Do you need a degree from a theatre program to be a concert LD/technician?

[echosierra08]

I am currently in my first year in a theatre program but I am thinking about changing my major. I have come across a few people who have degrees in something else and are LD's. I really don't like theatre and want to focus more on live music lighting design and moving light design in general. If I were to change my major what would be a good major to switch to? What should I do to get experience with lighting? IATSE? Clubs? High schools? Any advice would be appreciated!

[avkid]

As much as I hate to say this, it's more about who you know than what pieces of paper you have.

There is much to be said for being in the right place at the right time.

The theatre design classes are going to teach you the science and art behind lighting that you might not learn "in the trenches".

Work calls at a local roadhouse or arena will give you a taste of how things work on the road.

[echosierra08]

I have thought of the same thing. Where I am at now, I have to run shows, spend alot of time doing stuff I don't do pertaining to what I REALLY want to do and overall once I am a Jr. I then spend 5 hours a day in the theatre/shop. So I run out of time for GE's. I just want a piece of paper and get the heck out of college.

[derekleffew]

echosierra08, odds are good you're going to spend much of your working career doing things you don't want to do, so that people will give you money in exchange for services. That's why it's called work, instead of play. Fortunate are the few who can combine the two. Not trying to be overly pessimistic, but see this article: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/c...-industry.html.

[jerekb]

Hey Derek.... or some one.
In regards to that thread you have a link to. Would it be better to say something like: I am young and have an extreme love for the industry focusing mainly on lighting. I feel like a know what I'm doing, though I have tons to learn. I'm content with simply taking out the trash as I am competent in my skills and will learn what I need to to work my way up. I will do any job assigned to me. Whatever I need to know I can learn." Would something like that be for effective you think?

[Pie4Weebl]

Here is a nod towards just going to college for the "college experiencing". College can teach you a way to think, which you will never really learn in the trenches or at least not as quickly. It also gives you time to grow up and really find yourself as a person before really going into the real world.

[Esoteric]

Depends on what exactly you want to do....

Be a Lighting Director or technician on tours? Then getting out on the road and getting real world experience will be more important. You can learn what you need to learn hanging out with the LDs. Although a good handle on basics will serve you well (I have seen a lot of guys doing local gigs that had no clue what they were doing). You have to be in the right place at the right time, but you have to know what to do once you are there.

If you want to go into the theater (regional or national) then an undergraduate eduction will serve you well.

Mike

[waynehoskins]

College is a good thing, yes. Merely having a piece of paper that says "BFA Theatre Design" doesn't do you much. However, in the process you will hopefully (as noted already) learn a lot. Much of that you can get in the trenches; some you can't. There's also a lot of learning you get in the Real World that you don't get in classes or even doing theatre in college.

A mixture of both -- lecture, college shows, and road house (or production co) -- will give you a very good broad skillset. Theatre, especially university, is likely to be heavily conventionals-based. Tours are heavily movers-based. If you learn both, you can light shows with both. If you only learn movers, it's hard to light a show with only conventionals, especially only minimal conventionals.

Learn stuff, and learn outside of your major too. I got my theatre degree, and then got a real job as a database administrator and web programmer and such. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken more CS classes.

Oh yes, and enjoy college. It's not all about the work, you know.

[jmac]

As Pie4 intimated, college is valuable as a place where you learn how to learn. In that regard, it serves you well no matter where you go.

Yes, there are other things you learn only in the real world trenches. But you'll pick them up faster with the college experience.

No matter what you do, work at being a good writer. Don't skip the English classes! In the end, that will put you ahead of most the others, regardless of your field.

My two-cent digression...

[ruinexplorer]

Yes, there are successful people who skip college and go right into the industry. Something that many of them do not learn is how to determine what is good and bad information. Since there are many people in our industry who have not had a formal education, there are many of them who are practicing improper and sometimes dangerous techniques. Even if you go to work for a reputable employer that provides you with good training, as mentioned above, you will not get some additional training that is essential to success, such as technical writing skills and higher math (both for electric and rigging calculations). I recommend that when you go to college, instead of getting a job at a coffee shop or retail store, work for a company in the industry such as a rental company, road house, or theatrical distributor/manufacturer. If you don't want to go to school for theater, I would recommend computer information systems. You want to be able to understand the complexities of the information exchange of the media servers as well as the lighting systems. Don't neglect your lighting courses so that you can understand that there is purpose for many different instruments, not just Lekos and Par Cans. Also, by getting a college education, you are putting yourself in a better position to one day be ETCP certified.

<rant> I have met many "big fish in a small pond" type of designers. Problem is, those are the people that you often will get work with when you are trying to work your way up without going to school. Often times, they went straight into designing without ever getting formal education. You can pick out their designs as they are generally unimaginative and repetitive. They can be successful, but they are most often stuck in their own market and on the off chance that they get to try out another market, they usually fail.

I have also met many technicians who have had no real training. They often take risks that are unnecessary which sometimes results in serious injury or even death. Their unsafe practices also can lead to property damage. </rant>