What is it like working at Mortal Fools?

​As our Mortal Fools Team is growing and we are recruiting – we thought it might be a nice opportunity for you to get to know one of our Practitioner team who has within the last 18months, been through our recruitment process twice! So read on to hear what it is like working at Mortal Fools and what it’s like being a practitioner with us - this may be helpful if you’re thinking of applying for one of our practitioner roles or if you’re curious about what working at Mortal Fools is like! 

So, meet Scott Wilson – Mortal Fools’ Practitioner and Coordinator! 

So let’s start will a little introduction….
Hi I’m Scott. I’m a Theatre Practitioner and Musician originally from Washington (not America!). I am employed by Mortal Fools as a Practitioner and Coordinator and I work with our Mortal Fools Youth Theatre, various projects and events, support the delivery of Mortal Fools’ training and professional development programme CONNECT and work with our wider network partners across the North. 

How did you get started in the creative industries and what led you to this point?  
I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2018 with a First Class degree in Drama and Theatre Arts. My whole working career has been in Youth Theatre settings with Stagecoach Theatre School, The Artis Foundation and Newcastle City Council projects. I grew up performing in theatre schools and music groups; this experience really inspired me to pursue a career in the Arts. I’m really passionate about working with Young People, to offer them the same opportunity as I had growing up and to be inspired and creative too; no matter who they are or where they’re from.  

Tell us about your role at Mortal Fools….
I work for Mortal Fools as one of their Practitioner & Coordinators, so I work both practically with participants to deliver sessions as well as taking an admin role to coordinate new projects. 

What do you get up to day to day? What’s an average day like for you? 
Most evenings I’ll be in a rehearsal room with a group of young people co-creating new work that represents what is important to them. During the day, if I’m not delivering sessions, I’m at my desk or out meeting network partners to plan and prepare ways to make sure we can keep making the work that we enjoy making together. 

Why did you apply for your role at Mortal Fools? 
I applied to Mortal Fools as I’d taken part in some of their CONNECT adult training during the lockdown and got to meet some of the team. When I started looking into the company, it was clear that their approach to placing young people at the heart of a creative process had a huge positive impact on their creativity and also their wellbeing. Personally, having worked as a Freelancer in the Arts for several years, the opportunity to do what I loved on a Full Time basis felt like an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. 

As someone who has been through our recruitment processes recently, can you describe what it was like for you as an applicant?  
My application process was probably one of the most enjoyable processes I’ve been part of. The participants from our Ensemble group were involved in the tasks and they were part of the panel making the decision. This was great, as I got the chance to meet and work with them during the session and really got a sense of what made Mortal Fools important to them too. Throughout the recruitment process, I could already tell that the team were interested in furthering my professional development, irrespective of whether I got the position or not. This has been consistent through-out my time at Mortal Fools so far and the training and development opportunities I’ve been given have been amazing.   

In your opinion, can you share with us the top three reasons folx interested in the current available positions should apply to work at Mortal Fools?  
#1 The opportunity to work with and learn from a team who are dedicated to championing co-creation and challenging how we work with young people in the Arts.  

#2 The chance to be part of an organisation who are focused on supporting my professional development and allow me the space to explore my own creative ideas. 

#3 The company’s focus on supporting positive Wellbeing and Mental Health throughout every aspect of our work, for staff as well as participants. This is one of the first roles that I’ve felt okay to have an off-day in, because I know that my team will support me through it.  

One thing you’ve learnt about yourself working at Mortal Fools so far?
Since starting at Mortal Fools I’ve learned just how much I thrive from working in a creative rehearsal room. I still find it mad that every day, I get to come in to work and do the things I get to do! I know that as quite an early career practitioner, I still have so much left to discover and learn, but I feel so supported and encouraged to constantly challenge myself with Mortal Fools.  

Tell us about a project you’ve worked on so far? 
In July 2021, I worked with a co-facilitator in Walkergate Primary School to co-create a short film project with a group of their students. The group had been part of a research project with practitioners from Newcastle University, exploring the connection between Physical Fitness and Mental Health. We worked with them for 3 days, to put their findings into a fun and interactive film that their classmates could watch and learn from. I loved this project as it gave us the opportunity to take our work and co-creation practice into the wider community. By the time we left on the 3rd day, the change in the young people’s confidence and engagement was so rewarding; I think I’ll always remember the project.  

Favourite Mortal Fools moment or highlight of 2021 so far? 
My favourite moment during 2021 was the Creative Mental Health Intervention Days, we ran with our youth theatre members in March 2021. This was part of the Let Us Tell You project (my first full-scale Mortal Fools’ project). Whilst following strict covid guidelines, the whole day was designed around supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people. From the second they all arrived, seeing them instantly reconnecting after months of being apart, was such a highlight for me. 

And the cherry on the top of the cake, was that during these sessions, we filmed and produced 2 short films that have been shared with other young people in the North East. This was when the penny really dropped for me about Mortal Fools’ ability to make high quality work whilst ensuring the whole experience is enjoyable for the young people involved and their needs met, rather than a stressful and high pressure environment focused on getting an end creative product. This is an approach that we continue to implement in all of our creative projects.  

Thank you Scott – such interesting insights and perspectives shared! You can get to know other members of the team on our team page. 

If you’re interested in any of the roles currently available at Mortal Fools, head over to our Work With Us page on our website and get downloading the information pack. 

We are currently recruiting x2 Practitioners and a Business and Finance Manager – salaries VERY competitive and deadline is 31st October, 11.59pm.