are there any people involved in the theatre careerwise?

Question

I'm looking for anyone involved in teh theatre industry careerwise. Welcome careers are actors, stage managers, lighting operators, theatre managers, scene painters, dialect coach, agent, playwright, Pedia Planner, Drama Teachers, Acting Coaches, Lyricists, Musical Directors, Costume designers, Theatre Critics, Producers, Ticket Sales Coordinator, Art Directors, Sound Designers, Lighting Designers, Prop Managers, Set Designers, Make Up Artists, and Directors. I need educational background required. Level of pay. responsibilites. general availability of jobs. skills needed. related careers. drawbacks. schools with programs for the specific job and information about the programs. a contact from that field. i need it for a grade 10 drama ISP. reply SOON.

Answer 1

sorry, hope it's not too late, I just saw this-

I'm still a student, but i've done professional carpentry work for a summer playhouse.

background - (i'm sure they'd like some schooling) but -resume, portfolio showing pieces you have built and pics of how they were used in the show. references (which are usually attatched to the resume)

pay - around $8 an hour, but this was a new playhouse.

responsibilities - build the show so it's safe and sturdy for the musical people to run around and jump on it. work backstage during shows as a deck hand to move set pieces onto stage during scene changes and fix anything if it breaks during the show.

general availability of jobs - depends on what kind of playhouse you're wanting to work at. broadway? have a damn good portfolio. midwestern town? have a good background on how to build and accept the pay.

skills needed - all around knowledge of tools and building (measurements, types of wood to use, mathmatical skills, etc.) strength (they don't go easy on girls. gotta be able to pick up the heavy stuff)

related careers - erm, not really sure if you're meaning in the theatre or just in general. furniture making, construction in general.

drawbacks - the audience NEVER knows how much people other than actors put into the show. overnighters on building and striking (though those can sometimes be the fun of summer theatre)

schools - not sure. most theatre schools, i'd bet.


sorry this is late, extra sorry if you can't use the info.

Answer 2

The legend of Thespis says that he was our first 'true' actor. He was said to have lived about 600 -700 years BCE (Before Common Era). Previously to him, Greek theatre had consisted of a huge chorus of 50 singers. They sang of myths and legends, and were called the Dithyramb. It was the voice of the people raised up to the gods. Aristotle was a philosopher, poet and theatre critic who wrote that Thespis of Icaria was the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor in a written play in addition to this chorus. With this new style of performance, the chorus could become the voice of the people - the citizens, and the 'actor' could be a hero, the villain, the Kings and Queens or the gods - whatever. Just by shifting into a new pose and changing the mask that he wore. Some tales told of him travelling around Greece with a hand cart, telling the tales of Gods, Monsters and Heros far and wide - outside of the usual 'theatre' festival spaces and places (such as the Dyonisia temple in Athens). He would set up his 'stage' on his cart and do a 'one-man' show, leaping from one character to the next by changing masks.. Such tales are possibly nonsense - all of the info that we have is third or fourth hand. Thespis himself may never have existed at all. Even Aristotle was writting some 200 years after Thespis' "discovery" of acting! All that we do know is that at one time there was only the chorus... and then it eventually evolved into written plays, with a smaller chorus and actors playing the main characters. What is certain is that the ancient Greeks held an annual competition to find the best plays during the Festival of Dyonisis in Athens, and every year dozens of plays would be acted out. A very small number of these still exist. Attendence at these plays was compulsory. The wealthy of Athens would 'sponsor' players to act and poets to write the plays - for the massive Kudos it gave them both in the eyes of the city and (they hoped) in the eyes of the gods. As to dear Thespis - having given his name to a profession and a lifestyle, his spirit is now said to wander the earth visiting shows. His ghost is said to be a little mischevious, a little 'Pan' like in his attitude (Pan was a fun loving baccinalian god figure, with hooves and a horned head - much later on usurped by christians as the image of their 'devil'). If odd things are happening in a theatre at performance time or during final rehearsals, it could be said to be Thespis, having some fun.

Answer 3

hello chika, I am a career performer and theatre artist. There are several websites devoted to the jobs in live theatre. go to any search engine and type in jobs in the arts and many sites will pop up. one called art jobs tells you all you want to know about background, skills needed etc. the only drawback in anything you do is not liking it. If you love it, do it ,eventually you will get a decent wage for it. Tenacity is the number one attribute for achievement, even over talent. Look a Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Answer 4

My wife's step-sister has directed, produced, worked as a technical advisor and written plays and cable TV type stuff. She lives in Toronto. She has at least a BA that I know of. She seems to enjoy her work when she can get it, but often times is on welfare or public assistance. In her world it's either feast or famon, usually the latter.
My wife and I just finished producing, directing (and I handled all of the staging, backdrops and properties) for a Christmas play. We started the project in early August. Lots of late nights and weekends. We do not rely upon these productions for our livelihood.