Don't worry - I'm a Techie! How working backstage changed my life.
Polsky Theatre, Overland Park, KS. Photo credit: Jeremiah Brophy
All of my professional production friends are probably cursing me for using the term "techie". Generally this is the more community theater-oriented term of endearment for the backstage technicians who keep a show on track. I got my start in community theater so I guess still have some nostalgia for the good 'ole days.
This is a dedication to all the backstage folks who make the arts possible. This is an homage to the stage managers, the designers, the electricians, the props people, the loaders, the drivers, box office, and everyone the audience will probably never see but without whom, the show would definitely NOT go on.
If you can dream it, you can do it
The first step in working backstage is to ignore the doubters out there. The doubters are the people who think that working backstage isn’t a real job or a worthy career; parents who see their kids migrating to the stage and are concerned that they’ll be living at home for the next 30 years; employers outside of event production looking at resumes who don’t understand what to make of positions like “stage manager” or “company manager”; and most importantly, to a society that still insists that you go to college, get good grades and miraculously you’ll be set for life. Circa 2025, how’s that going so far?
You don’t have to be in the limelight to be a star
There are many obvious examples of actors, singers and performers who got their start in a middle school play or studied in a renowned performing arts program, or who even hail from a family rich in entertainment industry roots. These stars make up a relatively small percentage of participants in the industry. Unmentioned, are all of the people who support each of those onstage performers. These are the stage managers, the company managers, the lighting designers, the set designers, the costume designers, the bookkeepers, the executive directors, the scenic painters, the box office team, the facilities manager, and on and on. All of whom are critical members of the team and help each other be the best person they can be for the production at hand.
Learn practical skills that transfer to other industries
The projects I've worked on backstage seldom last longer than a week. The beginning, the middle, and the end of your "life" within that project is compressed. Imagine being a doctor and you've never performed a particular surgery before but lo and behold, your patient is on a gurney being prepped for surgery. Now add 20 other people like nurses and anesthesiologists and other techs who are all part of the surgery and you can start to get an idea about what a day in the theater can be like. I just about guarantee you that the skills and tasks you engage in as a department head in event productions can mirror the skill sets and challenges or many other "civilian" jobs.
Art is the precursor of social evolution
The one thing that always makes me proud of working in the arts, has been the belief that if just one person in the audience has an "ah-ha" moment that changes their life for the better, my work has been worth it. My sincerest wish for anyone who embarks in backstage work or is a seasoned veteran backstage is that they find their work equally meaningful.
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