Monday, July 16, 2012
Why I loved being a stagehand
Making Peace With the Wrong Side of 40: I often complain at concerts. Since I began working in audio production, I started really noticing all the shit the engineer who's mixing the show is doing wrong. Witnessing some country-singer-dude cover Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Sugarland cober a Beyonce hit=horrors straight from the bowels of hell. So being a stagehand, in some ways, ruined the joy of music for me.
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5 comments:
I can agree that working in theatre has definitely changed my views when it comes to watching performances. I no longer can simply enjoy the plot of the play or musical, but am completely focused on the technical aspect of the production. I have found myself more recently more engaged by the lighting, sound and set design and running. A few years ago, I never would have given it much thought, but now, especially when there is an accident, the technical elements are much more apparent. However, I would disagree that working in theatre has ruined my experience. It has helped me to be more aware during professional productions to help me to learn how to improve my own work in the future.
This article exemplifies much of what I enjoy about technical theatre and being backstage, and gives me even more excitement about the prospects of technical theatre as a career. I love how she started the article with the discussion about sound also. Ever since I started doing tech, specifically sound, I have noticed that my perception of concerts and shows in general has changed considerably. I have a hard time going to shows now, without noticing something in the mix that I would done differently. My friends always get mad at me when I lead over to them and point out what I disagree with in the middle of the show. Overall though, I think this article does a great job of showing just a few of the many cool things about a career in technical theatre.
Being a part of technical theatre really affects the way that we see productions. A good example was when many of the Design/PTM students went to see "Annie" at the Benedum, and throughout the show, we all pointed out many technical errors or mistakes that we saw. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, because it can both add a deeper appreciation for all aspects of a theatrical performance, while at the same time taking away from the performance due to distractions from technical slip-ups. The article definitely makes me think about the way I look at shows and productions.
Cindy's post gives quite an incredible view about what it's like to be backstage, a viewpoint that the majority of people would not really consider. Stagehands experience things that no one else gets to, and they see things that no one else can. For some that becomes a burden of sorts, but I think being able to notice the little things that make up a show is what makes them even more interesting: even the mistakes are just something to consider, and for me at least don't ruin a show (although I'm fairly certain that something glaringly horrid would change that). The experiences the author describes are the reason why people who go into that business do what they do, and put up with what they put up with, and clearly (to some at least), it's worth it.
Being a stagehand was a great experience for me, and I am happy to see all the great little things that have made this professional so happy to be in this business.
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