BWW Blog: Cheyenne Dalton - How to Survive Your First Year of Collegiate Technical Theatre

With the start of a new semester right around the corner, I began thinking about the new technicians and design students who are starting their freshman year at Auburn. I was very bright-eyed when I was a freshman, only having done community theatre up until that point, without any other exposure to theatre. I was pretty lost, if I have to be honest. I have compiled a list of tips that I wish I'd had on my first day.

• The best and worst thing about theatre is how fast your crew becomes your family.
• You're not going to get credit for everything you do (right or wrong).
• Listen to your stage manager.
• If you can offer help, ask.
• If you are a stage manager: people look up to you. Be firm, but nice. Don't create enemies; but create a name for yourself.
• You're going to work a lot of hours.
• You're going to work weird hours: one time I worked from 9pm to 2am on a strike. It happens.
• Don't sign up for late classes. Try to have your day finished by 5 so you'll have time to eat and get ready for your call time.
• Please, get some sleep.
• Eat healthy. It's easy to fall into the swing of eating junk food when tech week starts.
• If you don't get any notes about your cues, you're probably doing alright.
• Actors and other technicians or designers might not be nice to you. Be nice to them. Don't talk about them behind their back, because that just pushes you against each other. It takes everyone to make the show happen.
• Find an outlet. Do something outside of the department with people outside the department. Pick up a hobby. Bird watch, learn photography or ride bikes with people.
• Find people outside of the department to vent to. This could be your best friend. This could be your mom, your dad, grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, an old friend from home, your old technical director, your roommate, ET CETERA. You will go crazy if you don't get to vent.
• Your tech blacks do not have to be cute. Its okay if you look like a highschooler. You're there to do a job.
• We all need each other to complete the show (and learn from). There is always someone who doesn't know as much as you and someone who knows much more than you. Learn from them and teach others everything you know. You'll regret it when the only person who knows how to program a light board graduates.
• Be prepared to help in any area that needs help. If you're a lighting tech that doesn't know how to be a stagehand, learn. The same applies for any area and every area.
• The rope in front never lies - the way it pulls is the way it flies: how to operate the fly rail.
• Dating in the department is tricky, especially if you date another tech. Be careful.
• I will always reach a point during the run of a show where I start mocking everything regardless of how good the show is. This is how I know that I know the show inside and out.
• The only appropriate way to judge your fellow theatre folk is by the type of snacks they bring to tech rehearsals. By the way: bring snacks to tech rehearsals.