Since taking over our theater facility a couple of years ago, I have focused on making gradual changes to the infrastructure of our HS theater. Changes that will transition the facility into a more professional, comfortable and safe area for these students and teachers to live in when they are not at home.
My first meeting with the principal was held in the booth. That was an eye opener. The booth was like the land of the misfit toys. It looked like it hadn't been painted since being built in 1976. The collection of chairs were cast-offs: torn, taped and tattered. The garb on the wall was territorial at best and it was in their words, "The Pirate Ship Booth." Equipment was strewn about in portable racks, on cardboard boxes and literally taped together with band-aids.
The band director was afraid to go into the booth, because when he did he was given the stink-eye from 'boothies.' Our dance teacher only dared to stand in the back and ask for music cues, and to this day our play directors have never been in the cats. I was dealing with more than 30 years of territorialism and history between groups within the Fine and Perf arts Dept.
You may have heard about our high school a few years ago in Apple Valley, MN. We had a homeless kid squatting in our building. after several attempts to get him out and get him help, they resorted to calling the police on him. This kid blended in as a stagehand and was living beneath the sound board in our booth. That never made CNN or CBS.
A change was needed and I was the person for the job. I met with as many of the "techies" (that's what they call stagehands in our building) as I could. I asked for their help. Explained to them the need for a safe and friendly place for all was necessary if we wanted to get any upgrades in our program. Luckily a lot of our more bitter seniors had just left, so the new seniors saw this as a chance to make friends with me and have it their way.
Of course every money decision was met with, "We don't need new chairs, racks, IComs... we need new..." I assured them that those other items would come in time, but a plan was being formulated.
We started by stripping the booth, painting it and getting new black rolling office chairs without arms. Believe it or not, this was a hard sell. The booth had meaning to them. The little scraps of paper, items cut from props, goofy Christmas ornaments, empty pop cans, etc in their world was their culture. I as more concerned with flow of communication, perception of the space and safety, not who once sat in this chair and spilled an entire can of Mt. Dew (Grog in pirate booth terms) completely soaking the cushion of the tattered chair.
I then worked with them to turn the audio board 90-degrees to face the house. It had been turned perpendicular to the lighting crew so they wouldn't steal secrets. I bought some Middle Atlantic racks, re-mounted amps, wireless mics, EQs, bought some drawers for the rack and reorganized audio. All audio cabling and every power cord was absolutely a cluster ****!
I can go on and on abut the next two years and how I was met with "Why?" But now this summer the eagle has landed. We are getting a new ION lightboard, more dimmers/circuits, 10-12 of the most needed lighting instruments, new curtains, new LCD TVs in the dressing rooms, better hanging mics and a pro CD recorder for the booth...and finally new carpet for the booth.
There is a small dorm fridge in the booth as well as a lighting cabinet which houses booth food. I am so cool with that. These kids need to eat "booty" and drink "grog." Part of the culture is that this is their home when not at home. Ownership by techies means more productive house spent getting a show ready for opening night and I hope a safer place to learn.
The culture of our program is hierarchal. You earn your way to the best positions for shows by being there, painting, building and rehearsing. I didn't want to focus on the culture being the years of collections on the walls or the stains made by former techies. There are traditions of signing the cats with an epithet once you are a senior. Someday those cats will get painted and that will be an issue, but for now sign away!
As I work with the students to make improvements, I am aware of traditions, culture and ownership, but at the same time EVERYONE needs to feel welcomed, regardless if they are in the theater family or simply a visitor to our control booth world. I have to admit that these students have now embraced change and want to contribute, at least to my face
I have posted a couple of before pictures below. I will take a few after photos once the new light board arrives. It already looks tremendously different. Thanks for reading.
Does any of this sound familiar to any of you?
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My first meeting with the principal was held in the booth. That was an eye opener. The booth was like the land of the misfit toys. It looked like it hadn't been painted since being built in 1976. The collection of chairs were cast-offs: torn, taped and tattered. The garb on the wall was territorial at best and it was in their words, "The Pirate Ship Booth." Equipment was strewn about in portable racks, on cardboard boxes and literally taped together with band-aids.
The band director was afraid to go into the booth, because when he did he was given the stink-eye from 'boothies.' Our dance teacher only dared to stand in the back and ask for music cues, and to this day our play directors have never been in the cats. I was dealing with more than 30 years of territorialism and history between groups within the Fine and Perf arts Dept.
You may have heard about our high school a few years ago in Apple Valley, MN. We had a homeless kid squatting in our building. after several attempts to get him out and get him help, they resorted to calling the police on him. This kid blended in as a stagehand and was living beneath the sound board in our booth. That never made CNN or CBS.
A change was needed and I was the person for the job. I met with as many of the "techies" (that's what they call stagehands in our building) as I could. I asked for their help. Explained to them the need for a safe and friendly place for all was necessary if we wanted to get any upgrades in our program. Luckily a lot of our more bitter seniors had just left, so the new seniors saw this as a chance to make friends with me and have it their way.
Of course every money decision was met with, "We don't need new chairs, racks, IComs... we need new..." I assured them that those other items would come in time, but a plan was being formulated.
We started by stripping the booth, painting it and getting new black rolling office chairs without arms. Believe it or not, this was a hard sell. The booth had meaning to them. The little scraps of paper, items cut from props, goofy Christmas ornaments, empty pop cans, etc in their world was their culture. I as more concerned with flow of communication, perception of the space and safety, not who once sat in this chair and spilled an entire can of Mt. Dew (Grog in pirate booth terms) completely soaking the cushion of the tattered chair.
I then worked with them to turn the audio board 90-degrees to face the house. It had been turned perpendicular to the lighting crew so they wouldn't steal secrets. I bought some Middle Atlantic racks, re-mounted amps, wireless mics, EQs, bought some drawers for the rack and reorganized audio. All audio cabling and every power cord was absolutely a cluster ****!
I can go on and on abut the next two years and how I was met with "Why?" But now this summer the eagle has landed. We are getting a new ION lightboard, more dimmers/circuits, 10-12 of the most needed lighting instruments, new curtains, new LCD TVs in the dressing rooms, better hanging mics and a pro CD recorder for the booth...and finally new carpet for the booth.
There is a small dorm fridge in the booth as well as a lighting cabinet which houses booth food. I am so cool with that. These kids need to eat "booty" and drink "grog." Part of the culture is that this is their home when not at home. Ownership by techies means more productive house spent getting a show ready for opening night and I hope a safer place to learn.
The culture of our program is hierarchal. You earn your way to the best positions for shows by being there, painting, building and rehearsing. I didn't want to focus on the culture being the years of collections on the walls or the stains made by former techies. There are traditions of signing the cats with an epithet once you are a senior. Someday those cats will get painted and that will be an issue, but for now sign away!
As I work with the students to make improvements, I am aware of traditions, culture and ownership, but at the same time EVERYONE needs to feel welcomed, regardless if they are in the theater family or simply a visitor to our control booth world. I have to admit that these students have now embraced change and want to contribute, at least to my face
I have posted a couple of before pictures below. I will take a few after photos once the new light board arrives. It already looks tremendously different. Thanks for reading.
Does any of this sound familiar to any of you?
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