I'm a guest speaker. Me???

One of the most useful classes I ever took was called "Professional Theater". At the time I was an actor and it was mostly geared towards acting BUT it covered things like "What is an Independent Contractor" - "What are deductions and can I have some" - "What are contracts and how are they structured" - "What are unions, why did they come about, and how can they be useful". If they're only having you in for a single talk, I would try to cover some of those "gee nobody ever told me about this in school" subjects.
Right now it is only one session. But they have made vague mention of possibly more. I’ll keep this one cued up on the “if there’s time/definitely next time” list.
 
Let us know how it goes...
 
Or jump into the pit. There’s stuff in there even if you can’t see it. Like black wardrobe and equipment cases.
Another close call from my college days.
 
Every venue is different, every show is different. Don’t assume, ask. For instance, I started in small theater and bars and moved to A/V install then to pro and corporate theater. Some places you can load in the front door, others in the back. Some through the loading dock, some not. Some places you can roll items in, some you can only bring what you can carry. Some only other people can move your equipment. Some won’t let you touch your equipment or will need to shadow you. It’s someone else’s house. You’re a working guest. Ask.
The same applies to using any outlet/circuit and touching/moving any set, prop, costume, tool or even walking onstage. It may seem obvious, but it might be. Respect their house, ask.
 
Every venue is different, every show is different. Don’t assume, ask. For instance, I started in small theater and bars and moved to A/V install then to pro and corporate theater. Some places you can load in the front door, others in the back. Some through the loading dock, some not. Some places you can roll items in, some you can only bring what you can carry. Some only other people can move your equipment. Some won’t let you touch your equipment or will need to shadow you. It’s someone else’s house. You’re a working guest. Ask.
The same applies to using any outlet/circuit and touching/moving any set, prop, costume, tool or even walking onstage. It may seem obvious, but it might be. Respect their house, ask.
Super true and ask in advance. One show I worked, there were flats that didn't fit in the freight elevator, and it took special permission to bring them up the fire exit staircase and through the house.
Since the scene shop knew what theatre they were building for and had all the dimensions ahead of time, it would have been prudent to ensure the set could be loaded in.

On the other side of the coin, I worked at a theatre with a strict no food policy. Not in the house or lobby or backstage. The only place you could eat was in the bar, but the bar didn't open until the house opened. I was mixing and came from work so would usually pickup a sandwich for dinner on the way.
Thankfully I didn't ask about the food policy so I didn't hear about this rule until closing weekend, so I only had to endure 3 days of eating my sandwich on the streets of San Francisco instead of with the crew at the backstage tech table.
 
Super true and ask in advance. One show I worked, there were flats that didn't fit in the freight elevator, and it took special permission to bring them up the fire exit staircase and through the house.
Since the scene shop knew what theatre they were building for and had all the dimensions ahead of time, it would have been prudent to ensure the set could be loaded in.

On the other side of the coin, I worked at a theatre with a strict no food policy. Not in the house or lobby or backstage. The only place you could eat was in the bar, but the bar didn't open until the house opened. I was mixing and came from work so would usually pickup a sandwich for dinner on the way.
Thankfully I didn't ask about the food policy so I didn't hear about this rule until closing weekend, so I only had to endure 3 days of eating my sandwich on the streets of San Francisco instead of with the crew at the backstage tech table.
@macsound Posting regarding building to fit in the venue.
For a number of years I worked in a scenery and automation shop (As IA Head of electrical construction) Our IA Head Carpenter made it his business to learn the dimensions of all doorways, often taking measurements and photos on site prior to bidding the construction.

For every truck load shipping to the the venue, a wooden frame equal in dimensions to the smallest opening our scenery would encounter was constructed immediately inside our load out door: If it wouldn't pass through our reduced exit, there was ZERO point in loading it in a truck.
This was especially true when shipping all of the Who's Tommy to Offenbach Frankfurt in 1995 and to London's Shaftesbury a year later in 1996.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Thanks for the input everyone. Unfortunately, the instructors seem to have ghosted me despite numerous attempts to contact and confirm after they initially reached out to me. 🤷‍♂️
 

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