Getting qualifications

[Charlaine2124]

At the end of this school year, I decided that the IB Diploma course wasn't for me, as when I started the course I was still unsure about where I wanted to go, and I really struggled with the workload and was exceedingly unhappy. I stuck with it to the end of the first year, but disliked it so much that I have now stopped the course and am looking for a way to get into backstage theatre.

 

I have some work experience doing events management and lighting, and have some more coming up in the summer. I have also worked in the school theatre for 3 years doing about 4 shows a term. But now I am wondering whether anyone has any tips and tricks for getting in the back door to backstage work.

 

While I know there will be comments about lack of commitment in only doing one year of a two year course, I stuck with it for much longer than I originally thought I could and am proud of even getting this far through the course. It seemed like a really good idea at the time, and while I usually do well in academic studies, I lost the motivation when I switched from wanting to do Engineering to waning to do Technical Theatre. I know I could have taken the IB points do do a BA in technical theatre, but I really couldn't face doing another 8 months of something that I really disliked after hating it for 8 months already.

 

Thanks for your Help

 

Charlotte

[Brian]

Well even one year of FE is more than I did. If you really hated what you were doing then, in my book, you did the right thing in getting out. There is nothing in life worth doing if you hate it.

 

So, what to do? You say you swapped from engineering; which branch of engineering? And do you yet know what you want to do backstage?

 

There are quite a few of us on here with engineering backgrounds; I certainly have. And there are plenty of 'backstage' jobs where you'll get to use that skill. Maybe not humping flightcases out of trucks at 4am, rigging, cabling, running the show, derigging and bumping out at midnight but plenty of other interesting stuff.

[Charlaine2124]

My main interest in engineering was mechanical and structural engineering, and while I still have an interest in that I didn't think I'd enjoy doing a solely engineering-based course for 3 years.

 

My interest in Backstage work is mainly in lighting and sound (I have a lot of background in music) although I have worked nearly every role in a crew at some point or another. Least favourite was costume, although that may have been because I had to make 80 costumes from scratch in 2 weeks. just about got them all finished by the last performance (gotta love school productions).

 

 

humping flightcases out of trucks at 4am, rigging, cabling ... derigging and bumping out at midnight

 

That sounds like my favourite bit :) I think my main love of the theatre and backstage is the teamwork and the obvious buzz surrounding doing a show. 4am is a perfectly sensible time to do a get-in...

[Brian]

My main interest in engineering was mechanical and structural engineering, ...

IIRC there are a couple of people on here who've gone that route. Might be worth having a search to find them.

 

... is mainly in lighting and sound (I have a lot of background in music)...

although you probably realise that in many employments you'll either be one or the other.

 

...humping flightcases out of trucks at 4am, rigging, cabling ... derigging and bumping out at midnight

That sounds like my favourite bit :) I think my main love of the theatre and backstage is the teamwork and the obvious buzz surrounding doing a show. 4am is a perfectly sensible time to do a get-in...

Me, I'd rather turn up around 8, unload the van, have breakfast in crew catering, a nice leisurely rig, lunch, rehearse, evening meal, show, derig, out by 11. But that's the joy of specialising!

 

Seriously though, I'd advise anyone to get some sort of qualification/transferable skills. The chances of anyone staying in the same job forever is virtually nil. The Arts are going to take a serious hammering to their funding over the next few years; it's not going to be pretty.

 

I recently came across a definition of engineering as 'the prefect blend of art and science'. Take mechanical and structural engineering and look at where it's used in many events. The answer is everywhere. From the building itself through to the rigging through to the set and staging. Every element will have had the input of a structural engineer somewhere. And engineering skills are wonderfully transferable. I never did structural engineering but, having a very broad engineering background plus a bucket-load of experience means I can look at truss and I understand how it works. I've never had the lid of a Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700 but I bet I could have a pretty good go at fixing one.

 

More thoughts to follow; lunch calls.

[paulears]

There's a fairly neglected area where if you're into engineering you could find a niche. Nowadays, with the emphasis on structural safety in theatres and allied venues, people constantly need experts to check, test, design, install and rig specialist kit. Large firms like unusual rigging need proper engineers who can do all this stuff, and this really isn't an area where that many people can get into, by accident, as many of did at some point. I do quite a few jobs where these people (and I work for a smaller firm) just 'know' how to do it. In my own venue, some serious steelwork was required 'up top', but there was no way to physically get a large steel beam up there - so they designed and built a modular system. Really clever. Look at all the modern musicals that have very specialised equipment designed and built. These firms need real engineers, and if you have a talent in that area, then that's a pretty valuable qualification. I suspect you'd also make a lot more money than doing what many of us do - and the 'fun', as Brian points out, does tend to fade with time.

[Charlaine2124]

Thanks. I've spent the day going round theatres in the area and places that do events, and I'm looking at courses at Bristol Old Vic and suchlike for pre-undergraduate. I agree that I'll need a qualification, and while the engineering side of things doesn't really appeal to me, I am taking that experience onwards. I'm thinking now of doing A-levels part time, or a similar thing in order to start a BA in technical theatre in the next few years. My GCSEs are really not that bad, and I just think that it was the IB course itself that wasn't right for me.

 

Thanks for all the advice :)