All the learned and far more experienced professional people have had their say and I respect their opinions very much. As a non-theatre-professional, let me add my two pfennig:
I am an electrical engineer (BS/MSEE, Purdue University, 80/81) with a minor in technical
theatre. I spent 4 years in high school working backstage building stuff and running a ginormous
rheostat light board. I have never worked in
theatre professionally, but I have worked in lots of
amateur/community theatres and have designed/built
props/sets for the last 12 years. It is an intensely satisfying avocation. As a "
theatre person" with an engineering background, I believe I brought a big measure of discipline and attention to detail to the work I did. Although much of what I have done had little to do with electricity/electronics per-se, my engineering mentality made my sets fit together better, my stairs not wobble or sag, my doors
swing straight and latch cleanly, my soundscapes cleaner and fuller, my
props more believable and interesting. Could I make it in a professional environment doing that sort of thing? Not any more. I'm 62 and missed that boat long ago. But the engineering mindset developed over many years of making medical imaging systems and
power system protective devices enabled me to do better at what I did in my free time and to help those around me do better as well -- there are a great many teaching opportunities when you are supervising a bunch of amateurs building a big set on a big
stage.
In one of my
community theatre gigs, I came on as technical director and was asked why some dimmers didn't work. To make a long story short, a licensed electrician had recently finished (and been paid for) a installation job he pretty much botched: overstuffed conduits, insufficient neutrals, shorted connections, blown dimer pack channels. The worst part was that he had left the
dimmer pack fed from three 100A breakers --oversized to the
point of being a fire hazard and code violation. I fixed it all and had it inspected and signed off by an electrician I trusted. As an engineer, I was in a position to understand everything that had been done wrong even though I was not an *electrician*.
How does my experience relate the more professional
theatre environment? As a non-traditional student, my wife, after being an extremely busy ("
amateur") set designer for almost 10 years went off and got an MFA in Scenic Design. Through her experience, I came in contact with a great many technical
theatre students at different schools and through
USITT.
I have been invited to give two presentations at
USITT conferences in recent years, one on LEDs for
props and costumes (co-presentation with some professors) and a hugely-attended session entitled Safe DC Design for
Props and Costumes. What I learned through my local, university and
USITT exposure is that there are a lot of people doing technical
theatre work who have vanishingly little understanding about electricity, simple circuits (batteries, LEDs and switches) and what will set your actors on fire.
Side note: I would quit my day job as an commercial/industrial electrical
power systems consultant if I could get paid to teach basic electricity/electronics/programming
etc. to technical
theatre students.
What does that mean to you Andy, the prospective student? It depends on 1) what you think you want to do with your life, career-wise; and 2) how much joy you get from working in the
theatre. Let's
face it, you'll be much happier and better doing a job where you enjoy what you are doing. Do you want to design stuff like moving light controls or lighting/sound equipment? Do you want to *apply* those things in an entertainment
venue? Are you comfortable with (and good at) math/physics? Are you happiest when you are working with your hands and creating things?
Electrical Engineering programs are by nature theoretical but most of them offer a strong hands-on component either through project work or co-op work-study programs (which I highly recommend). On the other
hand, there are 2- and 4-year Electrical Engineering Technology programs where your emphasis is more on doing
practical work than on, say,
semiconductor physics. (I am an academic program evaluator and have seen EET programs that were spectacularly challenging).
If you like understanding how things work, engineering is a great field and it will certainly not restrict your work in technical
theatre -- on the contrary, it will most likely enhance your opportunities on the product-design/applications-engineering side. If you want to work as a lighting or sound designer, (or TD, rigger or
master carpenter) you'd probably be better off with engineering technology -- especially if math/physics is not your strong suit.
What you think you want to do today is probably not what you will be doing in 15 years so you need to prepare be flexible. If you want to get a
foot in the door at
ETC, engineering is the way to go. Even with an engineering degree, you can still do all that stuff you like doing, you'll just be prepared for the next career step.
You are asking the right questions. Good Luck.
--Jeff