (2023)• An original musical with a large cast of actor-musicians
• Attended rehearsals and developed a good working relationship with the team
• Gained experience working with a lighting programmer
• The Stage One to Watch


Coconut - Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2023)
• ★★★★★ everything-theatre.co.uk - "Every moment seems connected thanks to excellent use of staging and lighting... realistic lighting transforms the stage... this production is visceral, dominated by a sense of fluidity and interconnection"
• Performed in three different spaces over the course of the Fringe, requiring relighting in each
Spin Cycles - Rosemary Branch Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2023)
• Binge Fringe / Theatre Weekly - "(the neon) is striking to enter in to" "the audience is immersed"
• Produced by Soho Theatre and looking to tour in 2024
• Attended rehearsals and had particular extensive collaboration with the sound designer
• Navigated hire of three specials and related additional troubleshooting sessions


The Baron and the Junk Dealer - Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2023)
• ★★★★ The List - "A delightful piece of comedy theatre, simply staged and deftly performed"
• ★★★★ Shadows on the Web
• ★★★★ Starbust Magazine
Saturn Return - Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2023)
• Adapted from the original version of the show Off-Broadway
• Directed by Arpita Mukherjee (Monsoon Wedding Musical on Broadway)


Ultimatum - Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Streatham Space Project (2022)
• ★★★★ Broadway Baby
• ★★★★ The Wee Review
Pomona - Carne Theatre (2022)
• Designed from scratch, rigged, focused, and programmed as part of my LAMDA university course
• Performed in the round with both audience and stage on two height levels
• Worked with first-year students to complete practical tasks such as focusing and cutting gels
• Used Vectorworks to create the lighting plan

STAGE MANAGEMENT
I have experience in every role under the stage management umbrella at varying levels, ranging from individual performances to UK tours.

Cyrano - Deputy Stage Manager, Traverse Theatre (2024)
• A daily get-in and get-out
• Point of call for the performer, the producer, and the venue crew & management
• Visited the venue before the run to take photos of equipment and sightlines
• Operated lights, video and sound, balancing music with a radio mic• ★★★★★ 'A total treat' - The Stage
• ★★★★★‘ A dazzlingly clever piece of theatre’’- The Financial Times
• ★★★★★ ‘This adaptation is delicious’ -The Skinny
• Winner of The Scotsman's Fringe First Award
Leicester Square Theatre - Technical Stage Manager (2023-24)
• Sometimes running a track assisting with props, turnarounds, and powering up/down
• At sister venue The Museum of Comedy, I have worked with corporate events and high-profile acts
• Use limited tech time to shape the show with the performer
• Working with a variety of shows and requirements in quick succession


Better Days - Deputy Stage Manager, Edinburgh Fringe (2023)
• A daily get-in and get-out
• Point of call for the performer, the producer, and the venue crew & management
• Visited the venue before the run to take photos of equipment and sightlines
• Operated lights, video and sound, balancing music with a radio mic• ★★★★★ The Edinburgh Reporter
String V SPITTA - Deputy Stage Manager, Edinburgh Fringe (2023)
• A daily get-in and get-out
• The props included instruments and magic tricks and so required very precise setting
• Operated lights, sound, and varying effects - including mixing five mics and instruments live
• Arranged laundry, assisted in the running of tech rehearsals, and restocked consumables• ★★★★★ The Independent - "One beat out of sync could throw off the whole thing, but its success shows technical prowess"
• ★★★★★ West End Best Friend


Absolute Monopoly - Technical Stage Manager, UK Touring (2022-23)• I am also the director of this show - more on this on the 'Comedy' tab.
• I set props and restock consumables (which can differ depending on the performance)
• Using an extensive QLab file and knowledge of the show, I program and improvise on a venue's given technical equipment• ★★★★★ Three Weeks - "the only show where I’ve ever wanted to become involved. The crowd is in hysterics throughout"
• ★★★★★ North West End - "well-crafted and one of a kind"
• ★★★★ The Recs - "immersive theatre has never been as joyous... there probably is no other such stupidly enjoyable show on the Fringe"• Featured in The Guardian's special on Interactive Comedy
Christopher Bliss: Captain Word's Eye - Technical Stage Manager, UK Touring (2022-23)
• Created show reports and discussed issues with producers when necessary
• Used QLab and lighting knowledge to make agreed-upon adjustments to the show file
• Assisted with selling merchandise after the show
• A specific requirement meant I would need to adjust a prop during the show and get it to the performer


