This is Maggie Perrino’s first year as the theatre teacher and director for Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills, Kentucky. She is a graduate of Miami University and will complete her Master of Arts in Teaching at Thomas More College in May 2013. Prior to accepting her current position, Maggie spent almost three years in the Educational Events department at the EdTA home office. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in dance and theatre and spends much of her free time choreographing or dancing in musicals for local Cincinnati theatres.
Tech theatre phobia
I have a little confession to make—I am a tech theatre faker. I’ve always known it, and at times have tried to correct it. But alas, I still find myself fast-talking through any kind of deep conversation on lights or sound. When I first graduated college, I took a job running tech for Coney Island’s live shows (the one in Cincinnati here, not NYC). I spent the entire summer in a spider-filled shed with a mixing board just big enough for eight wireless mics, one monitor, and the main speaker. The light board was even worse, only holding four programmable cues. In case you are also a tech theatre faker, let me give you a comparison. The mixing board in my school (as it is currently configured) runs twenty hard wired mics, six wireless mics, up to six monitors, the main speaker clusters, and offers PC/iPod/CD/DVD inputs. Pretty sure it does a bunch of other stuff too that I don’t understand (cures cancer, makes julienne fries!) but that’s a good start. I won’t even talk about the futuristic light board, but suffice it to say, we’re a long way from Coney Island! Since the beginning of the year, I have been faking my way around my new, state-of-the-art theatre space, just trying not to sound dumb. Luckily, this Saturday we had a four-hour training about the sound system with one of the guys who built the theatre. It was 100 percent illuminating. I had always known a little about the difference between a dynamic and a condenser mic, but now I really know when and where to use them to best effect. I can very capably hook up and move monitors. I can get the rack turned on and the mics fired up. I actually know where all the sound equipment (and its million cables) lives and I know how to set it up! Getting some more PD in technical theatre is still at the top of my list, but those four hours on Saturday have definitely given me more confidence in my theatre space. I can't wait for the Thespian Festival and all its wonderful workshops so I can overcome a few more of my tech theatre phobias!
All Comments
— Anonymous on March 18, 2013 at 7:15am
My current biggest tech phobia is set construction. I wish I could get some help with designing our set for one of the easiest plays to do: The Outsiders. I have no vision for how to use the pieces I have. But that's no big surprise considering I cannot figure out where to put my own sofa at home.
Somehow, the kids manage to survive (and even thrive!) each production unscathed. And they keep coming back for more, so I have decided that they can learn tech in high school or college. For now, though, we're going to ACT and pray everyone can hear and see us from the audience!
— Anonymous on April 5, 2013 at 10:15pm
Post new comment