Who We Are
Rocket Scenery was founded in 1999 by Julian Smith, Andy Sharp, and Phil Gunn. Since then, the team and workshops have expanded significantly, and the company now employs around 25 permanent specialist staff, led by directors Helen Skelton, Kevin Bennett, Nick Lister, and Ray Wilkins.
Our talented and creative team of staff share a common goal to create some of the most exciting and dynamic productions currently in the West End or touring nationally and overseas. In addition to our core team, we regularly work with a talented network of freelance professionals and offer placement opportunities to theatre students.
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We aim to foster a sense of wellbeing and camaraderie amongst our staff, and we’re fortunate to have our own chef, who prepares lunch for the team each day and an occasional bit of cake.
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At Rocket, we pride ourselves on our strong family ethos, and we are very proud of the team that we’ve built.
Julian Smith
Founder
Julian studied Theatre Production at Mountview Drama School, and then started his career as a carpenter at Nottingham Playhouse, quickly rising to Head of Workshop. In 1999 he co-founded Rocket Scenery. An excellent engineer, and with a wealth of staging experience, Production Managers like collaborating with him to solve all the technical demands of their shows.
Helen Skelton​
Director
Helen started her theatre training with National Youth Theatre and then went on to study Theatre Design here in Nottingham. During her varied freelance career she worked in props, costume props and wardrobe departments, as well as designing sets and costumes for shows across the country. With the arrival of her family, Helen then spent 10 years working for an international events company. Helen joined Rocket in 2010 bringing her theatre, events and business experience together.
Kevin Bennett
Director
Kevin has been at Rocket since 2015, becoming a Director in 2024. Formerly Head of Electrics, he has built an in depth knowledge of scenic lighting, latest technologies, and IT systems. Kevin started his life of building scenery at Nottingham Playhouse whilst studying to be a Teacher at Nottingham Trent University. After a teaching career lasting over 20 years and finishing his life as a School Headteacher (meaning he is an expert at keeping everyone in line) he decided to return to Rocket Scenery to continue with his old passion for theatre.
Nick Lister
Director
Nick earned a BA in Furniture Design at Buckingham University before joining renowned furniture designer André Dubreuil at AD Decorative Arts. There, he specialised in creating one-off art pieces, first in London and later in the Dordogne, France. In 1993, Nick established Arc Studios in Battersea, producing bespoke shop window displays for high-end retailers, including Harrods, John Lewis, and Burberry. As the business evolved, it shifted focus to crafting large-scale sculptural pieces for councils and institutions. After Arc Studios closed in 2007, Nick joined Rocket Scenery, bringing his extensive experience in design, fabrication, and commercial art to the team.
Ray Wilkins
Director
Ray studied Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent in the late nineties, before joining Rocket in 2002. Starting out as a trainee carpenter on the shop floor, Ray progressed to running the woodshop and, eventually, the Design Office, where he continues to keep a beady eye on the quality of the work produced by the team.
Meet the teams
Paintshop
Our in-house Scenic Artists Sam, Georgia, Steph, Joe, & El, alongside our hugely talented freelancers, bring the designers' vision into reality using their skill and ingenuity. They create a myriad of finishes, from rusty metal to the finest gold leaf. The team have a huge amount of pride in the incredible, high calibre shows that they are part of.
Metalshop
Phil, Conrad, and Nick (pictured), along with Marc, Ryan, and Archie, make up our skilled Metalshop team. Almost all of the pieces that come through Rocket start in the hands of Metalshop. Some favourite pieces that the department has made recently are the highly decorative spiral staircases for Oliver! and the life sized train for Murder on the Orient Express.
Woodshop
Holly leads the Woodshop team, made up of Ian, Gareth, Fynn, Lex, Tom, Tim, and James. They are regularly assisted by freelancers, including Tom (far left). Woodshop are a highly skilled team, specialising in using a wide array of materials, not just wood. Recently they have enjoyed making the banquettes for Moulin Rouge, testing their skills on the purely timber pieces, made up of complex cuts and angles, and finished with decorative elements.
Draughting
Our three draughtspeople (L to R) James, Ray, and Julian, have a wealth of experience between them. They enjoy working on complex and intricate drawings, and overcoming the technical challenges demanded by some of the most ambitious productions. The Munchkin Man sign from the Wizard of Oz was a recent favourite, due to being multilayered, full of complex electrical elements, and just a beautiful finished product.
Electrics
Drew is head of our scenic electrics department, with assistance from regular freelancers. He takes the designers' fantastical ideas and pushes the boundaries of technology to make them real. Creative problem solving is a huge part of the scope of the Electrics department, especially as every show is so different. Drew finds it really rewarding to work with design teams to try to figure out how they're going to make it all work.
CNC
Dave leads the CNC team, assisted by Suelin and the occasional freelancer. Alongside the varied scenic work, they also create the array touring goods that we offer. Developing the 3D facilities of the CNC has become a real passion project for them, to see how far they can push it's capabilites.
Administration
If you have ever contacted Rocket, be it by phone or email, it's likely that you have spoken to Helen or Jo (L to R) who make up our administration team. The glue that holds everything together, they're involved in all aspects of Rocket 'behind the scenes'. They enjoy building relationships with the wide array people that they come in to contact with, and seeing an initial enquiry email be taken through every stage until the beautiful scenery is loaded out onto a van.
Kitchen
André has been cooking for Rocket since 2008. A team of creatives marches on it's stomach, and André cooks a hot, delicious meal every day, alongside toast and tea in the morning, and breakfast butties on a Friday. He is especially renowned for his curries and dumplings. It's amazing how many production managers arrive just before the lunch bell chimes.
Freelancers
We work with a large pool of fantastic freelancers over all departments. Some of them are here a few times a year, some of them are a very regular fixture. Our freelance team are an integral part of Rocket, and are truly part of the family.
