Technician vs Techie

Is it better to be called a Techie or Technician?


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My preferred is technician or tech if referring to the collective. If referring to me as a person; Lighting Designer, Lighting Engineer, Head Electrician, Sound Designer, Sound Engineer, Lead Sound, Chief mechanist, head mechanist, head fly, head rigger, SM, PSM, TD - depending on that hat I am wearing at the time... Or - novel concept, use my name... Or "Hey... Ummm" (generally used by the shy'er performers who don't know me)

For an internal name for the collective, my preference goes towards "Black shirts". Stems from my cruise ship days where the theatre and lounge techs, stage staff and stage managers were collectively known as the black shirts owing to the fact we were basically always in our black polo shirts.
 
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I feel that Techie implies "enthusiast". (Also borders on Tetchy... which I have been...)

Technician implies: "I do what needs to be done, regardless of how I feel about it". i.e. A Professional.
 
I loathe the term "techie". It sound amateurish

I also hate when people lump the designers in with the technical staff (i.e. everyone who isn't an actor or director is "doing tech")
 
Long ago I took a college faculty appointment - associate professor of theatre - and the theatre tech culture was - well - pronounced. They referred to themselves as titheads - with t-shirts and all to show how proud they were of it. I made some headway in changing the culture but I was only there a few years before becoming a consultant.
 
This thread is hilariously old. Guess someone has got to keep it going. It was somewhat tl so I dr 50% but... Techie is too close to Trekkie anyway

I like Engineer. Although Sound Guy seems most common.
Once in a while a show inspires my alter ego to emerge:

EF3F56FD-2DF6-4B34-B79D-A00750EE99DB.jpeg

;) Cheers

P
 
This thread is hilariously old. Guess someone has got to keep it going. It was somewhat tl so I dr 50% but... Techie is too close to Trekkie anyway

I like Engineer. Although Sound Guy seems most common.
Once in a while a show inspires my alter ego to emerge:

View attachment 18518

;) Cheers

P

No confusion when someone is looking for the ASM? :)
 
I personally hate when people call me a "techie". That term always sounds like I'm the 7th grader that didn't get cast in the school play and so they want me to feel good about myself by having me run a follow spot.
 

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