About Me

30+ years delivering world-class stages; on time, under pressure and without a fuss.

I’m a Stage Manager with over 30 years’ experience working at the sharp end of live events, running Main and Second Stages at festivals like Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival, Latitude Festival, Electric Picnic and BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend and many more.

It’s a world where timing is everything, pressure is part of the job, and if something slips everyone notices, whether they’re stood in the crowd or watching it unfold live on TV.

That’s exactly where I’m at home.

From the first act walking on stage to the final headliner moment, I make sure everything runs safely, smoothly, and on time.

I run a tight but friendly ship: clear communication, well-drilled teams, and quick, efficient changeovers that keep the day moving without anyone losing their sense of humour.

Most of my time is spent coordinating local and visiting production & crews, artists and a lot of moving parts, all while keeping one eye on the clock and the other on whatever might try to throw it off course next, because live events always do.

Whether it’s a technical issue, a last-minute change, the weather turning, or something completely unexpected, I stay calm, make the call, and deal with it.

Ideally before anyone else even realises there was something to deal with.

If the audience has a great time, the artists walk off happy, and everything runs on time, job done!

I’m UK-based, working across festivals and live events in the UK, EU and Middle East.

I hold £10m global public liability insurance.

A collage of Music festival, concert and live event posters that Ritch Ames has stage managed at recently, including Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival, Latitude, BBC Radio One's Big Weekend and Wireless.