Hello, I'm Suwessi

[Suwessi]

Hey all, my name is Suwessi. I believe that I may definately be in the minority here as I am in the bottom rung of the the tech ladder. I am a plain old stagehand. The company that I work for provides exclusive labor service for several venues in the Dallas, TX area and I've worked in the industry for a whooping 6 months now.

I am interested in becoming a tech eventually, but since I am going with the OTJ route I expect my prospects to be hit and miss (with mostly miss) at least for the foreseeable future.

-- Suwessi

 

[gafftaper]

Welcome to the booth. It's a great place for you to join the discussion and sharpen your knowledge as you work you way up the ladder. While you may be one of the few in your current position. I know you are far from the only one who has ever worked that position. You are also the envy of many of our young techs here, who are eager to just find a way to make some money doing theater.

I've often said around here that hard work and building connections can be more important than a theater degree degree. I know a woman who was head of the prop shop at a large theater, her quote was, "If you want to be a T.D. why would you waste your time going to school? You need to work!"

If it does go well for you, what sort of positions would you hope to work in?

One last thought, don't underestimate the power of the networking that comes from volunteering at a good community theater.

Good luck to you Suwessi!

 

[icewolf08]

Welcome aboard!

As gaff said, you shouldn't feel like you are the odd one out. There are plenty of people in this industry who learned on the job, and worked up from the bottom. They are often the people who have the most appreciation for the people who work under them when they make it to the top.

We actually have a couple people like that here at my theatre. One in particular has been with the company for 6 years, worked up from being a general stage hand, and now is my board Op, and right hand on my LX crew. We are trying to help her get out to bigger and better things where she can move up further and learn more. She reminds of of my aspirations to teach at some point in my life (I am hoping to be able to fit some education classes into my schedule since technically I work for the U of Utah), always has a never ending stream of questions that I enjoy answering. The greatest thing is that she retains so much of the information the first time.

So, in short, work hard and ask questions, and you can make it!

 

[Suwessi]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

gaff, your suggestion in volunteering at a community theater caused a minor epiphany for me, as I haven't even considered such a prospect. One of the main drawbacks of my company's niche in the industry is that we do concert and trade events. Usually we have a small window to load in/set-up and tear down/load out. The road crew gets impatient rather quick if one asks too many questions.

As to the question of what position would I be interested in.... I cannot honestly say at the moment. I have tendency to try to become a jack-of-all-trades when working. I do know that I would absolutely love to be on the road. Just thinking about being on a cross-country (or even better, international) tour gets me excited.

I am going to refrain from naming my company as I might from time to time gripe about the shenanigans that go on. However, I have no problem listing the particular shows that I've done so far. Here's a condensed list:

Billy Joel
R Kelly
Blue Man Group
Travis Tritt
Willy Nelson & Pat Green
Walking with Dinosaurs
Incubus
Lexus U.S.A.
Activision, Inc.
T-Mobile
​

--Suwessi

 

[avkid]

As gaff said, you shouldn't feel like you are the odd one out. There are plenty of people in this industry who learned on the job, and worked up from the bottom.

I like to call it Sohk University.

 

[gafftaper]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.
gaff, your suggestion in volunteering at a community theater caused a minor epiphany for me, as I haven't even considered such a prospect.

Clearly you have to find a good community theater/semi-pro theater. But if you can find a good one it can be a fabulous way to develop your skills, get to try some new things, and more important than anything, it's a way to network.

A community theater near the college I work at is celebrating their 50th year in existence. They are well known as being a place that up and coming actors and directors work. Lot's of good techs have gone through there as well, honing their skills and meeting other people on their way up. A bad community theater can be a huge waste of time so do a little research first. But if you find the right one with the right people, it can be free education and the opportunity you need to meet the right people for your big break.

Also keep your eyes out for odd things like summer stock festivals. Often really good people work those sorts of events. It's another way to meet and impress new friends.