ABTT Technician of the Year 2013 Ben Sandford

	Ben Sandford

As announced at last week's ABTT Theatre Show, Ben Sandford has been confirmed as the organization's 2013 Technician of the Year.

An early interest in theatre at school in Canada, led him to study for a Bachelor of Applied Art in Theatre Technical Production at Toronto's Ryerson University, leading to an early career as a WYSIWYG developer.

A hankering to become an air traffic controller brought him to the UK in 2006 to train, and his full time job today is as a team lead in airspace design for London-based NATS, a global leader of air traffic control and airport performance.

However, in keeping with someone with a passion for theatre, Sandford has been a member of the London amateur theatre The Questors, since his arrival in the UK.

Highly regarded by many in both amateur and professional theatres, Sandford's primary interest remains in lighting but he encompasses all aspects required of a production director, his official position at the Ealing venue.

ABTT chairman Mark White commented, "In awarding Ben this honor, the ABTT acknowledges excellence in theatre technology in the amateur sector, reflecting the increasing number of members from that sector who join the ABTT."

"As the late Howard Bird, a previous CEO of the association, used to say, 'Gravity and electricity act equally badly on the paid and the not paid and are no respecters of the volunteer'."

Sandford joins an illustrious list of ABTT Technician of the Year winners, including: Andy Brown (2012), Alex Hitchcock (2011), David Draude (2010), John Tapster (2009), Simon Stone (2008), Othman 'Hoffman' McGregor-Read (2007), Antony Bridges (2006, awarded posthumously), Stuart Crane (2005), Fraser Hall (2004), Andy Voller (2003), and Nick Ware (2002).