Schools Theatre Support Group

[sam.henderson]

There was an interesting article in Sightline as few months back profiling a school theatre technician, worth a read if you can get hold of it as it gives you a good insight into an average daily routine etc. and their responsibilities etc.

 

Sam

[cabletray]

So you want an experienced Electrical Technician / Approved Electrician to work for less than JIB rates, when demand for such skilled people is very high think again:

 

JIB 2004 LONDON RATES

Technician £12.87 £13.76 £14.46

Approved Electrician £11.27

 

37.5 Hours x 12.87 Rate (482.65 per week ) x 52 Weeks = 25,096.50

 

Demand is high we have a national skills shortage so add 7-10k and a lot of people with this skill level are running their own one person business earning twice as much.

 

15k and you get a college leaver with little experience.

[PDD]

There was an interesting article in Sightline as few months back profiling a school theatre technician,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, Sightline Spring 2005.

 

It slightly annoyed me in fact because I felt the overall implication of the article was that only if you were retired and out of date with skills should consider working in a school, where you can "get away with it". Having said that, it's an interesting article and I agree with his points.

[bassman]

It seems to be all to often the way at the moment, schools/colleges, getting 'arts' or 'technology' status suddenly get lots of money to spend on new gear (often over-specified for what they actually need) and forget that someone is going to have to set-up, operate and maintain it all once the contractors have left.

 

All too often, the person given responsibility for it all seems to be an IT specialist who knows lots about PCs and networking but little about theatre technology. The same is true with music technology based installations, which are also on the increase; because they inevitably have computers somewhere, therefore it must be the IT department who will know best. Senior management simply don't realise the specialism required to work with the equipment.

[Stutwo]

It seems to be all to often the way at the moment, schools/colleges, getting 'arts' or 'technology' status suddenly get lots of money to spend on new gear (often over-specified for what they actually need) and forget that someone is going to have to set-up, operate and maintain it all once the contractors have left.

 

All too often, the person given responsibility for it all seems to be an IT specialist who knows lots about PCs and networking but little about theatre technology.  The same is true with music technology based installations, which are also on the increase; because they inevitably have computers somewhere, therefore it must be the IT department who will know best.  Senior management simply don't realise the specialism required to work with the equipment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Luckily, having worked with my School for free giving tech advice for years on amateur end of term productions, they realised when they got arts college status they needed someone who would actually know what they were on about. So they used some of their funding to head-hunt me from my old job. But I agree with your points above. Another Arts College 15 miles down the road in Durham has an AV trained technician instead of a theatre technician. I had to explain the difference between a parcan and a profile last time I was there.

[rogerse]

Staff have accountability, regularity, responsibility, assessibilty, validity, contractual requirements, legal requirements, etc etc

 

Students have........ none of these (and as a result, have a different viewpoint)

 

As a student,

if I break something - then I'm accounatble for it

Regularity - well, I'm at every show (I have to be, I operate the desk etc.)which is more than I can say for the staff

Responsibility - I am responsible for the general maintenance of equipment, and my team and I feel we have a responsibility to keep the actors and audience safe from our equipment.

I'm sure we have the other qualities but until I can think of an example and a decent answer I'll leave it! :o

 

So please don't say that staff and students are that different! :(

 

Thanks :)

[Andrew C]

Responsibility - I am responsible for the general maintenance of equipment, and my team and I feel we have a responsibility to keep the actors and audience safe from our equipment.

Thanks :o

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No. You may have some self-imposed duties but your teacher, your Head and the schools governors are responsible for you and your actions.

[rogerse]

Staff have accountability, regularity, responsibility, assessibilty, validity, contractual requirements, legal requirements, etc etc

 

Students have........ none of these (and as a result, have a different viewpoint)

It's prob. just me reading this wrong, but I felt that the post made it seen that only teachers have these qualities and that students have no idea what so ever.

Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for teachers and school staff and I agree with the points made but this one just didn't sound right! :o

[paulears]

Andrew is 100% right.

 

From personal experience - we started a system where students signed out kit, under their name and could pretty well do what they wanted with it - they even had to sign a form saying they had insurance bla, bla bla. One took a video camera and it got totalled. another borrowed my (not the colleges) radio microphones. Two MKE-2's and one cheap Trantec got soaked and died.

