Workdays and Weekends: Alec Drummond

This week we caught up with the super busy Alec Drummond from Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Alec is the senior box office assistant and spends his days keeping everything running smoothly and selling lots tickets for all the great summer shows that they have on. He lets us know about his love of sci-fi, his convertible car and the old and battered but comfy office chair that he's frequently having to nab back from his colleagues, but as Alec say's himself, the show must go on!

1. What does a typical day at work look like for you?

My work day starts off with a series of “good mornings” to colleagues in various departments en route from stage door to the box office, stopping off to grab a coffee at the coffee bar. Then once I’ve got myself installed on my somewhat battered but favourite office chair my day begins.

The bulk of my day is taken up with the core duty of selling tickets for PFT’s famous summer season of plays and musicals along with various one-off concerts and other events. It’s the part of the job I love the most: I’m naturally a chatty person and get a lot of pleasure from this part of my job.

Today’s a matinee day so it’s one of my busiest working days and it’s great to see all our customers’ happy faces as they arrive. Having worked here for 6 years I’ve got to know a lot of the regular people that come to PFT and, where I can, I try to have a chat with some of them, its wonderful to listen to their feedback on the shows and its always gratifying to hear their comments on how much they enjoy their visits to PFT.

I also have various other admin duties to squeeze into my day and thanks to the great team I work with I can happily get on with doing them during quieter times in the box office.

2. What signals the start of your weekend / days off?

The rest of the Box Office staffs’ smiles!! Joking. I have a couple of “must do” things that I have to take care of before taking days off so once they’re done I know playtime can commence.3. What makes for a perfect night in?

I’m comfortable admitting that I’m a bit of a Sci-Fi nerd so a pizza, a few beers and a Sci-Fi movie do it for me.

4. What makes for a memorable day or night out?

A memorable day or night out for me would have to be something with friends, something that has a bit of uniqueness to it. I recently bagged my first Munro which was amazing to do. I also have a wee convertible car and I love going for blasts around the roads in the area.

5. Tell us about the weekend you’d love to live again?

It has to be a weekend I had at The Fringe in Edinburgh about 17 years ago. Me and my partner spent two solid days cramming in as many shows as we could – 8 each day!! – We decided to do it with a no-holds- barred attitude, it cost us an arm and a leg but worth every penny; we treated ourselves to lavish restaurants, the poshest seats and cocktails and champagne all day.

6. And now your best ever day at work?

Jings!! There are so many. But, maybe the best is yet come…….

7. Any workday or weekend rituals?

Stopping work mates stealing my chair when I’m at work, its old and a bit tired but it’s really comfy. On days off I always spend 5 or 10 mins shuffling around my garden with a mug of coffee muttering to myself that I really should get on with the weeding.

8. What’s in the perfect day off breakfast?

It has to be a luxury fry up. On the odd occasion when I do get a day off, when I don’t having anything planned, I love spending a leisurely morning making a cooked breakfast.

9. Any words of wisdom for us?

To fail to plan is to plan to fail.

Alec is the senior box office assistant at Pitlochry Festival Theatre >>>