Theatre and the performing arts are exciting area of practice for Sports Therapists. Thanks to companies such as Production Physiotherapy, more opportunities are opening for Sports Therapists to work alongside performers and production teams. SST members may have noticed some of these roles being advertised recently.
One of the people helping to create these opportunities is Barry Sigrist, co-director of Production Physiotherapy. From professional football and Formula One to film sets and London’s West End, Barry’s career is inspirational.
Barry graduated in Sports Therapy in 2008 with one clear ambition which was to work in professional football. After gaining experience in private practice and lower-level sport, he began working at Watford, initially giving his time for free before progressing into a first-team role.
“I was lucky with some of the timing, but I think I put myself in a position to be there. I worked a lot of hours getting my hands on people and gaining experience.”
That experience eventually led to roles at Watford and West Ham, but an unexpected opportunity was about to take Barry’s career in a completely different direction.
From football to film
“I fell into film. I wasn’t looking for it.”
While Jupiter Ascending was filming at Leavesden, the production needed somebody to support its lead actor. A former colleague recommended Barry, opening the door to film work and demonstrating something he believes has been important throughout his career: how you work with and treat people matters.
Further opportunities followed, alongside rehabilitation and conditioning work in Harley Street. It was there that Barry met physiotherapist Sophie Lane. Sophie brought extensive musical theatre experience, while Barry brought experience from professional sport and film. Recognising that the performing arts could benefit from approaches already established within high-performance sport, they established Production Physiotherapy.
Today, based in the heart of London’s West End, their team supports performers across theatre, film and television. Treating performers as athletes, or as Production Physiotherapy calls them “performing athletes”
For Barry, one of the biggest misconceptions is that theatre sits outside the high-performance environment.
“These performers are performing at a really high level physically. Their livelihood depends on it, and they can be performing eight times a week with very little recovery.”
Touring can increase those demands further, with performers potentially spending their only day without a show travelling to the next venue. This means the role goes far beyond treating injuries. Barry and the team consider rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, load management and education alongside wider performance factors.
His previous work in motorsport, including Formula One, has also influenced this approach.
“It gave me a much bigger understanding of how you can affect performance through things like sleep. We now apply that knowledge to hundreds of performers across the productions we look after.”
Life behind the curtain
A typical day can be intense. Barry may have a four-hour production block involving eight back-to-back appointments. Alongside assessment and treatment come clinical notes, rehabilitation planning, and conversations with the production about whether a performer can perform.
There is also a significant educational role, with Barry delivering sessions to casts on areas including injury prevention, wellbeing and sleep optimisation.
Returning a performer to the stage also requires the same clinical reasoning used when returning an athlete to sport.
“It isn’t zero to 100. You have to understand loading and what you can modify to get that person on stage safely.”
Advice for Sports Therapists
For Sports Therapists interested in working in theatre or other high-performance environments, Barry’s advice is straightforward:
“Get experience. Get your hands on people.”
Therapists need confidence in assessing and triaging new injuries, rehabilitation, loading and decision-making. Communication is equally important.
“You can be the best therapist in the world, but if you don’t understand the environment and you can’t communicate with people, you’ll fall flat.”
Barry also emphasises the importance of being part of the wider team, something he learned during his years in football.
“I was happy to do the dirty work so that sessions ran smoothly. It was always about the team first.”
Creating your own opportunities
Looking back, Barry is proud of the variety of his career, but he is also keen that people recognise the work behind those opportunities.
“People see that you worked on a movie, but they don’t see the hours you gave away to gain the experience to get there.”
There is a consistent thread running through Barry’s journey: gaining experience, continuing to learn, building relationships and being prepared when opportunities arise.
As Barry puts it: “I was fortunate with some of the timing, but I worked hard to be ready for it.”
Find out more about Production Physiotherapy here ➡️
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