Swapping front-of-house theatre job for panto turn

An actor who used to work a front-of-house job at a theatre is now starring in the same venue’s pantomime – oh yes he is.

Zak Douglas began shifts at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre following the Covid pandemic, working his way up to a duty manager position. But within a matter of years, he is appearing on stage in Sleeping Beauty.

It comes in the wake of his being cast in Channel 5 crime drama The Good Ship Murder and ITV comedy series G’WED.

But he said his acting profession did not mean an end to his commitments to the venue, with his panto turn giving opportunity to combine two careers. And all under the roof of a theatre the city local first visited as a boy.

“It’s amazing, especially as a local lad, [that] the first time I went to a theatre [it] was this theatre, sitting in these seats. So being able to step on that stage is amazing,” he said.

“I’m coming into the place where I’m usually just Zak [but now I’m also] being Gerald the Herald on stage and sharing the stage with amazing performers.”

He added: “I’ve never worked in Wolverhampton before. Usually my work is Manchester, London, Malta, Casablanca, Morocco. It’s never been on my doorstep where I’m rolling out my bed and five minutes down the road I’m here.”

Mr Douglas said a “big reason” why he wanted to take part was to demonstrate to the staff at the venue and other performers from the Midlands that “there is a way on to our Grand theatre stage”.

“This was the first place that we saw any sort of acting and I think it’s really special to feel that this is achievable at some point in your career and hopefully I’m the first of many to keep that train going,” he added.

James Snow, who is managed by Mr Douglas at the theatre, said it was great to see a colleague on the stage.

“To see him come from Wolverhampton, then to progress his career on to television and now on to stage, it’s definitely inspiring for those of us that want to do that….” he added.

Colleague Darcy Biddulph-Smith said she had known Mr Douglas for a decade.

As well as working alongside him at the theatre, he had also helped her with her acting career through his role as the director of Wolverhampton’s Central Youth Theatre.

“To see that you don’t have to be from London, you don’t need to go the biggest drama schools, if you just have the determination and talent, you can still go on to be on the stage or all over the television like he is,” she said.

“It’s really inspiring.”

Mr Douglas said what he “loved” about being a manager at the theatre was that it allowed him to “bring in people that are aspiring actors”.

“We’re able to talk and I’m able to tell them the reality of [the acting industry], because I think there’s a big gap in people knowing what it’s like, so I can tell them the good things and the hard things and give them the whole picture,” he said.

Sleeping Beauty runs until 4 January.