The Awkward Silence's Big Break - Technical Stage Manager, UK Touring (2022-23)
• Was on the book and running tech for rehearsals
• Took part in post-show panel discussions at Wonderville, London
• Balanced live singing with pre-recorded music
• Additionally developed lighting design skills alongside this show by testing out ideas with the cast
The Small Hours - Deputy Stage Manager, Carne Theatre (2023)
• Called the show during performances, wrote show reports, and managed the ASM
• In the rehearsal room I maintained the schedule and created the show's book with blocking
• Completed the book with all lighting and sound cues during technical sessions
• Joined in with team and warm-up activities to ensure a bond with the cast
• Had ongoing communication and problem-solving with the director and creatives


Emilia - Assistant Stage Manager, Sainsbury Theatre (2023)
• Managed props sourcing, creation and hire under a small budget
• Set props and did a shout-check with the DSM
• Learnt how to create multiple props and effects
• Performed a tightly-timed backstage track including quick-changes and managing consumables
The Moors - Technical Stage Manager, Carne Theatre (2023)
• Sourced and upcycled props under a small budget
• Was part of the fit-up crew
• Set props and did a shout-check with the DSM
• Took on tasks such as noting production meetings and arranging wardrobe fittings


2Northdown Comedy Club - Technical Stage Manager (2019-20)
• Physical set-up of the space including a microphone and aux, and also venue chairs
• Oversee a tech rehearsal and develop quick working rapport with the act
• Manage the incoming audience and create a show report
Actually Rather Good Comedy Festival - Technical Stage Manager, Shoreditch Town Hall (2019)
• Up to ten acts a day performing work-in-progress hours
• Sometimes I would operate shows entirely new to me
• When a full team came in I would oversee their set-up and facilitate their needs

COMEDY WORK
Since 2022 I have worked as a director, designer and technical consultant on multiple touring comedy shows. Knowing these productions will be at many venues with different capabilities, I know to keep my work simple and effective. I love being able to add something more to ambitious comedy.
Gay Witch Sex Cult - Technical Director & Designer, Vault Festival & King's Head Theatre (2023)• Runner-up: Top Show, Vault Festival (The Spy in The Stalls)
• Runner-up: Best Comedy, London Pub Theatres Award
• Nominated: Standing Ovation Award
• Longlisted: Offies, Best Festival Show• ★★★★★ All That Dazzles - "Not even your wildest imagination can prepare you for the managed chaos and imaginative genre-bending storytelling which is about to unfold... I laughed consistently for sixty minutes"
• ★★★★★ The Spy in The Stalls - "A comedy masterclass... no beat is missed"
• ★★★★ ½ London Pub Theatres - "Everything felt perfectly crafted and controlled. The audience laughed probably more than I've ever heard an audience laugh. Cara Compass, technical director, flawlessly unspooled (the show)"
• Bruce Dessau for Beyond The Joke - "wicked, knowing comedy that is both intelligent and engagingly strange"


Absolute Monopoly - Director, UK Touring (2022-24)• This show constantly adjusts depending on its audience, and so many versions of it exist
• I write show reports addressing what elements of the gameshow are used and how they went
• Additionally directed a 10-20 minute version for use as a support act or mixed bill set• ★★★★★ Three Weeks - "the only show where I’ve ever wanted to become involved. The crowd is in hysterics throughout"
• ★★★★★ North West End - "well-crafted and one of a kind"
• ★★★★ ½ one4review
• ★★★★ ½ EdFringe Review
• ★★★★ Chortle - "A rising star"
• ★★★★ The Recs - "immersive theatre has never been as joyous... there probably is no other such stupidly enjoyable show on the Fringe"
• Featured in The Telegraph's Funniest Jokes of the Fringe
• Featured in The Guardian's special on Interactive Comedy
Finlay and Joe - Technical Consultant, Edinburgh Fringe & OSO Arts Centre (2023)• Had meetings with the performers and reviewed the script and work in progress performances
• I designed and programmed lights and assisted with programming sound
• I created a design and operating set-up that worked for multiple different operators
• When the show moved to OSO Arts Centre, I built upon the established structure of the design• ★★★★ Theatre and Art Reviews - "deserves to be successful"
• ★★★ Three Weeks - "every skit concept is incredibly creative"


Will BF: The Last Gun - Technical Consultant, Edinburgh Fringe & Touring (2023)• Had meetings with the performer and reviewed the script and work in progress performances
• Simplified a very tech-heavy idea and assisted with programming
• Put forward additional material particularly relating to the technical side of the show• ★★★★ Chortle - "perfect comedic timing... absurd puns and constant laughs"
• ★★★★ Musical Theatre Review - "beautifully silly and great fun"
ABOUT & CONTACT
Hello! I'm Cara.I wear colourful shirts. I make very good banana cake.You can email me at cazcjob@gmail.com
