What do you consider yourself?

What do you consider yourself?

  • Techie

    Votes: 41 32.8%
  • Stagehand

    Votes: 27 21.6%
  • Theatre Craftsman

    Votes: 16 12.8%
  • Artist

    Votes: 20 16.0%
  • Technician

    Votes: 76 60.8%
  • Designer

    Votes: 52 41.6%
  • Crew

    Votes: 36 28.8%
  • Theatre Practitioner

    Votes: 10 8.0%
  • Actor

    Votes: 4 3.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 30 24.0%

  • Total voters
    125

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Just curious as to the distribution out there.
 
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as i have said on other threads, i really dislike the word "techie"
 
I am, and therefore consider myself, an SM.
 
I didn't check it, but I am called a techie. I doesn't bother me, but I would consider myself a technician. Which we've already discussed.
 
To some degree it depends on which hat I'm wearing on any given day. I'm increasingly being able to wear the (freelance) LD hat again, which is wonderful.

I like to overall consider myself somewhat of an engineer in the world of production. Audio, lighting, video: I like to know how things work and how to make things work (and how to fix them). Several people call me the "Make It Work" guy, or some variation on that.

But really, I'm just fortunate to be where I've been (which is nowhere big, and I don't really want to make it big, just eventually become good) .. somehow I made all the turns on the path that got me from just a geek/nerd student to one who ran sound at church to, in high school, a theatre tech geek, and now a database/website programmer by day and LD, church TD, and whatnot-else by night and weekend.

So: Technician, Designer, Other .. in no particular order.
 
I am a designer. Period. I have the ablility to work as a technician, and very frequently I have to work as a technician. I have more than enough know-how to be a technician because I believe that it helps me as a designer.

But when all is said and done I'm a Designer.
 
Also...I believe the option of "Educator" is missing.
 
I consider myself an audio engineer (FOH and Monitor), stagehand, and video operator. I could also include carpenter/carpenter's assistant due to past jobs, but that wasn't included in the list.
 
Everything except actor, since everything is ultimately my responsibility.
 
I'll be brutally honest, it irks me when people dub themselves an Engineer. Unless you have a BE or I think in the States it is a BSE on the wall, you aren't an Engineer any more than one can be a doctor without medical training or a doctorate in philosophy or some higher doctorate, spin doctors excluded.
 
Theatre Craftsman/Technician/Designer.. first one because I practice and learn my craft as professionally as I know how.. Second one because the mentality is different than "techie".. and third one because I love the way I can make things look through lighting design and my past expertise in carpentry applied to stage construction designs..
 
I'll be brutally honest, it irks me when people dub themselves an Engineer. Unless you have a BE or I think in the States it is a BSE on the wall, you aren't an Engineer any more than one can be a doctor without medical training or a doctorate in philosophy or some higher doctorate, spin doctors excluded.

Oh, me too. I don't call myself an engineer (except in the capacity of FOH/Monitor/Broadcast/Recording/System Engineer, where it's in the position title). I consider myself to do the same sorts of things an engineer would, and in the same sort of way (and in fact, I probably could have at least minored in EE in college).

But in terms of calling myself something, Engineer is used only when it's part of a job position title (FOH Engineer, BC Engineer, EIC). Otherwise, I usually call myself a "sound-lights-video guy".
 
I am best as a SM, but have done everything else along the way.
 
As a theatre teacher I am a practitioner of the art - ALL OF THE ART. I have to know pretty much everything about everything when it comes to making quality theatre happen in an envinroment like this.
Yes, it takes a lot of time. Yes, it can be painful. Yes, there is a period of about 6 weeks where I do not see my family, but in order for the experience to be beneficial to the students and the patrons entirely neccessary!
 
Where are you going with this Footer? :confused: I find it really interesting that educator, TD, SM, electrician, and most of the other "REAL" terms were not on the list.
 
I'll be brutally honest, it irks me when people dub themselves an Engineer. Unless you have a BE or I think in the States it is a BSE on the wall, you aren't an Engineer any more than one can be a doctor without medical training or a doctorate in philosophy or some higher doctorate, spin doctors excluded.


I'm in high school. I call myself the Lighting Designer, the sound guy calls himself the Sound Engineer. I don't see any realy problem with that as he does engineer how things work, he isn't trying to give the false perception that he has an engineers degree.
 
I'm wearing the designer hat more and more these days, so I guess I consider myself a cross between designer and technician. I'd say engineer, but we've seen how that goes around here :lol:
 
I'd say engineer, but we've seen how that goes around here :lol:
An old subject, but an interesting one in this application. I believe that all states have legal constraints on the use of the terms "Engineer" and "engineering" when it comes to building and systems design and construction, especially anything that potentially has to do with the health, safety and welfare of the general public. And the usage has nothing to do directly with a degree, it has to do with being a licensed and registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the related discipline, which is done on a state-by-state basis. Calling yourself an Engineer or offering engineering services in such applications not only opens you up to legal charges of practicing without a license, it also implies a degree of liability that you would probably prefer to avoid.

However, some states do allow the use of the term Engineer in relation to building and systems operations, here in Georgia the law specifically provides just such an exemption for systems and facility operators. While you definitely need to verify the specific laws for the state you are in, as an operator you may be able use the title Engineer but if you provide any services related to the design or construction of a theatre or the tech systems, then you would probably not want to use that title.

What is ironic in this is that with an Engineering degree, a PE and Professional Liability insurance, I actually avoid using the terms "Engineer" and "engineering", especially in relation to any building or systems design or construction, as I recognize the implications in doing so.
 

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