by Blind Ambition

Created on: June 30, 2007

What I have found to be the main tension between "techies" and the actors/directors, is that often times people are unfamiliar with what the tech department can offer them, and become frustrated if it does not meet up to what they expect. Maybe my experience has been with inexperienced directors, but many times they give vague or inaccurate instructions to our crew which they later have to take back and make us redo. It is not necessarily that we feel un-appreciated, merely that after hours of laboring over and perfecting something you're told the director and/or designer wants, it can be hard to hear they actually want it completely different, and it's just that much closer to show time. Pleasing the director and making it as smooth for them as possible is part of the job. It would be nice, too, if people would work to try and make our work more organized and smooth as well. Having well organized and thought out plans to present to us helps us get our work done quicker and allows more time for tweaking.

Also, the number one rule in the shop I work is safety. Safety for us, safety for the actors, safety for everyone involved. That means taking the extra time to make sure every set piece is entirely perfect and sanded down, in case the actors are barefoot. It also needs to look good, this type of attention to detail takes time. The more we feel rushed, the more likely there are to be mistakes and imperfections. The better organized and planned a show is from the start, the smoother the set construction and painting can go and the more time we will have for making sure that everything is perfect.

Working on musicals, I have also learned that sometimes actors need to understand what goes on behind a show. There is a lot of silent hustle and bustle and in order for their mics to work and their lighting to be perfect and all the sets to be in the right place, we sometimes need to be able to move around back stage. If we ask for an area to be clear except those going on within the next 5 minutes - it is for good reason, not just for kicks and giggles of ordering actors around. If you are not doing something, you are in the way.

I think that all actors and directors should have at least some experience working in the hectic backstage environment. Most I know do, and understand what goes on behind the scenes. But every once in a while someone does not, and this just makes everyone's job harder. Technical theater appreciation depends on understanding what it is that the tech crew does and how that adds to the experience of the show.

This is not the cry of a disgruntled techie. I love my job, and for the most part every actor I've worked with and most of the directors have been organized and understanding. But some simply do not take the time to appreciate the skill and work that goes into lighting and scene design. Volunteering to do lighting for a student and then having them say, "Oh, whatever." about it is kind of a slap in the face to someone who has spent years lighting shows and perfecting the skill. It is clear they do not understand nor appreciate those skills, and it makes it a strain to work with them.

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