Your first technical experience

[Andy!]

What was everyones first job in the technical field. Mine was FOH manger, and then lighting op. What about you?

[erroneousblack]

Humper! At Preston Polytechnic Students Union. First gig, The Anti Nowwhere League! 1981.

[TeeJay]

lighting operator on 'Adrian Mole...', using Strand MINI2 control and a nearly exclusive Strand Patt rig, apart from the couple of Major fresnals

- the op'ing was shared with two of the cast as they needed me to do walk-in and supporting roles as a mean headmaster and an uncaring electrician.

 

Hmmm .... :P

 

For paid: not counting expenses only gigs, I think it was designing, rigging and operating lights for a samba band all in one day for around about £15 (in the days before minimum wage) + lunch. :D :P

[the kid]

Ah childhood - all to far away :D but it was doing oh smoke and set change for Guys and Dolls, and if I ever smell that smoke I get that "flashback".

[gareth]

What was everyones first job in the technical field. Mine was FOH manger, and then lighting op. What about you?

Don't take this the wrong way, Andy, but can I just clarify something?

 

When you say 'job', do you mean an actual job, as in paid employment? Or do you just mean the first time you worked on a production of any sort, paid or otherwise? I only ask because you said that you've been an FOH manager, but I notice that you're still a GCSE student so I'm guessing that that position was for a school production, rather than an actual job job.

 

FWIW, the first time I ever got involved with a technical role on a show of any sort was helping one of the teachers operate the lighting (via a pair of Junior HA slider dimmer boards!) in my last year at junior school. My first ever paid theatre work was as a followspot operator at Theatr Clwyd.

[Gilly]

Setting up microphones (as well as tables and chairs) for endless conferences! :D

 

Edit: Operated LX for school plays before that.

[Light Console]

Foot light operator at my School Play, 1993 (age 12), using a 13A 4way lead to select colours (Shudder).

[Andrew C]

1st stage experience = Acting (NOT GOOD :P )

1st technical experience = Lighting the next school play

1st paid experience = Followspotting on a Curry's promotional video (ISTR £50/day in 1978!! :D )

[Dazzler]

I built scenery for a london scenery builder

[paulears]

school - junior 8 op (actually 3, 2 on one wall, one on other, with lots of different right angle bits of wood for full ups and fades!)

 

paid - summer season follow spot op- a patt 93 with beer towell to stop hand burning

[mayahan]

Joined a circus in Australia, originally as a musician - but ended up fixing double decker buses, putting up side walls, aerial rigs, and even getting a few trapeze lessons into the bargain...

[Andy!]

When you say 'job', do you mean an actual job, as in paid employment? Or do you just mean the first time you worked on a production of any sort, paid or otherwise?

 

The first time you worked on a production of any sort?

[Just Some Bloke]

First ever technician experience: doing sound eefects for a school play, becasue no-one else wanted to do it. Found I loved it and never looked back!

 

First lighting work was helping out with an opera at uni.

 

First paid work was follow-spot (can't remember what the show was but I remeber my cans went down about 10 minutes in and I couldn't hear any of the calls from then on - had to busk it!)

 

First paid lighting design was a musical called 'Why?' about the Toxteth riots. It had a live rock band on stage and a mix of rock singers and musical theatre singers in the lead roles, with whoever the producers could get to do it for next to nothing in the other roles!

 

First ever fumble with a girl was... (sorry wandering :D there!)

[andy_s]

first "job" in performing arts, singing the role of "Guzzling Jack", a canibalistic shipwrecked seafaring type in an operetta for kids called "Little Billy". read into that what you will, at the age of 10, (before our voices broke), it was all right over our heads....

 

first paid gig - get in and stage crew, panto at Hornsey Town Hall starring Geofrey from Rainbow. got paid £100 for the week, spent half of it on my first Sony Walkman.

[Guest lightnix]

First stage experience: Playing the part of Mr. Grimshaw in Johnny Salter by Aidan Chambers, Spring 1974.

First (and so far only) professional acting experience: Playing the part of Temple in Jennings At School for Radio 4's 4th Dimension, Summer 1975.

First show lit: Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe, at school, Autumn 1978.

First concert attended: The Tubes Remote Control tour, Manchester Apollo, Summer 1979.

First ever gig after leaving LAMDA: Peter "Where Do You Go To My Lovely" Sarstedt, Fairfield Halls, Croydon, Spring 1981.

First LD job: Cedar Dance Theatre, a small scale touring company, Spring 1982

First regular gig: Stage LX at the London Palladium on The Two Ronnies, Spring 1983.

First proper job: Lighting tech (later manager) for the late and unlamented Stage & Catwalk, Spring 1984.

First foreign gig: Fashion show for Nike in Munich, early 1986

First went freelance: March 1987

First freelance gig: London Fashion Week, April 1987 (albeit for Stage & Catwalk)

First Vari-lite gig (and rock tour): Earth Wind & Fire, Autumn 1990.

First Vari-lite operating job: Barry Manilow's Copacabana at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Autumn 1994

First time I realised I couldn't keep up the pace forever: Peter Maffay Begegnungen tour, Autumn 1998 (also my first encounter with VL7s, which may have had something to do with it).

First (and so far only) job I walked out on: Launch of the Porsche Cayenne at the Forte Holiday Village in Sardinia, Autumn 2002 (after 6x eighteen hour days, they told me I was wearing the wrong T-shirt and to change it, or get out. What would you do ?).