We are in first - decommissioning the alarms and checking all is well. If we've sprung a leak we are the ones who call the plumber. We're also last out, making sure all is secure and that no-one has left an iron on in the costume department or a light on in the rehearsal area. It's quite a responsibility. This place is a real warren.

We have to know what everyone else in the place does. We rotate shifts 8am to 11pm and are largely left to work by ourselves so you have to be able to think on the hoof.

Lots of performers will have certain requests written into their contracts. That might mean we make a trip to Marks and Spencers for a sandwich or something like that. No-one asks us for anything particularly outlandish. It's not like the films where the stars argue over the size of the trailer they're going to have on set.

Artists who have been coming here a long time don't expect much. The hardened professionals know it's run-down backstage. They understand that every bit of money we've had has been spent on trying to make things  more comfortable for the audience. It's the new ones who come here from television who expect it to be like a TV studio and say, "What do you mean, there's no telephone in my dressing room?" Occasionally we'll lend them our TV set.

We've got several ghosts here. I've only encountered one, a lady with a lavender perfume in the upper circle. I was putting the lights on when I heard the door go - although it never moved. There are so many noises in the theatre - creaks and groans when it warms up and when it cools down again. It wasn't one of those noises I heard and I got a waft of lavender.

I haven't got a theatrical background. My last job was at Burton's. I first came here in 1968 with the school to see Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. I've seen the Rocky Horror Show twelve times. La traviata is my favourite opera and Chicago is my favourite musical. I also like a good Shakespeare comedy.