Tell me about theater tech work

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m considering becoming a tech for a student theater program at my grad school. I’ve been involved in a couple of plays before in minor performing roles and had fun, but have never done tech work.

Have you had fun doing tech work? Did you get a chance to mingle with the actors, directors, etc? Or were you ignored like background scenery? Tell me about any experiences you’ve had.

I’d like to do this, but it’ll be a serious time commitment out of my busy schedule, and I’m trying to get a better idea before I jump feet first in the pool.

2

Techies, unfortunately, are usually considered the black sheep of the theatre family. They are usually quiet people who would rather hang out amongst themselves that mingle with actors and directors. I mean, I love techies, but I could never do their jobs… lots of heavy lifting, getting things exactly right (such as lighting cues, spiking the stage, etc), and they have to do everything in the dark!

I’ve never seen anyone ignore techies because everyone in theatre understands how invaluable they are, but on the other hand the actors and directors usually seem to form their own clique, while the techies form their own as well. Not written in stone, just the way it usually happens.

If you want to learn more about the cog behind the wheel that makes theatre happen, I’d say go for it, but don’t expect a cushy, easy job. If you’re more interested in the spotlight and adoration (not that actors don’t work, but it’s a different kind of work), stick with being on stage.

3

Theater Folk can be a pretty dysfunctional lot and they can be dsyfunctional in a variety of ways so this is a difficult question to answer. Sometimes they will ignore you and sometimes you will only wish they ignored you.

I think you’d be better off with Carny Folk.

4

I was a techie in high school. We usually kept our own little group together. But our Drama teacher always made techs act, and actors work tech, so there was some intermingling.

5

Well, it depends.

Do you like sleep? Most of the set construction tends to be done in the wee hours. And while I’m sure if you’ve done some acting before, you’re familiar with “Hell Week,” you’ll see a whole new side of it when the crew has to stay and work on the last-minute fixes even after the cast is long gone. On the other hand, you’ll get to play with gaff tape. Relationships with the cast and production staff vary from production to production, depending on the mix of people, and often the attitude the director has toward tech to begin with. Techies do tend to stick together regardless of whether that is as part of the cast’s group or their own thing. However, they are often less dysfunctional than actors (except for Hell Week – it’s every neurosis for itself then). DooWahDiddy’s post is right on, although I wouldn’t say techies are the black sheep - that’s the front of house folks: box office, ushers, and such. I don’t think they even get invited to the cast parties.

If you’re just testing the waters, I’d say volunteer for running crew. You’ll get to wear black and hang out with the techies, but you won’t have to learn any fancy new skills, you probably won’t be called to rehearsals until the last couple of weeks, and you’ll interact with the cast much more than the other tech positions, because you’ll be backstage with them rather than up in the rafters. Plus, you’ll probably be warmly welcomed by the other techies, since most old hands don’t like to do running crew. This means it’s usually extremely hard to get running crew who aren’t a) actors who didn’t get cast and tend to think crew is some sort of unofficial understudy position, or b) morons who can’t be trusted to hold a hammer by the right end, and so have never been moved up. You will also gain a new respect for mini maglights and actors who check their props. And you’ll learn a hell of a lot about theatre that you didn’t even realize you didn’t know.

Generally, I’ve found that doing tech is a blast, even when it results in eye trauma, furniture incineration, and possible felonies.

Being on the tech side gives you a chance to appreciate the whole production better than being an actor, so if you’re interested in the art, rather than the limelight, you’ll probably like it. Also, if you like solving problems, you’ll fit right in.

Hmm, maybe it just depends on how much of a masochist you are.

6

Generalize much? Or did you just ask an actress out and told to piss off?

7

That would be my guess. Actresses don’t date techies. Bad form, and all that. :smiley:

8

I did it for a couple years in college. We were a pretty loose bunch - as long as you weren’t doing anything that would cause you or someone else to lose a limb, we weren’t managed too closely. The tech director knew what had to be done, and doled out work, but mostly it was a bunch of people who wanted to hang out and play with tools in the middle of the night instead of doing their homework.

As far as intermingling - it depended on the show. On the larger shows, the actors tended to clique up more than on smaller shows. We did usually have a couple actors willing to come and build sets, but that tended to be the exception. Simple put, the techies and the actors couldn’t be preparing at the same time so they rarely saw each other, and when the show is actually up there’s too much going on to try and socialize between groups.

9

Umm where is that coming from???

