Jonny Reeks developed his love for theatre while taking part in Aberdeen Scout Gang shows.
He’s now working as an automation & SFX assistant on some of the West End’s biggest shows and credits the Scouts for giving him many of the skills he uses in day-to-day life.
Since getting his big break in London, he has worked on productions of Wicked, Frozen, and Back to the Future.
The 22-year-old, from Westhill, recently returned to Aberdeen to help inspire the next generation of West End hopefuls at his Old Gang Show.
A 60-strong cast are currently working hard to prepare for their show in March, entitled “Game On”.
Jonny said: “It was a real trip down memory lane when I visited.
“The Gang Show is where I grew up, with that bunch of people, in that place.
“All of the memories just came flooding back.
“I know first-hand all of the good that Gang Shows and Scouting can bring.”
Jonny takes his Gang Show skills to the West End
A lot of the skills that Jonny uses in his work life now, were moulded by his experience in Gang Shows.
Jonny said: “When it comes to a lot of what I’m doing now, I managed to gain the experience I needed through the Gang Shows.
“I’m currently working on Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre.
“My job consists of a lot of building and moving of sets.
“The Gang Show gave me an appreciation of how much work goes into creating a production.
“There are so many people needed to make it happen.
“The Gang Show and Scouting in general taught me some really important lessons about resilience, confidence and never being scared to learn more things about yourself.”
Jonny is living the dream in London
When Jonny moved to London there was one show in particular he made it his goal to work on.
“Wicked was the show that I absolutely wanted to be a part of,” he said.
“I was midway through my degree and basically I just replied to a Facebook post about a role.
“It was a freelance depping position, which meant I was called upon if people were on holiday or off sick.
“I ended up doing that for Frozen and My Fair Lady too.”
Jonny soon graduated with a degree in Production Arts from Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
And it wasn’t long before his first full-time position followed.
He said: “After graduating I got my first full-time role on My Neighbour Totoro.
“It was a brand-new show, so I played a part in building that set from the ground up.
“Then in April I moved on to Back to the Future, which I’ve been loving ever since.”
Aberdeen Gang Show preparing for March shows
This year’s Aberdeen Gang Show, “Game On” will run from March 11 to 16, and it’s cast were only too happy to learn from Jonny’s wealth of experience.
For the new show, a 60-strong ensemble of Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders will present two hours of fast-moving musical numbers and fun sketches.
They are all inspired by some of the youngsters’ favourite board games.
Monopoly, Buckaroo and Dungeons and Dragons share the stage with Chess, Operation and Cluedo in a show that seems guaranteed to offer fun for all the family.
There will be performances nightly at 7pm and on Saturday at 2.30pm and 7pm.
Director Sonja Rasmussen said: “For many of the cast it’s their first time on stage and Jonny gave them lots of advice and chat about his days in the show.
“Each year the production team makes up a show of musical numbers and sketches/songs to show off the cast’s talents.
“This year we’re focusing on board games!
“We are supporting the Air Ambulance as our charity, for which we will do a bucket collection the week of the show.”
You can get your tickets for “Game On” here.
The Scouts have been a huge part of Jonny’s life
When he first moved to London, it was the first time in a long time that he wasn’t regularly involved with the Scouts.
“I’d been a Scout since I was six –Â so that was 16 years I’d been a part of it”, he said.
“When I moved to London I really missed it, as I didn’t have anything like that down here originally.
“So I got in touch with my local Scout district, and told them I wanted to volunteer.
“Now I’ve been with my group for just over two years and I’ve just taken over as the lead volunteer.”
From Westhill, Jonny’s Scout Group was Westhill First. He returned to the group for a special occasion a few years ago.
He said: “Westhill First is where I did all my scouting as a young person.
“In 2021 I achieved my Queens Scout Award which is the top award a young person can achieve in Scouting.
“In a really nice occasion, I headed back to First Westhill and received it there.
“Scouts have been with me through everything, and I think they will be forever.”
Conversation