Community, Leadership, Experimentation, Diversity, & Education
Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Monday, April 04, 2022
Lucy Gardner on encouraging women to be riggers
Access All Areas: On International Women’s Day, Access spoke to NEC Group senior rigger Lucy Gardner, one of just two female Level 3 riggers in the UK.
With almost 10 years’ experience working on some of the biggest shows at NEC’s Utilita Arena Birmingham and Resorts World Arena, Gardner has established herself as a key member of its in-house rigging team.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
This was a very inspiring article. The fact that Gardner is “one of just two female Level 3 riggers in the UK” is really wild. Of course, it makes sense. Most theatre professions are male-dominated and this only becomes more apparent when the physical limitations of a human being are put on the table. I think my favorite part and the biggest takeaway from this article is how much Gardner wants to focus on “need[ing] to remove the stereotype that rigging is just about how strong you are…” this is a significant concept because it is crucial for understanding why many women feel like they won’t be successful. Not only do women struggle to get their male co-workers and bosses to see them as equals but these women may not even see that they can do rigging in themselves. This article didn’t make me consider rigging, I am far too afraid of heights for that. But this article did give me a moment to appreciate all of the women around me who are doing work to destigmatize our work.
When I came to college for technical theater, like many others, I strongly believed that I would stay in love with the things I knew I loved, and maybe pick up some adjacent hobbies along the way. No way did I think I would enjoy the material and physical sciences behind rigging systems as much as I do. I find it all incredibly fascinating, and as a woman this is surprising to many. I am not particularly strong looking, nor am I unfeminine, both of those breaking some sort of expectations for the female technicians in the field. I do believe there is a place and a distinct value for my identity in the field, so I really felt seen and empowered by this article. I completely resonate with her last point regarding the need for more rigging education in the industry, there are a lot of preconceptions that prevent new talent and labor from entering the field.
Post a Comment