Career move advice...

[AndyLoudon]

Hello folks. I don't often post, but I hope you don't mind me asking for some advice.

 

I'm currently trying to work out what I should be doing with my life, and at the moment I think I have a number of options.

 

First however, some background information: I am 20 years old right now and I'm living in Glasgow. Currently, I'm studying for an MEng in chemical engineering at Strathclyde University. (In my 3rd year of 5 - so I'm looking a bit ahead of time here.) Although I plan on finishing my current course, I do not plan on using it in a career in chemical engineering. I would like to make the move to technical theatre at the end of my time, but I'm not really sure on the best way to go about it.

 

The way I see it, I have three possible routes:

 

• More university. Attend a course such as the BA in Technical and Production Arts at the RSAMD. Downsides are the time involved and also potential costs. Advantages are obvious.
  
• College. Doing something like (for example) an HND/HNC in technical theatre. (It seems loads of places do the HNC, but very few do the HND - perhaps I'm just not looking hard enough!) Downsides are again the time involved, and I've heard (through various sources) that such courses are not very well rated by todays professionals. 
  
• Start from the bottom and work my a*se off. Downsides are that I'd have to rely on my somewhat limited experience to carry me through the initial stages, learning as I go - all very well if there are people out there who are willing to take on an enthusiastic "amateur" and help them train on the job.
  

As I stated above, my experience is limited to a few amateur shows a year, but within that, I've had some extremely varied experience working in different roles. (Programming and opping lights, set design and construction, costume, stage management and I've dabbled in sound.) My "area of interest" is lighting and set design and construction. 

 

In addition to this, I've also worked for 3 years at a rehearsal studio complex - this has furnished me with a whole host of skills that could be transferred. 

 

My short term plan (within the next year or so) is to get some work experience in a professional theatre environment and if possible, get some more shows under my belt. 

 

So what would your advice be for someone in my situation? What would your "career path" be, and are there other routes that I've perhaps overlooked?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Andy.

 

 

 

 

[edited for crazy formatting]

[Jivemaster]

Well my friend who is an established Chem Engineer in a big factory evironment, regards his £70K pa ebay shop as small change, so being a Chemical Engineer must be worth it for him!! How many theatre technicians here would regard 70K as a SECOND salary?

 

I'd certainly look to get the degree and get some good experience and a good career job in Chen Eng and have a really GOOD amateur company to appreciate your theatre tech skills.

 

Maybe you should be looking for a really good amateur company in a place where you wish to live your life with a good job within 20 miles

[paulears]

I suspect I agree. I don't see that many people in our industry who get anywhere near as much job satisfaction as the people who do it for genuine love.

 

Just work backstage at any big event - those not actually working will be watching TV in the crew room, sleeping in the bus, and not doing 'work' when they don't have to.

 

Finish the Masters, then take advantage of your skills to make the years of study worthwhile. It's only a guess, but I'd bet there are more opportunities for Chemical Engineers than backstage work - and the pay bears no relation. Pensions and job security also sound much better.

 

As long as you enjoy the chemical stuff, I'd stick with that and as Jivemaster said, let our industry be your hobby when it will remain fun!

[Pete McCrea]

I took the Civil Eng route through Uni, and now run a hire company full time. My 'hobby' is now my work, and as such, looses a certain shine. That said I still enjoy it, and maybe more so if there wasn't the business of being in business. Freelance may be better for you, though you're unlikely to earn as much as if your chartered and doing Chem Eng.

[AndyLoudon]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I guess I'm trying to work out if I want to be rich and unhappy, or happy and not so well off. At the moment, I'd take happiness over money, but I guess that might change by the time I graduate! I will be sticking it out and finishing this degree, so I guess I could always do a kind of "try it and see" effort with the technical theatre while I'm still young(ish) since I'll hopefully have a good degree to fall back on if it all goes t*ts up! thoughts?

[Jivemaster]

A freelance career always seems to leave you too little to retire on, especially if any incidents or ill health aflict your (later) years.

