Several Months ago Ship posted a message that I thought was full of golden advice. I rewrote it a
bit and used it in my
Intro To Tech Theater class. While it wasn't written for
Bump in/
Load in, there are a lot of good ideas in here that could be used.
Advice for new Theater Technicians
-Never do anything without full instruction.
-Never touch anything - even lean against anything without being told it’s ok or to do so
-Ask all questions that come to mind no matter what it is or simple it might seem of your understanding. However, ask at the proper time.
Safety questions (“Is that
cord supposed to have wires sticking out of the
plug?”) are show or work stoppers and important to ask immediately. Use your judgment on importance and trust in that gut feeling about stuff you don’t know or question.
-Always have your work… all of it… inspected by the supervisor who told you to perform the task or those other supervisor that person approved of inspecting it. Continue having your work inspected until told that you no longer need it inspected.
-Don’t climb anything without proper instruction, approval and supervision in doing so. This includes climbing a ladder and or grabbing a crate to stand upon. According to
OSHA the majority of falls from about 6 feet are fatal.
-Watch for things you think you “know” that does not seem right or correct. Question all you don’t understand, never be afraid to learn, but do so tactfully. At times there is not time to answer fully - don’t be afraid of the brush off, ask again later. The
point is for you to learn but learn correctly and everything you might assume is in question. Never assume.
-Buy and read lots of books. Start with a
book on general
stage tech that has a chapter or three on lighting, some on carpentry, some on sound
etc. The basic concepts will be taught in such a
book without getting overly complex or detailed about stuff that you might not need to know yet thus might get overloaded in learning. Finish it and than go for the
stage lighting text
book or ten.
-Don’t give up. You will in this first show probably be given the lest of glamorous jobs and at best be only on a crew of people and often the “go-fer.” In going for the gear it’s time to learn what the gear is. Once you learn what the gear is, than you learn how to use it...
etc. You start small, short of this you miss a lot of the steps between. Patience and perseverance, stick with it even if it is not so much fun on the first show. It’s Gonna take time. Have fun, socialize with like interest people who are serious about their craft- don’t screw around- learn.
-On tools, always bring a
Crescent Wrench, some work gloves, and if possible a Leatherman. Don’t loan out your tools, and if you have to borrow any no matter if from the shop or from someone else, as soon as that tool you use you are done with, it goes back into the
hand of the person you borrowed it from. Damage it, tell that person. Damage any gear - even ding it, tell a supervisor. Keeping gear fully functional is the priority. You probably won’t get fired for damaging something you will get fired if they don’t find out until 10 minutes into a show.
-Stay busy. When not busy, ask for stuff to do. You are never too good to sweep a floor. Never too good to do anything on
stage - being on
stage is the pleasure of it - other stuff will follow. Your intent is not to be entertained by being there, that will be a part of what you are doing and most often follow hard work. Instead your intent is to help in the production. Sitting around, playing with stuff doesn’t get that task done.
-Work hard, learn lots. Have goals in mind and known of where you wish to get or what you will want to get to the
level of doing. Want to run the follow mention it. You may have to run the light board for a while but have patience and remember that there are only so many people that get the chance per year.
-Politics back
stage. Stay away from them as much as possible. All political parties as it were when new are your friends or should become - this includes actors
etc. Take no sides, be friendly but
neutral to all forms of dislike and or alignment. Often the bad seeds of the group will be most active initially in seeking membership. Be nice, find friends in all but do not yet commit to any one group’s politics. You are not there for politics and new friends abound in places you don’t know yet. Don’t be aloof but also don’t give your life history as it were either.
It doesn’t matter what gear you have or what type of theater or anything else at this
point. With time you will learn such things. It’s more the concepts learned, the fun had with friends and the magic made. Have fun in seeing something you plugged in and focused, than gelled in now lighting an actor on
stage. Have fun in being part of a crew that kicked
butt.