What inspired you to get into technical theatre?

I decided to go back to "school" this year not wanting to do what I did before or any of many other jobs that personality tests thought I'd be good at. Don't know I'll be good at this either but starting a "Live production" course in a few weeks and expect I'll find out. What inspired me to choose theatre - I have a brother who writes beautiful music and songs while I have a talent for writing so my aim is to write a book for a musical. As I'm theatrically illiterate I figured I'd better learn a few ABCs before I demand XYZs from a tech crew. This looks like a great place to get the gritty truth while I experience some basic hands-on education during the tech course. Wish me luck!
 
I decided to go back to "school" this year not wanting to do what I did before or any of many other jobs that personality tests thought I'd be good at. Don't know I'll be good at this either but starting a "Live production" course in a few weeks and expect I'll find out. What inspired me to choose theatre - I have a brother who writes beautiful music and songs while I have a talent for writing so my aim is to write a book for a musical. As I'm theatrically illiterate I figured I'd better learn a few ABCs before I demand XYZs from a tech crew. This looks like a great place to get the gritty truth while I experience some basic hands-on education during the tech course. Wish me luck!
Welcome-aboard!
Toodleoo!
Ron-Hebbard.
 
I got sucked into this world thanks to being lucky enough to be at a school with an actual theatre.

I can remember being a grade 8 student and going to the end of year assembly for those who would be attending this highschool come the fall. My naive thought when they lowered the video screen was joking to my friend "I want to be the guy who pushes the down button".

Of course as I would find out come the fall, that was no button, that was counterbalanced manpower.


Once I joined and assumed more responsibilities, I found myself drifting further away from my original intent to go somewhere in the computer sciences.

Now here I am, finishing my last semester at highschool, and despite all the problems with this old theatre, the people who would come in with crazy demands and the outright toxic ones...

I loved all of it.
 
I got sucked into this world thanks to being lucky enough to be at a school with an actual theatre.

I can remember being a grade 8 student and going to the end of year assembly for those who would be attending this highschool come the fall. My naive thought when they lowered the video screen was joking to my friend "I want to be the guy who pushes the down button".

Of course as I would find out come the fall, that was no button, that was counterbalanced manpower.


Once I joined and assumed more responsibilities, I found myself drifting further away from my original intent to go somewhere in the computer sciences.

Now here I am, finishing my last semester at highschool, and despite all the problems with this old theatre, the people who would come in with crazy demands and the outright toxic ones...

I loved all of it.
The thoughts of an old blind guy: Some people are in technical theatre because they want to be, others because we must be. For some of us we can never remember a time when we weren't compelled.
Edit 1; corrected a minor spelling error.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
It mostly started cause I was bored. I go to a community college that has multiple campuses around Cleveland. I started at the one downtown and went to one in the suburbs of Cleveland. I joined drama club saw a few plays started hanging around the theater department and volunteering. One of my classmates said they were in Mary Poppins at a local community theater and I went to see the show. They do a program every summer where people can volunteer to help build the set for the summer show and then do crew for that show. I've been a volunteer there for a year now and my third show I was spotlighting beauty and the beast. I just decided then that I love working musicals. I also took a stagecraft at my college and got to play around with the lighting board for a few minutes so I'm here to learn more and maybe one day tour with a traveling show like trans Siberian orchestra doing lighting or working other concerts
 
I'm curious. What inspired you to get into technical theatre?
The first Broadway show I saw was ‘Hello Dolly’ in 1968 I was in 7th grade with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. I was amazed at set pieces moving on and off stage as if by magic. The next day I went to the school auditorium and signed up for the back stage crew and the light board grabbed my attention and that was it.
I stayed involved through high school. I didn’t go to college so my ‘career’ stopped in 1974.
I want for a number of reasons to get involved again in lighting but I will need some help. I’ll look around and find the correct forum to ask my questions.

I'm curious. What inspired you to get into technical theatre?
 
The first Broadway show I saw was ‘Hello Dolly’ in 1968 I was in 7th grade with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. I was amazed at set pieces moving on and off stage as if by magic. The next day I went to the school auditorium and signed up for the back stage crew and the light board grabbed my attention and that was it.
I stayed involved through high school. I didn’t go to college so my ‘career’ stopped in 1974.
I want for a number of reasons to get involved again in lighting but I will need some help. I’ll look around and find the correct forum to ask my questions.
@Ian Sk You're amazed!!? Heck! I'm totally incredulous to read: (Quoting you) "I was in 7th grade with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway"
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
I was the chief engineer / studio manager at a recording studio. The place semi-suddenly changed ownership, turning my full-time gig into a part-time "freelance" position. Figured I should get something at least somewhat stable to make up the difference. Local performing arts facility had an ad out for a part-time TV studio tech. Signed up, got the job. Some day before my start date, I asked if they'd mind if I just sort of wandered about the place to get the lay of the land. There was a rehearsal going on in the main theatre (A Chorus Line - I remember it like it was yesterday). TD / sound guy was having issues with a couple wireless units. I offered to help.