[boswell]

so I guess I could always do a kind of "try it and see" effort with the technical theatre while I'm still young(ish) since I'll hopefully have a good degree to fall back on if it all goes t*ts up! thoughts?

 

Trouble is that by the time you find out that you can't make enough cash from theatre work, you will then be trying to get jobs at the age of say 25/30 in chem eng with no experience. If your are then lucky enough to get a job, it will be at graduate pay scales!

 

Better to go straight from uni into chem eng or related work and keep theatre as a hobby. That way you will continue to enjoy it and have a decent day job income.

 

The number of jobs in theatre that pay a good salary approaching what you can earn from engineering are very limited

Just ask on here how many earn £70k plus with a pension, regular 37 hours, holidays, sick pay and some sort of security.

[Jivemaster]

Spend a year looking at really good am dram societies, find one that you really like, the put the work in to get a good grade and a really good career job, and you will have a satisfying hobby ready and waiting. Or just volunteer to your local Scouts to work for their gang show.

 

Have any frum members any really good suggestions for a really good am dram?

[boswell]

http://www.littletheatreguild.org.uk/index.shtml would be a good start

[LKBsound]

Hi Andy,

 

Yes the others are right, you will earn lots more money for being a chemical engineer, but as a sound engineer who is based in glasgow who went for job satisfaction over money, I dont have any regrets on the career path I chose. I graduated from the RSAMD in 1999 (seems along time ago now!) and have since worked in rep theatre and for touring musical productions around the world. I would suggest that going back to college is both costly and time consuming and after completing a 5 year degree course you probably will have had enough of studying!

Can I suggest that in the 2 years you have left at college you use that time to get yourself some work experience with a proffesional show or get involved with a local amdram group (the apollo players springs to mind), they have technical people too and do shows in the Kings theatre etc or you could try and get some "casual work" at one of the theatres. If you are honest about your lack of experience and are willing to learn and have common sence and a good attitude you might get lucky. Try to talk to the correct person (either the stagemanager/production manager for stage crew or the chief LX for lighting/sound crew). Also find out what shows are coming into the Kings or the Theatre Royal, find out who the company manager is on them and ask if you can come in to shadow say, the Chief LX or Sound team for the fitup. (I know we are in Glasgow in the secc in Feb/March!) Our production is always happy to have people on "work placement" and hopefully you'll find that most theatre folks are genuinely friendly sorts who will happily talk the hind legs off a donkey talking about their work. Anyway best of luck! :)

[Dodgecaliber]

Good luck my friend!

 

This is Glasgow. There are 13 teenage technicians to every show out there.

 

Every time I step foot in a venue there is someone I've not met before and it just seems that the colleges are spilling out people wanting to be techs when there is already a lack of work!

 

Getting pro work will not be easy, go down the am-dram route first then build up contacts and try to move over from there.

 

One suggestion would be to try Eastwood Entertainers or one on the south side. They tend to have large budgets and work closer to pro theatre than anyone else.

 

Dodge

[Jivemaster]

OK try this! A friend is a Chem Eng at a huge factory. He regards his sideline (a £70K turnover ebay business) as small compared to his salary. You will come nowhere near this in technical theatre unless you are genuinely London Paris NewYork and Bahrain based.

[David Ripley]

Try SCDA to find an amateur group to join. SCDA

 

This is the organisation who look after the community groups, who have either their own venue or a village hall. That will give you some experience in mounting a production rather than just liftin' and shiftin' at either RSAMD or the large Glasgow groups/venues.

 

Depending on what you find your niche to be this may suit you, as they always need people to paint scenery, 'do' the lighting, sound etc. There is also the question of funding another few years of Uni after finishing at Strathclyde. In theatre don't expect to earn big bucks to pay off your student debts.

 

Conversely the fact you'll probably earn under £15K in a theatre means you won't have to repay your loan! If you do that for 20 odd years (shouldn't be too difficult in this industry) the debt is written off!!

 

Good luck

 

David

[bigdave1407]

hi

 

I work for guildford school of acting. we do a 1year intensive training course which if you are lucky enough you can get funding in the form of a DADA. - might be worth researching