Starting a new job is never easy – especially when you are changing career paths. Although, to be honest, moving from camera technician to theatre technician at this stage of my life is more of a slight nudge of the wheel than a hairpin corner. No, what made this job particularly challenging was joining in the middle of the most important season in theatre – panto!
But high-pressure environments in live entertainment are nothing new to me – and neither is learning on the job. From lighting operator to stage crew, I have seen a range of sides to this theatre lark. And while those hard skills are important to learn (you never think you’ll need to learn how to lift a magic carpet until you do), it is interpersonal skills that I have found the most valuable.
The theatre technical team runs like a well-oiled machine – occasionally literally, when you have to maintain a large laundry machine whose sole purpose is to get the villain covered in shaving cream. From stage manager down, knowing exactly what your job is, doing it, and helping others with their own is the only way a show gets put on each night. It is also surprisingly important that you don’t just start doing jobs for other people – because if you get sick or work a different “track,” everyone is suddenly very confused about who has been closing that slide for the last couple of weeks.
Which leads all too nicely into my favorite soft skill – communication. I spent a lot of my first week in listening mode, which is great for waiting for your LX cues, but isn’t so good when you think you’ve made a mistake. I quickly learned the importance of asking questions and noticing small things that seem off to me (when you’ve seen the same show thirty times, you really start to notice the little things). I also found it helpful to try the lingo and get it wrong. I still don’t really know my parcan from my bridge, but I know a lot more than I would have if I hadn’t tried. Speaking technically is like learning a new language – the best way to learn is to practice speaking it with people who are fluent.
I just want to say that the team at the Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds has been the most welcoming group I could have imagined. From remote-controlled cars to the COD panto, the technical, stage management, and production teams, as well as the cast, have been amazing to work with. I can’t recommend anyone who worked on this production of Aladdin enough.
Now that that’s all over, it’s time to get on with my job for the other 80% of the year as a duty technician—while I continue to get a first-class education by doing.
(tip – they are mostly next to each other)