First off Kudos to the OP. It sounds like you stepped up and handled the aftermath of this the right way. There's a disease out there, some of us around here refer to as "King of the booth syndrome". It's a trap which the best tech student at a high school, sometimes falls into. He knows more than all the other students and because of that starts to think he knows as much or more than his teachers, other technicians, and even old farts like Van. While it is true he may know more than the English teacher who teaches Drama two periods a day and barely knows how to turn on the house lights, he doesn't see the whole picture. There are people out there (many of them hang out here on CB) who know far more than he does about tech. The King got his title because everyone around him is a beginner while he has mastered how to program cues on the light board or mixing sound. Who taught the king? Has the king had any quality professional teaching? Often not. Often the king is self taught and has HUGE holes in his knowledge which he can't see because they are things he doesn't need to run his school's system. Eventually, the King will piss off so many people because of his attitude that he never gets paid work again. I encourage every student here to become a seeker of education and NEVER assume you know it all. Every day look for new things you can learn and new ways of doing things. Always ask questions like, "How can I help?", "What should I do next?", and "I know what I would do, but how would you do it?" Always respect the old farts (like Van) a single phone call from them to a friend could be the call that makes or breaks your career.
The only time you should ever argue with someone is when there is a serious safety issue. The rest of the time, it's not worth risking your career to be right.
As has been pointed out a lot in the second half of this thread. Change is normal in theater, get used to it. I've heard legends about a big shot designer prof (at Yale perhaps... the story is more than a little vague) who would require students to end every day of class by throwing away all their work. The prof would say, "Never let any of your work be too precious to change." True or not, the story makes one of the most important points that we all have to learn as young technicians. You will be directed to do things that you don't want to do, that you don't feel like doing, that may directly oppose everything you wanted your design to be. Get used to it, learn to be diplomatic, and learn to accept these things with a smile. If you don't you won't be working long.
The only time you should ever argue with someone is when there is a serious safety issue. The rest of the time, it's not worth risking your career to be right.
As has been pointed out a lot in the second half of this thread. Change is normal in theater, get used to it. I've heard legends about a big shot designer prof (at Yale perhaps... the story is more than a little vague) who would require students to end every day of class by throwing away all their work. The prof would say, "Never let any of your work be too precious to change." True or not, the story makes one of the most important points that we all have to learn as young technicians. You will be directed to do things that you don't want to do, that you don't feel like doing, that may directly oppose everything you wanted your design to be. Get used to it, learn to be diplomatic, and learn to accept these things with a smile. If you don't you won't be working long.