"You know anything about wireless mics?"
"Well, enough I guess..."

Tweaked the mics, plugged everything in while he was working. Something started feeding back.

"Do you mind...?"
"Go right ahead."

And I pulled down a couple frequencies on the graphic.

A bit later, something (don't remember what) needed attention and he (TD) said "I have to leave the board for a bit" to the director and brought the faders down. I said "Do you want me to fill in for awhile?" and he says "Can you live sound?!?" and I said "Well, sure."

At that point, I was a theatre tech. I can only imagine how much more of my hair I'd still have if I didn't go in that evening.
 
I started out acting. I always wanted to be a comedic actor, but I was always cast as the milquetoast normal dude. Lol. I did improv for a while. I still like doing it, but the whole "improv world" is too much for me.

I eventually got a part time job as an event technician at the community college, and held on to the job longer than any of the other stuff I was doing in my life. By the time that happened, I realized this is what I had to do for a career.
 
Hmmm....back in 1967 I was about 25 and had just lost my job as an electrical engineer at Northern Instrument Corp. They expanded too fast and whet under. I went back to working at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre as a sound tech where I had worked 5 years earlier.
I was immediately bored to stiff working for the State of NY. Soooo I invented a sound operated SCR controlled lighting system i doubed the "Chromatic Illuminator" and found a customer. ...Lafayette Electronics. Before I could close the deal, Mr. Dick Write, who had just purchased Theatrical Workshop in Valley Stream, hired me and signed a contract and I was working there 2 weeks later.
That is when i saw my first scenic shop. Cool.
A few weeks later they were contracted to build a set for the show Billy Budd, designed by Ming Cho Lee, for the Billy Rose Theatre. Since I knew controls and automation, i was suddenly designing and building all of the automation and doing a Broadway install.
Ming won a Tony Award. for the design.
Wow ! I got sucked in. Theatrical Workshop went bust after the show opened. I was immediately offered a position at Fellers Studios and a Local 1 card.....ummmm and i said no. Didn't want to travel to Fellers from middle of Long Island and started TSSI "Theatrical Services & Supplies, Inc." Instead.

Now, 50 years later, what a ride life has been. Sold the product sales and contracting portion of the TSSI company, started Impact Multimedia Inc. , IMI-LED and Theatrical Design Group, Inc. and am designing theatres for educational institutions, consulting, and designing and manufacturing LED control systems.
Fun stuff.
 
I have a strange-ish path to where I am now. I got started in third grade when my 3-8 (one building in a k-8) had just had an expansion and an auditorium that had just been completed. Because I was known for knowing computers (gifted kid with too much time) the principal had me and some other kids from various grades be shown how to operate the equipment at turnover. I ended up being the one person who really continued to do things, and in 2019 I ended up taking a lighting and sound design course at a community college, doing that community college full time, getting a AS in computer science, and now I’m a senior in high school, helping run my school’s theatre program (TD) and trying to leave it better than I found it.
 
Well my story is this...... I did some stuff when I was at highschool (about age 16) and then really didn't do much after that. Fast forward to 2013 and my darling daughter (aged 12) auditioned for the local junior theatre company. As she was accepted in the cast we, as good parents went along to volunteer. I started building props that year and then the next year I was the set builder and have been ever since. My building turned into a renewed interest in tech and I started incorporating battery powered things in props and also constructing wireless DMX units for the push on sets so they were controlled by the console.
Fast forward again to 2018 and I was made redundant from my job. So I applied for a casual technician job at the local theatre. I got that and then also working full time at a nursing home (right through covid thankfully) I filled my days in. When covid was subsiding and we could open up the theatres again I resumed my work, left the nursing home and pursue a career in technical theatre. I am now part time at one theatre and casual at another 2.
Now my darling daughter has just completed a degree in Musical Theatre and is starting the process of auditioning professionally.
So in short I attribute my working in technical theatre to my daughter. If she had not gone to the audition way back then I don't think I would be doing this now.
I think this is a cool story and one I am proud to tell.
Regards
Geoff
 
My other half was doing a photography diploma and one of the assignments was to photograph a "process" and after a few false starts she contacted the local amateur theatre. While she was photographing shows and props makers and so on I was chatting with back stage people and initially got convinced to be a stage hand and worked a couple of shows before seeing an article in the newsletter asking if anyone was interested in lighting. So I went along. After the first evening, when I was not at all confident on ladders, the team leader was sure I wouldn't come back, but 13 years later I'm still at it, hanging lights and programming cues and designing lighting plots.
 
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