I am a Techie and I have to strongly disagree with that, excpecially in student theatre. In my four years of experience in Student theatre, before moving on to the real world, the Techies and the actors and directors were as thick as thieves. Backstage during show there are countless “games” going on between everyone. Yes occasionally you get a Prima Donna who doesn’t want to socialize, but I would say that 99% of the shows I have worked on everybody involved hung out together. Oh and none of the technicians I know are quiet, that’s for sure.
It is a huge amount of work at times, but it is worth it. Before switching to the dark side I was on stage acting in community theatre since I was 11. I had to take a tech class as a requirement in my theatre minor and I have not looked back since. After taking that class I switched schools to one that offered a Theatre intensive tech program. I strongly suggest that anyone who does theatre of any sort should try being a technician at least once. What other job can you be carving Styrofoam fish one day and creating huge piles of treasure the next.

It is great challenging work that keeps you thinking and forces you to be a creative problem solver. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
oh and

I dated an actor…

10

I was very active on the technical side in college (I had a theater minor also). Mostly I did props but I also ran follow-spotlight for cash when outside events toured through. looks around modestly I known as a crack shot with my followspot in my day.

There are different types of technical work. There’s scenic painting, props, electrics (lighting), costume costruction, set construction, stage managing and even “front of house” – ticketing and ushers. Extra hands are always needed and some jobs are more skilled than others, so don’t expect to get the choice assignments right away. No college theater on earth will turn away someone who is willing work and willing to learn.

All Theater people are a little wacky (not just techies) but very welcoming to the oddballs of the world. All theater people also put in very long hours – it is a time-consuming pasttime. Work on enough shows and you’ll know everyone.

Ususally with larger productions actors and technical staff do the majority of their work in separate areas, only coming together in the last couple of weeks or so. While large Mainstage productions are very good experience, smaller, student run shows are a better way to get to know people, since jobs intermingle much more and roles are less rigidly defined. (Smaller, student run productions have a larger chance of getting completely FUBAR’d though. Its all part of the learning experience.)

The ultimate movie about the life of a technical crew is “Noises Off” (it was also a play.) Rent it, live it.

I actually wrote a final project for an Anrthopology class about the interaction of techies and actors. Mostly, everyone is friends and in good departments, everyone will have tried everything at least once and have realized there are no “easy jobs” in the theater.

At their best, technical staff and actors treat each other with respect and good humor, and pitch in to help each other out when deadlines are looming. At their worst, actors treat techies like servants and techies treat actors like idiots. Long story short, know your shit, deliver what you promise, and everyone wil respect you even if they don’t like you.

A few handy tips to keep you a happy, healthy technie:
Glue without pressure’s like no glue at all.
Measure twice, cut once.
Never point the pneumatic nail gun at yourself or anyone else. Yes, I know there’s a safety.
If you drop something from a height, yell “heads!” loudly.
You can never have too many heavy-duty extension cords.
Put the drill batteries back on the charger every night.
Wear your fume mask when spray painting or working with styrofoam. Just Say No to to toluene fumes.
Check all wiring for splits and frays.
Wear gloves when focusing lights.
Keep your sense of humor about you.
If you’re not sure, ask.
Theater people have the best parties. “Blessed are the sober for they shall inherit the gossip!”

And finally, a little tidbit from my own career:
When the Maestro of the New York City Opera calls you “little person” suppress the urge to strangle him.

11

Please note: I have a cold, and I’m on lots of medication. The following may not make sense.

Do it - it’s fun (at least I keep telling myself that). It’s been a rare thing to find a click-ish atmosphere in all my theatre experience. In fact, there’s mostly a feeling of camaraderie that comes from being stuck in a dark theatre on a beautiful summer day, or working stupidly long hours to get everything right. There are a lot of assholes out there, but some work backstage and some work onstage. You can’t really place people in personality categories by what their job is.

You mention that you have a busy schedule. I would sit down with who ever is going to be your boss for the show and discuss call times. You might be called a lot more often than you think. Words to live by: “If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late.”

The trick is finding the chorus members who a) don’t know that, or b) don’t care. :slight_smile:

Also, some people don’t care for the term ‘techie.’ It doesn’t really bother me that often, but the word can grate on my nerves if used in certain ways. Just call everybody ‘the crew’ or something and you should be all right.

I would no more expect an actor to help build a set than they would expect me to take part in the big tap number. They’ve got a job to do, and so do I. Each job is different, and each job is equally important. Again, in my experience, the intermingling tends to depend more on people’s personalities than their job descriptions. Some actors or techs like to go out for a drink at a fancy club, and some would rather go to a local hole-in-the-wall. Everybody’s just people.

12

I guess it depends on what you mean by “tech” and what kind of theater group you get involved with. Stage managers interact with everybody during the production, though some may choose not to be too friendly or buddy-buddy with the cast and crew in order to maintain a semblance of authority.

I just finished a show on Sunday at an all-volunteer community theater and there’s not much elitism there. The person who stage manages for you in one show might be on stage with you the next. The audition forms have boxes to check for “yes, please call me if you need technical crew.” Actors helped move heavy set pieces into place, and later helped strike the set; there’s nobody else to do it and everybody pitches in.

