Redcoat 2003

Well my redcoat days, what do I say? I must admit that I don’t really like to over emphasise being a Redcoat, because so far I have found it to hinder me rather than help me.

 

That’s why I put in this special page, there is only the one link on this  web site 

 and if you are looking at this you have found it.

 

I wanted to let people know what it is like and what is so fun about it, why I chose to do it and why I left after Just the one season.

 

Well The first time I left home in 2000 was to go to Butlins, but I went to Bognor Regis this time. I applied because I wanted to be a Redcoat, but at that time I really didn’t have much to offer. So they gave me a job in Guest Services being shouted at, sworn at and called all names under the sun.

 

But then after a few more years of growing in confidence and ability, I tried again. I wasn’t my choice I must add, one of my friends told me she wanted to audition. I thought ‘oh why not that will be a bit of fun’. I sent in my application, I got an audition and she didn’t. And to my complete amazement I became a Redcoat for the year 2003.

 

While being a Redcoat isn’t the best achievement in life, it certainly felt like it at the time, after watching all the people who tried but never made it through. I know a job getting paid at minimum wage at the

age of 21 isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. But who cares I’m being paid to entertain, yeah not much but I’m getting paid for it.

 

I am a bit of a mad man at times. I like to laugh and joke around, I like to talk to people and have a good time. What job is better suited to me than Being Redcoat. Our job description says you can do anything as long as you do not harm or offend. You would think that that means you can’t be told off but you would be wrong. You still have to iron your uniform every morning, if it’s not you have to when you get to work. If you are seen to be on duty without a smile on your face or saying hello to everyone you pass, You get pulled in the office. Big Brother is watching!

 

What is your job? Firstly After auditioning again once I started my training, I found myself in three different shows with songs to learn and routines to perform, are the normal duties. You have to Run kids

clubs, which as you

activities organised

groups. We have to

I did The Power

Action Man, and my

Spiderman. It is so

character work, you

can see, we have

for all different age

do skin characters.

Rangers, The Hulk,

very favourite

much fun doing

get away with so

much because no one except your minder knows who you are it’s great.

 

As well as, those duties, you have to what we called ‘swan’ our venues. Which basically means that we have to great people as they come in, talk to them at their tables and guard the stage through shows. Also in those Venues you could be called upon to DJ, which is not something I loved doing but can be fun if you have the right crowd, and the right songs to back you up.

 

There are so many duties you have in this job and everything is a little more different than the last.

It’s isn’t just about the work it’s about what you can learn. I learnt a lot about the industry, about the technical side and everything that goes on backstage on shows as sometimes you are the backstage 

on shows. I learnt about Djing and mic control everything.

 

Plus I have the chance to take the Butlins Academy class in dance. Which helped me learn more advanced forms of dance than already used in our stage shows.

 

The most gratifying thing of my Season a Butlins Skegness of 2003, is the fact that all my hard work had been rewarded when

I received, and I was the only Redcoat that season to receive The Entreatments Team Member of the Month for the month of July. Which just helped me to realise I had done a good Job.

If you want to do what I did I recommend it to Anyone. It’s a Blast.