 

In both cases, the parents of the students complained when we issued invoices and after going right through the heirachy, it appears that despite them agreeing to be responsible, a student cannot be forced to pay for damage, unless done maliciously.In these cases, it was accidental damage and we could not recover it. Students, it seems, cannot be legally competent, as the achieval of competency is exactly what their end qualficiation will prove. So, if you aren't yet qualified, then you are allowed to ####-up with no responsibility.

 

So all the duties you take on are very valuable, but you are not, in legal terms, 'a responsible person'. If you damage yourself, or others, or property, then the staff are liable - even if they are not there at the time! Sucks a bit, but there we go.

[rogerse]

ok - point taken!

As it happens we had a problem like that a few years ago (before I was at the school) where a piece of equipment was damaged beyond repair. the parents of the student who broke it refused to pay.

It has taken my team and I a long time to regain the staffs confidence and trust in us.

[paulears]

The other thing Rogerse, is the most annoying- whenever you have a really good technical team (like yours, I guess) you don't last! You get your qual and clear off, leaving the poor staff with another group, who almost certainly won't be as good. SOmetimes this problem really gets so bad that the students do become essential. They HAVE to stop this happening, as continuity is essential.

 

When I left, the avo desk had a password set - the fact nobody has called to ask what it is means it hasn't been used for a year!!!!

 

 

Nobody left, I assume.

[gareth]

Staff have accountability, regularity, responsibility, assessibilty, validity, contractual requirements, legal requirements, etc etc

 

Students have........ none of these (and as a result, have a different viewpoint)

It's prob. just me reading this wrong, but I felt that the post made it seen that only teachers have these qualities and that students have no idea what so ever.

Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for teachers and school staff and I agree with the points made but this one just didn't sound right! :o

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The point that I think the post was trying to make is that a technician who is a member of the school staff has a contractual responsibility towards the operation of the school theatre - that is what they are paid to do. Students who are involved with assisting in the theatre, though, do not have a responsibility of this nature - granted, you might well be there for every show, but if you suddenly decided that you had something more pressing to do than operate the lighting desk for a school production you'd be under no absolute obligation to turn up for the show. Yes, it would be pretty bad form if you didn't, and you'd probably annoy a lot of people, but the bottom line is that it's your choice as to whether you do the work or not, and how much responsbility you take - a paid member of staff doesn't have the same choice.

[andy jackson]

Hi,

You have to understand that we all have, at some point been students, be it on a tech course or not, I have, and now I work in a college, which has 3 studio spaces and a theatre, teching and teaching I get droves of students in september all hooked on being a technician, but come November/december when I need some help they have all buggered off!

 

We very rarely lend out our equipment because of the face that even if students promise their soul that it will come back it hardly ever does,(in the state I gave it to them in.)

 

Overall it is all well and good saying you are responsible but when you roll an unlocked flight case of Macs down a 7.5 ton truck, the case falls over and the contents bounces out and onto the street (which I did as a student!!) and you are faced with the cost will you hpay it if you dont have to? or will you run like hell and never venture down this end of the campus again?

 

Luckily the Macs went up and worked fine, anly one comment from someone about a scuffed casing! a credit to Martins build quality,

 

Whilst im on the subject - sorry Dave Viz and Meic!!

 

Andy

[sam.henderson]

It slightly annoyed me in fact because I felt the overall implication of the article was that only if you were retired and out of date with skills should consider working in a school, where you can "get away with it". Having said that, it's an interesting article and I agree with his points

 

True, I did find it slightly strange that he was admitting to loading truss incorrectly and having to be corrected by students and making perhaps other errors that endanger people but never the less it was interesting and his summery describing the skills you need to work in education was good.

 

Sam

[PDD]

Update: The group is going well and there's a few things planned for the future, both short-term and longer-term. The Schools Theatre Support Group, as we're now called, currently has over 30 members, from independent and state schools/colleges, and we're just in the process of consolidating that into an active group - so if you're one of the 10 or so BR'ers who are members, please reply with the form as soon as poss. (or when you're back from a no-doubt well-earned holiday!)

 

There'll be a meet-up at PLASA, a get-together at one of our member schools in September too, and in the future there's the possibility of some WysiWyg training and we'll be attending the NISDA conference next June (National Independent Schools Drama Association).

 

I look forward to hearing from any other school or college technicians/technical managers who've yet to get in touch. Don't be alone out there! ;)

 

Paul

 

[EDIT] For more information, please see this post.