Student Blog: Actor? Techie? Both?

Actor vs techie – I’ve done both. And I have to say, the skills from each are very transferable to life and other disciplines within the theatre world. This blog is going to talk about the differences and how to utilize your skill set both on and offstage.

Acting correlates very well with stage management and directing. This is one of the easiest crossovers, in my opinion. As an actor, you are responsible for developing your character and taking blocking notes. As a director, you have to be able to visualize staging and help develop the relationships between characters. In stage management, you have to be able to be aware of everything at once and be good at taking notes extremely quickly. Although stage managers don’t have to analyze characters, they tend to catch on to patterns and mannerisms from attending rehearsals and production meetings. In my experience, I have learned a lot about acting technique from simply watching others perform while being incredibly focused on how the scenes progress.

Designer – honestly, just a really good way to work on ones creativity. Admittedly, this doesn’t transfer as easily, but it’s a good way to switch one’s artistry to a New Medium. Being onstage requires a specific skill set that crafting props or programming a light board does not require, and vice versa. Being able to practice both disciplines can increase one’s creative abilities and, therefore, make one more proficient in theatrical artistry. It can also create a better sense of respect for both sides (since we all know techies and actors love their backstage beef).

Management/producing – this is the field I’ve been dabbling in recently. Although this field is the more administrative part of theatre, it requires knowledge about all aspects of it, and that’s why I love it. It takes knowing what actors need – everything from food to rehearsal spaces to physical scripts. It takes knowing what technicians and designers need – both monetarily and in terms of logistical requirements. Working with designers to accumulate lists of supplies and being able to advise based on previous experience has been a really fun process.

For all my techies – try something on stage. I know it’s scary and awful and so embarrassing, but it’s a fun way to experiment with theatre and get to see how it feels working while not getting to be in charge of the design fields. It’s also a different way of analyzing the emotions and messaging of shows. Both from a literary point of view and a creative point of view, this can be super fun, and also a super cool way to improve one’s craft.