The cameraderie was mostly actor-actor tech-tech, probably because the groups were somewhat isolated. I could talk to the other actors in the men’s dressing room, while we were all getting ready, and consequently got to know them better than the tech crew. Also, the actors spent the first 4 weeks of rehearsal together with no tech crew.

The grips and the dressers had less to do and could mingle with each other more easily in the green room; the actors only came backstage briefly to change costumes and take their places again.

There was friendship between all the people who smoked, no matter what they did. Ditto for the people who could stay out late after the shows. Our director treated the tech crew to a dinner after we closed, though all cast and crew attended. (Cast had to buy for themselves.)

I wouldn’t exactly say actors aren’t allowed to date techies, but it can cause some jealousy issues. In our cast we had the wife of the theater’s technical director. She auditioned and got the part fairly, but it’d be easy to see how somebody might get the wrong idea.

13

:shrug: I can’t tell you much about student theatre, but I work in professional theatre, and that’s just the way it generally happens. I’m trying not to generalize, because it’s pointless to say that “everyone who is a techie is a quiet introvert”, and that’s not what I’m saying at all. But as Jenny Haniver pointed out, most of the techies’ work is done off-hours, and therefore they never get the chance to hang out with actors and directors even if they want to.

I will, however, retract my statement about them being “black sheep”. Believe it or not, that phrase means something entirely different where I’m from, but I looked it up and see now that it was not the phrase I was going for. I was just saying they are more the “outsiders” or the “non-social” types, that’s all. And it’s usually because they know they have a job to do and don’t screw around all the time like those silly actors. :wink:

14

If your schedule permits, consider working as the stage manager. I spent part of my misspent youth as a professional stage manager and IMO it is the best, most enjoyable job in the theatre. It is demanding, time-consuming and requires a high level of organizational and people skills, but you are involved in every aspect of the production, both artistic and technical. Once the run starts, you are basically the “boss”, but, for me, that never stood in the way of developing warm friendships with both cast and crew.

15

Well, I was the sound tech for a touring musical that played in United Churches all around Canada. I lasted three months, including rehersals.

The good stuff included a rehersal facility at a religious retreat near Paris (Ontario - cesspool of a city, I tell ya). We had the run of the place, which was cool, and it was the first time I’ve had access to an industrial kitchen for my own personal use. As to the play itself, it was alright, but the touring was an adventure. You can’t find a better accoustic environment than a church - as the sound guy, I was able to blast loud music for sound checks. I saw a lot of Southern Ontario. It was an experience I don’t regret at all.

Now to the bad stuff. This was a very poorly run show. The principal actor also doubled as our bus driver, which should tell you something. The only church that had people complain that I was smoking outside of it was in Tilsonberg, ON (for those not in the know, that’s where a good chunk of the tobacco used in Canada is grown). Go figure. In Chatham ON, our wireless microphone system kept picking up the nearby OPP (Provincial Police) repeater, and playing it to the audience. I blew the power in a church in Huntsville.

For the indifferent, how about this. Huntsville is also the place where we went to a bar after the show, and saw instead of bikes out front, snowmobiles. Should have walked on by. In the can, where one would normally find a condom or aftershave vending machine, was a unit that sold “pussy picture trading cards”. It was not a good night.

I also got to know Hawksley Workman in his former life as a bit player in a crappy musical.

Sorry to ramble, but my advice is to go for it, you never know what’ll happen.

BTW, all we did was mingle, but that might have been something to do with the size and utter unprofessionality of the company.

16

I work in professional theatre too, I guess we just have had different experiences. Most of the shows I have worked on the actors always ask the techs to hang out after shows.

17

I have been involved in theatre since High School, and have done extensive work with the Community Arts Council here. It requires dedication, punctuality, and being a bit insane helps. I am known as The Almighty Props Godess for good reason. :smiley:

Since there has been so many great responses, I will direct you to a site with a techie point of view: http://www.theatretechie.com/gospel.html
Enjoy! By all means, get involved. You will run into jerks and divas, but they are generally few and far between. The experience has always been a blast for me!

18

One thing to get used to in tech theatre is the terms, I tell you after a stint of stage managing my left and rights are so confused

In is down, down is front
Out is up, up is back
Off is out, on is in
And of course-
Left is right and right is left

A drop shouldn’t and a
Block and fall does neither
A prop doesn’t and
A cove has no water

Tripping is OK
A running crew rarely gets anywhere
A purchase line buys you nothing
A trap will not catch anything

A gridiron has nothing to do with football
Strike is work (In fact a lot of work)
And a green room, thank god, usually isn’t

Now that you’re fully versed in Theatrical terms,
Break a leg.
But not really.