海角吃瓜网

Employer:聽American Heartland Theatre

Job Title:聽Resident Lighting Designer/Technical Director

Can describe your current position and how/if it relates to your theater education?

I am resident light designer/tech director at a 436 seat for-profit Equity theatre that does comedies, musicals, and light dramas. My degree was a BA with an emphasis on Theatrical Tech, so a straight line connects my theatre education and my career.

What advice do you have for current theater students?

1) Do summer stock.

2) Don鈥檛 be just one thing; be versatile. It鈥檚 great, and necessary, to specialize, but become competent at the things that touch on your specialty. If your specialty is lighting, learn enough about being a stage carpenter, flyman, stage manager, sound operator etc鈥� that you can make yourself useful in those areas too. When it turns out that in the place where you land, your ideal job is already taken, you鈥檒l still be able to work; also, knowing what鈥檚 involved in your collaborators jobs will make you a better coworker.

3) Never get it into your head that something is beneath you; be willing to take tickets, tend bar and clean toilets. This is called 鈥渏ob security鈥�.

4) Never stop learning; never treat a simple show as a 鈥渢hrow-away鈥�; give even the most seemingly shallow assignment your full attention 鈥� your audience may not be conscious of the depth you add to it but they鈥檒l sense that it has value.

5) When your director gives you a note, even if you disagree, say 鈥淭hank you鈥�, and take the note.

6) Have an art form that鈥檚 just yours, where you work alone and don鈥檛 ever have to compromise with collaborators, so that when you come to the theatre and your director tells you to let go of some creative idea you鈥檙e really in love with you can do it without being angry.

7) If you don鈥檛 know, ask; if you do know, teach.