Mingling With Other Departments

[TechGal]

We all know the recession has hit the theatre world hard.  For those of us not lucky enough to have a resident position with a company, jobs can come farther apart.   I was just curious if any of you have found yourselves picking up jobs in other departments but still within the theatre.  For example, I took a four week job as the wardrobe mistress for the Nutcracker to get me through December while I'm in between contracts.  I also work over-hire for my I.A.T.S.E local.  Any of you ever do something similar?  Any of you ever thought about broadening your training in another area such as electrics or carpentry?

[missliz]

I used to do overhire for a sound/lighting installation company. It was a lot of fun and definitely helped me learn a lot for troubleshooting when I'm running a show.

[SMrose]

I think it's a good thing for SM's to do pick up work in other departments.  As missliz said:

It was a lot of fun and definitely helped me learn a lot for troubleshooting when I'm running a show.

As an SM it's very important to know something (if not alot) about each department and review taking  cues/instructions from another SM---you may pick up some new pointers or find that you would "never treat a crew the way s/he did!"

[kiwitechgirl]

I've always been a bit of a jack-of-all-trades - originally I was planning to be a lighting tech but kind of fell into stage management.  I'm lucky enough to have a permanent full-time stage management job, but often within the company, if I'm not busy, I get loaned to the technical department for turnarounds.  I also pick up a bit of extra casual work with a local lighting hire company.

[Rebbe]

I’ve occasionally run sound & light boards, follow spots, and PA’ed events .   I definitely know SMs who “moonlight” in other theater jobs regularly, like box office, house managing, light-hangs, load-ins/strikes.  If you have the talent (or just tolerance and a need for extra cash), it’s a great idea to explore those areas.  For myself, I’ve found that stage management is the only thing that really suits me, so I’ve stuck with my strength, but I wish I was more multi-talented!