apprenticeship in technical theatre

[louisedown]

Does anyone know if there is an apprenticeship in technical theatre? I was just wondering as at the school I now work at there is a large amount of children who want to go on a modern apprenticeship because they can not face any more years of study in a college or university enviroment. I know children that could bloom into fine technicians but they try other trades as they could go into those trades by studying on a modern apprenticeship. I know many people in the industry who believe that experience is as important if not more important than the qualifications someone gets. If someone could get some qualifications whilst at the same time be paided and gain vaulable experience surely that would be better than someone with little or no experience but some qualifications or someone with lots of experience but no qualifications.

I think we should encourge the larger theatres to team up with local colleges and promote an apprenticeship in technical theatre. I know there would be some health and safety implications but if electricians and plumbers could do apprenticeships then why can't technicians. Please let me know what you think of the idea. :huh: ;) :blink:

[Stu]

It does sound like a good idea to me. Funnily enough I was speaking to someone the other day about pretty much the same thing, and I think we came to the conclusion the apparant lack of Modern Apprenticeships was probably due to the amount of people wanting to get into the business via that route to be quite low compared to, say, plumbing etc.

 

However, a good alternative is to become a Casual at your local theatre etc, and learn on the job there. Yes there is a lack of formal education, but you could try and persuade the HR department there to send you on one day training courses specific to what you want to (and probably what they want you to do), say training on a specific LX desk, or a rigging course.

 

Don't take this all as the latest edition of the gospel, as of course it's my thoughts and views on the subject ;) hehe

 

Hope this helps,

Stu

[Ben]

Hate to disagree but whats the point in having a formal education course for this if you can get the same qualification by just doing the job.

the point of the courses run in places like CSSD is that they are very hands on. I am first year production LX at CSSD and I have worked at schools and various other places and I didnt think I could face any more formal education, I looked for an apprenticeship and now I have to say im glad I didnt find one.

 

its not like you cant get into the industry without qualifications and all that you get by doing a course is a leg up, if you dont do one it might take you a bit longer to get known and to get to a higher level profesionaly, but one of the great things about the theatre buisness is that you meet and work with people from all sorts of backgrounds.

 

the course I am on is very hands on and yes, there is writing but then to do the job there is writing and practice for that is a must for any sort of training both formal and informal.

 

the best bet if they really cant face doing any more formal education (and I dont blame them) is to get involved in local companies and learn while on the job, ok, they dont get the peice of paper at the end of 3 eyars, but do they care? who looks at a peice of paper and wont take in to account 3 years of experiance? the question is: how important to them is the qualification? if its not the go for the local companies, if its important then they have to decide if its worth 3 more years in formal education.

 

sorry if this seems a bit rude, its not meant that way and I do wish them every sucess in the industry if they chose to join and if not in whatever else they chose to do.

 

Ben

[Stu]

Fair points there Ben, but I just feel that starting at the bottom and working your way up the ladder is just a valid option as Uni or anything else for that matter.

 

After I left school, having gained 2yrs experience, I was faced with two options. Go to Uni/College or find a job in the industry and work that way. First all I applied to Mountview, and was accepted. So, without thinking about it, and probably due to the fact of having Uni ramed down my throat at school, I was facing 2yrs of more education, and all the debt associated with that.

 

A good think was in order about the whole subject, and I decided, in the end, to ditch the Uni option, and try and find work.

 

Why? Well I personally think that in the same 2 or 3yrs as someone else is at uni, you can gain just as much good experience while working, with all different sorts of shows, venues, and people, and all the different parameters that brings.

 

I also couldn't really afford Uni, and it did worry me that the amount of money that's in the business, meant I'd be paying back that loan for a long time!

 

6 months down the line, I've worked at 2 different local venues, and I enjoy what I'm doing, because I'm getting some great experience. Yes I'm only getting a pittance for it, but you can't put a price on experience, something I suppose you could relate to experience at Uni, but I suppose we are all different, and have very different ways of working.

 

If someone asked advice of me (heaven forbid ;) ) I'd obviously recommend working on the job, but I'd also recommend uni if I thought it was right for the person. And I guess that sums it up!

 

Stu

[richard]

I would have to agree with Stu here, I did go to LAMDA and really enjoyed it, I'm very glad I went and have done pretty well because of it, however I know many others who didn't go to college and have also done very well.

 

The college route is suitable for some, but for others the work-placed route is often far better, especially financially

 

Richard

[Ben]

my point exactly, you dont need a qualification at all though so why do an aprenticeship when all it is is the work with a bit of paper at the end?

[richard]

A structured aprentiship is a very good way to start in the industry. it may be lower paid than a normal job, but would be more structered than just starting as an electrician, it would be a fixed term job aimed at young people just starting out, so would be easier to get as it would not require three years or anything. It would probably be tied in with a city & guilds and would include placements out to other parts of the industry.

[robloxley]

My local theatre where I casual occasionally (no.2 recieving house) has for a number of years taken on an apprentice/trainee member of technical staff. They have enough time to give a good, practical grounding for someone to go and do that job in the theatre in the future.

However, it's not going to produce the same result as 3yrs at drama school.

Which is better is something of a moot point, depending on what you want to get out of it/learn/aspire to do eventually as a job, and whether you want to get paid to learn on the job etc. etc.

[solus]

hello, first post!

about the training issue, we recently advertised for an assistant where I work and we had people with training and epople who had worked in the industry many years. I have to admit I would rather take on someone who has worked in the industry before as I find that new college graduates have little or no clue as to what really goes on in the real world of techs etc. only much experience but think it valid. Have worked in receiving houses and reps but found the receiving house more useful for training purposes for college people as the number of workers are usually higher and a "new" person can easily be "lost"in the fit-up. rep work is very much a professionals world in that on a fit-up I employ people who know what they are doing and due to budgets could not really try out a new person in case the tech suffers from it. I have met people who have graduated from college who did not know the difference between a PC or a fresnel... try doing that at your local theatre!

[louisedown]

I agree that some of the graduates I left uni with would not know the difference between a fresnel and microphone so I agree in part that a degree in theatre design and technology does not always produce a more skilled technician or designer.

I do however think that university is a great oppurtunity to get new contacts and learn skills not only off the tutors but off your fellow pupils. I got most of my professional work off friends or friends of my friends I met a university.

My degree at Bretton Hall now part of the University of Leeds was very hands on and we were given the oppurtunity to work on a number of different genres and were encourged to get as much professional work experience as was possible in the holidays. However I can not help thinking that some of the more practical, technical people that did my degree with me could of benifited from doing a simular type of course but at the same time working for the local rep theatre in a say a two week block at a time. They could then still get a degree by doing it part time for say 4 year but at the same time learn more practical skills in the theatre and at the same time gaining vauable contacts at both the work place and at the university.

Even if the student was only on the minimum wage at the rep theatre this would help with the debt of doing a university degree and any additional pay from say fit up would also help towards the overall cost of course.

:blink: ;) :huh:

[James]

When I was at Uni I was able to work at the student's union venue as paid technical staff. The big money was in humping flight cases for the gigs but I was able to squeze in some design work for opera and musical groups.

 

(Though management had made a policy decision of trashing all the theatre lights ;) in favour of exclusivly parcans so I had to provide the lights for theatrical productions myself)