Your first technical experience

[mac.calder]

First tech job for me was gopher at age 8. My first school based job was when I was a first year high school student (year 7) when I was technical director/stage manager/lx designer/sound designer/LX op for our year 7 induction play. Of course LX design was a series of coloured circles, sound was a series of sfx on tape, and SM was basically just kicking the shins of the sd op to tell him when the next cue was a go.

[SteveD]

4th year at secondary school (a very very long time ago) with an old board consisting of 12 switched ways and 6 plugable rheostats (asbestos patch cables, would never be allowed today).

 

The 6th from lighting guy never showed up. It was down to me, I knew how to operate the board and a young lady called Sarah from the 6th form, she knew the show.

 

Together we managed to do the lighting with no problems that is apart from getting in a terrible tangle on both nights. Well that was the problem with those old rheostat consoles....wasn't it!

[Mr T]

Suprising number of actors/musicians turned technical...but I'm included in that.

 

First Acting...King in Nativity (I don't really remember it)

 

First technician...my acting part was so small for a GCSE piece that I operated lighting useing some very old strand equipment. I don't know exactly what as I didn't learn anything about lighting untill I reached college.

[cdcarter]

Light and Sound op at Middle school, then became the (Student) Technical Director. (student) because we didnt have a real technical director.

[pyromonkey]

hmmm Lx op For return to the forbidden planet at school! back in the day when Egg Strobes were cool! hehe :P

[PDD]

First stage experience: Probably some church or school nativity play.

 

First technical experience: The first one I remember was good ol' Joseph at school (age 13). I suspect the role of 'Lighting' actually was no more than fader pushing, but at the time I'm sure it felt like I was in charge.

 

First independent show credit: I'll have to look that one up later, but something soon after, for the local amateur drama group... In fact, Towards Zero by Agatha Christie was my first sound credit and The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon was my first lighting, although I also briefly appeared on stage in A Chorus of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn, as 'Raymond', the lighting technician! (My first and only acting credit).

 

First paid technical job: Board op for the Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

 

First full-time job: The one I'm doing now!!!

[bythesea.33]

let's see...

1989, Cov Poly bar... "I've seen you play a gig, you must be used to moving band equipment around - don't drink anymore and come and work tonight"

The Primitives doing a production rehearsal for an arena tour in a 1000 capacity venue. This convinced me of the way to spend the rest of my working life. Dropped out of poly soon after... Even loading 3 artics couldn't put me off!

 

by the way: Pyromonkey, what's uncool about egg strobes? :P

[unis]

1st technician work ( IIRC, it was a Looong time ago) helping set up and shift around an outdoor PA during a march, the PA had to leap frog the Marchers and be set up at each stopping point on the route. A bunch of teenage helpers on bikes and the PAs owner in a car ensured this happened.

 

1st paid gig- follow spot for Frankie Howerd at the Greenford Halls, I got paid 20 quid,some pizza and a lighting stencil.

Unis

[WillW]

Aged 13, stage hand for a large school production of The Rivals set in the 60s. Very well designed set, with five vertical columns of muslin upstage, with scrollers inside at the top and bottom, so that they would light up and colour blend. Haven't really left a theatre since.

[mackerr]

Reading these entries that say "long time ago" reminds me of 1961 summer Drama Camp. That was my first lighting design. :P A stage wash of X-Rays with glass roundel color filters. :blink: College in the late 60s and early 70s got me more serious. My first paying job was in 1972 as head elec of an opera tour, driving the truck at night, hanging and focussing by day. First Broadway show must have been the early 80s, The Elephant Man, a reasonable success. Last Broadway show Good Vibrations, a not so reasonable flop. Thankfully corporate presentaions pay the bills. :(

 

Mac

[jry106]

My first experience was rigging for a talent show at school, IEC dimmers, ahh the memories...

[dwh]

My first technical experience: Last year of primary school (2000? '99?) "doing sound" (pushing up a fader or two and pressing a CD-play) on a system that was set up "for me to operate" for a Scout Gang Show. Really wanted to do the lighting, but someone else had bagged that job (and I wasn't trusted :-P)

 

First crewing experience: School production of Little Shop Of Horrors, got to play with the lovely Audrey 2 that had been made up, loads of fun

 

First Lighting experience: Sitting and watching someone op Hamlet

First oping: I cannee remember!

First lighting design & oping (albeit rubbish): The Woman In Black

[wycome5]

My first remotely related job was as a DJ, then school plays as general backstage crew.

[ankersandrew]

my first paid job in theatre, was spot op for jesus christ superstar national tour, was aged 8

[Nickwoolley]

8 or 18?!