Panto season is just around the corner but for Mark Everett, that could be any month of the year.

“Like the poor, the panto is always with us,” joked the theatre director of the Marlowe in Canterbury.

As soon as one pantomime finishes, tickets are already being sold for the next year’s production. To get the best actors, Mr Everett likes to get moving with casting in February.

He said: “I get very involved. I go to auditions for the ensemble because we need to consider how they are going to look. I’m very hands-on.

“Some theatre managers just ask to be kept in the loop when they have a good team running the production, but I like to be a bit closer than most.”

This attention to detail has kept Mr Everett in the theatre business for nearly 40 years.

His love of theatre dates back from his days as a choirboy growing up in Brighton. He was president of the drama society as a student at Nottingham University, taking shows to the Edinburgh Festival.

His first job was as house manager of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, moving to the Dukes playhouse in Lancaster where he “learnt the trade”.

After spells at the Bristol Old Vic and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, he joined the Marlowe as theatre director in 1994.

“It was being the boss which attracted me,” he said. “I had been to Canterbury a couple of times and I wanted to return to the South East.

“I felt there was huge potential here and I got that right.”

Mr Everett oversaw the Marlowe’s temporary closure in 2009 before moving into its redeveloped new 1,200 seater venue on the same spot in the heart of Canterbury in October 2011.

Today, it hosts an array of national productions and is an annual fixture for the likes of the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Glyndebourne Opera. It also has the biggest-selling pantomime in the county.

He said: “You don’t fully understand how challenging moving into a new building can be.

“But I would say the theatre has performed way beyond expectations. We were four years old on October 4 and we have really done well.

“We are selling lots of tickets and getting all the biggest productions. I never thought we would be this good by now.”

What’s the secret to pulling in the punters at a theatre?

“Whatever you do on stage it has to be quality and value for money. If someone has paid a chunky sum of money for a ticket, you need to deliver. I never want people to feel short-changed or upset. My biggest function is putting together the programme. A theatre stands or falls by what it puts on stage.”

When do you feel most under pressure?

“If we are doing well it’s brilliant, but if we aren’t, then people start asking me why. Perhaps two or three shows don’t make their budget and then I worry a bit about money. We are part of the local authority and sometimes councillors ask questions, and we need to give the answers very quickly. That can be pressurised. But compared to a job like being a teacher, it is no pressure at all.”

Is theatre under threat from streaming services like Netflix?

“Take football. I’m a Gillingham fan and a lot of supporters prefer going to a game instead of watching it on TV because of the atmosphere. There is something about live shows and sharing a common experience which you can never replicate electronically. You ask anyone who has been to Glastonbury and they will say it was one of the best experiences of their life. I think the same goes for theatre.”

How do you manage your staff?

“It is the balance of delegation. You want to get involved in everything but you can’t. Part of my job is to get the right people in. Once you’ve appointed people, you need to let them get on with what they are doing. Delegation is critical but you need to always be there if they have got a problem.”

Who are the best and worst performers you’ve met at the Marlowe?

“I have a huge amount of time for Lee Evans because what he does is brilliant and he’s actually a top bloke. It was a great privilege to have John Cleese at the Marlowe last year. I’ve met a lot of people in my job, but I still felt startstruck with him. I have met very few prima donnas because they don’t survive. We don’t put up with it. British theatre is a friendly and supportive industry.”

CV

Born: 23/09/1951

Birthplace: Brighton

School: Hove Grammar School

Family: Married to Valerie with son Toby and daughter Holly

First job: Labouring for a small building firm

First pay: “It was probably about seven bob a week.”

Salary now: “I can’t give that out but it’s never enough.”

Car: Alpha Romeo Mito

Film: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Music: “I’m quite interested in jazz and anything by Miles Davis.”

Gadget: iPhone

Last holiday: The Loire Valley and Paris

Charity: RNLI

Typical day

Mark Everett says one of the joys of working in the theatre is that “there really isn’t any such thing as a typical day”.

However, he usually gets to the Marlowe by 8.30am, checks his emails and then attends various meetings throughout the day.

These can be on ticket pricing, programming, budget meetings and much else. He says he often spends two hours on the phone a day and aims to finish at about 6pm.

He usually attends at least one evening show a week and typically meets and greets performers one evening each week.

Once a week he will travel to London to see shows he wants to bring to the Marlowe.

In his downtime, he confesses to being a “nerdy aeroplane spotter”. He said: “I just absolutely love them and find it relaxing watching them because it uses a different part of your brain.”

He also enjoys cooking and spending time in the kitchen.