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GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL
THEATRE & CIRCUS
Deputy Stage Manager
Big Squid is proud to be part of the team behind Mavericks, one of Glastonbury Festival’s most loved and distinctive late-night cabaret shows. Originating as a renegade, offbeat festival experience, Mavericks celebrates diverse, daring, and boundary-pushing performances, featuring everything from juggling, burlesque and high-energy acrobatics to crooning, comedy, and experimental acts.
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Performed in a 250-capacity cabaret tent in the Theatre and Circus fields, Mavericks attracts audiences seeking a wild, unforgettable night of entertainment. Big Squid provides stage management expertise, leading a small team through the build, showtime, and derig, ensuring these high-octane, three-hour shows run smoothly night after night.
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The programme features a mix of emerging and established performers, including Frank Sanazi, Paul Lambourne (The Stranglers), Les Ooh La Las, David Ericsson, and Charlie Bicknell. Compères such as Steve Faulkner, Bunny Morethan, and Pete Anderson keep the energy high, while the infamous Dave Id creates astonishing cocktails for performers and audiences throughout the evening. Jules Howarth, juggler extraordinaire and long-time stage manager, serves as the ever-brilliant ringmaster.
Big Squid’s ongoing involvement with Mavericks reflects both our commitment to delivering world-class, immersive cultural events and our love for the creative, unpredictable energy that defines this iconic Glastonbury show.
OPEN STREETS EDINBURGH
Event Management Services
Big Squid partnered with The City of Edinburgh Council to help establish and deliver the Open Streets Initiative, making Edinburgh the first city in the UK to join this global movement. The project trialled the pedestrianisation of key city-centre streets, including the iconic Royal Mile and Victoria Street.
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As part of the Council’s City Centre Transformation Plan—funded through the Places for Everyone program managed by Sustrans—Open Streets aimed to tackle climate change, improve air quality, and encourage active travel by reimagining public space.
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Big Squid’s role included:
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Setting up and managing infrastructure and safety systems around complex road closures.
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Leading on health and safety planning to ensure compliance and safe operations.
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Facilitating community engagement, working closely with residents, businesses, and interest groups.
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Recruiting and managing a talented delivery team to support the initiative.
The result was a series of vibrant, car-free events that stood alongside global counterparts in cities like New York, Paris, and Bogotá.
City of Edinburgh Council feedback:
“Thanks for all you have done to develop, promote, support and deliver Open Streets. You should be very proud of what you have achieved.”
— Ian Buchanan, City Centre Programme, City of Edinburgh Council
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Open Streets attracted national media attention, with coverage in The Guardian, The Herald, The Edinburgh Reporter, The Independent, and Air Quality News.
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE STREET EVENTS
Production Management
Pre-Squid experience includes around 20 years in various roles at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tracy spent seven years as Assistant Manager of the Street Events programme at the world’s largest arts festival, producing large-scale outdoor theatre across two iconic city centre locations: the Royal Mile and the Mound Precinct. These events hosted some of the world’s finest performers and attracted an estimated one million visitors each year.
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Her role included designing and implementing scheduling systems to programme more than 500 performance artists into 4,000 time slots over a 25-day period. She also liaised with council departments, sponsors, and local businesses to ensure safe, accessible, and successful delivery of these high-profile public events.
In addition, Tracy project managed the design and build of a new city-centre box office – the Virgin Money Half Price Hut – installed annually on The Mound. This complex project required close collaboration with suppliers, architects, the National Galleries, structural engineers, and Edinburgh Trams. She successfully managed the budget, design, and build, overcoming significant access and technical challenges to deliver a striking and functional public venue.
ENCOUNTERS
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
Operational Management
Pre-Squid experience includes Operations Management for the 14th Encounters Short Film Festival.
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Encounters is a globally renowned short film festival that takes place in September on the beautiful harbourside in Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film. It is a qualifying festival for BAFTA, BIFA and the European Film Awards whose international reputation is built on championing emerging talent, hosting a dynamic industry programme, and welcoming an array of high-profile alumni and guests.
Operational delivery of the festival included creating and maintaining the master running order for screenings, panels, workshops, and guest schedules. Tracy also recruited, trained, and managed a volunteer team of 50, ensuring seamless front-of-house, box office, and audience services.
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Her role required close collaboration with technical, marketing, and venue teams, balancing creative programming needs with operational detail to guarantee smooth delivery. This position highlighted Tracy’s ability to manage complex, high-profile events, combining logistical expertise with a deep understanding of cultural and industry expectations.
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL
SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Festival & Programme Management
Pre-Squid experience includes eight years with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, whose mission is to popularise science and bring it to new audiences. As Programme Manager, Tracy planned, produced, and delivered a two-week annual festival attracting more than 75,000 visitors each year. The programme featured over 120 events citywide, developed in collaboration with cinemas, galleries, museums, universities, and publishers.
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Her responsibilities included strategic planning, budgeting, programming, staff recruitment, partner relationship management, and print production. To ensure the programme remained current, planning sessions were held at the Royal Institution in London, and involved working with leading science communicators and thinkers including editor in chief Alun Anderson.
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A particular highlight was managing the involvement of world-renowned figures, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee (father of the World Wide Web), Professor Richard Dawkins (evolutionary biologist), Dr James Lovelock (Gaia Theory), and Professor John Burland (chief engineer credited with saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa).
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