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Opening doors to a world of opportunities: Meet Scenic Construction grad Hannah Walters
From never having travelled abroad to working on projects in Orlando and Geneva. Discover how the Foundation course in Scenic Construction helped Hannah build her confidence, hone her skills, and turn her love for carpentry into a successful international career in Wales’ booming creative industry.
Discovering the Scenic Construction course
‘I’ve always been interested in woodwork, doing small projects in the local community centre where live in the Rhondda. I jumped in to help build planters and other items. That experience sparked my passion for carpentry, and that’s where it all started.
After my GCSEs I went to college to study site carpentry and joinery, but I couldn’t see myself on a construction site, and didn’t enjoy the repetitive nature of the work, so I wanted to find something that would give me a wider variety of skills.
When I heard about the RWCMD Scenic Construction course I was interested in the range of skills taught, from carpentry to welding, from doing the construction drawings to being a construction manager for a show.
I went for a tour of the workshop and a talk with the staff to find out more, especially as I’m not very confident about written work. I was reassured to discover that the main written focus is a journal about what you have learned and a presentation, as well as the fact that we would work as a big team, helping each other to find solutions.
Cardiff is probably one of the best places for this industry, as there are so many major companies here, whether you want to work in film, TV, or theatre. Another real attraction was having five placements across the two years, as it means you get real work experience and learn the many different ways to build the same thing.
Learning in a supportive environment
'I would rate my experience at RWCMD as 10/10. The two years on the course were the best I’ve ever had. I wasn’t sure that I was best suited to the course, but throughout this time I felt my confidence grow, all because of the support from the staff.
I was given many real-world projects like building a wardrobe on wheels that people can walk through, a giant arch, theatre flats, kitchen cabinets, CNC floor patterns and so much more.'Hannah Walters
Going out on placements
I had five placements, including one at 4Wood, where they build sets for Doctor Who, as well as Bay Productions, Bad Wolf, and Cardiff Theatrical Services (CTS). Each placement taught me that every company has its own way of doing things, and you have to be able to adapt to each place you go and be willing to learn other ways of making things.
For my final placement, the College found me an opportunity with a company named Simply Theatre in Geneva, where I built a set for Charlotte’s Web on my own. I spent about two weeks there. It was nerve-racking at first, especially since I had hardly been abroad before, let alone on my own. But I’m proud of what I achieved there.
Collaborating across the College
I enjoyed the variety of work College provided, and staff were so supportive and offered so many opportunities to gain more knowledge and skills.
One of my biggest achievements was when I managed the construction of Macbeth in the Richard Burton Theatre at the College.
This was a huge confidence boost for me as the role relied on me communicating across the different College departments – for example, with stage managers to check the mobility of the set, and with the set designer for changes or decisions I had to make to ensure it was as safe as possible.
From model box to full set - leading the build in the Richard Burton Theatre
I was in charge of leading the ‘fit-up’, which is the moving and assembly of sets. This was a challenge for me, as I found it hard to delegate tasks. But I eventually got the hang of it. I had to work to a tight deadline to ensure my construction drawings were on time, and order materials for the first-year designers to start the build. I then had to communicate with my construction team to ensure they were on track to give it to the scenic team to paint in time for the fit-up in the theatre – where we start to build the set on the stage. I was so happy with the end result.
It was a big achievement as I created a set from a model box to full size on the stage. It taught me that each step to making the final product is just as important to the last – and I learned how to do each role involved in creating the set.
Another big achievement was mastering the CNC machine – from programming on the computers using AutoCAD and SketchUp, then importing a file to CNC. The software had its challenges, but with the help and support of the amazing tutors, it became so easy that I was learning tricks that I could relay back to them.
It's all a learning curve and even after graduating I'm still learning as the software is always updating and I can always keep improving my skills by learning new techniques.
Graduating
After graduating I set myself up as a freelancer. When I returned from my placement in Geneva it was such a success I got asked to go back and work on the set for Romeo and Juliet.
I also worked as a freelancer with Wild Creations in Cardiff which led to me getting a full-time job with them. Wild Creations, run by RWCMD graduate Matt Wild, is one of the course’s four industry partners and they work on scenery all around the world.
I showed them that I could do good work, and after about a month, they kept me on. I’ve been here for about a year now. If you need help, everyone knows different things, so I’m always helping others, and they help me. It’s like a family, really. I used to be afraid to ask questions, but now I see it as the only way to learn. There are about five of us from the Royal Welsh College now, from the last two years.
When I started the course, I didn’t even have a passport or experience travelling. Now, I've had the chance to work on amazing projects all around the world. I’ve worked on a theme park in Orlando, been to Italy on the Norwegian Cruise Line, helping to create a golf course and an escape room. And I’ve worked around the UK, for example, at Alton Towers on an escape maze. When I'm not doing the fit-ups, I'm based in the carpentry area where I build the sets to go to these places.
'When I started the course, I didn’t even have a passport or experience travelling. Now, I've had the chance to work on amazing projects all around the world. I’ve worked on a theme park in Orlando, been to Italy on the Norwegian Cruise Line, helping to create a golf course and an escape room.
And I’ve worked around the UK, for example, at Alton Towers on an escape maze. When I'm not doing the fit-ups, I'm based in the carpentry area where I build the sets to go to these places.'Hannah Walters
Giving back to the community
I also give lessons in my local community centre in the Rhondda, inspiring young people by showing them different carpentry techniques I’ve learned. I’ve been doing woodworking, photography, and building bird boxes with the kids. I help whenever I can in my spare time.
Looking to the future I hope to keep expanding my knowledge and teaching others.'
