Techie forced to act

[Kyalia 0]

OK, I am a techie. For the past seven years, I have lurked in the booth in the back of the theater.

And now, the director has cast me as the main character.

 

I'm starting to get scared...

[Indy 8]

Hmmm, my daughter is a techie, too, and she wouldn't be caught dead on the wrong end of a spotlight either. But, in all honesty, if she ever did find herself on stage, I think she could do a decent job.

 

I'm sure you'll do fine, you've certainly spent enough time in the theatre to have learned a great deal about acting. And the director would not have cast you if he didn't feel you could do it.

[Takara_Soong 4]

OK, I am a techie. For the past seven years, I have lurked in the booth in the back of the theater.

And now, the director has cast me as the main character.

 

I'm starting to get scared...

I am sure the director would not have cast you as a main character if he/she was not sure you could do it. It's natural for you to be scared - some professionals never stop getting scared about performing on stage. Break a leg and have fun. You might find out that you like it more than behind the scenes work.

[jdigs 0]

heheh I used to do alot of acting when I was in grade/high school..you technies are all the same..you think acting is for the actors. No worries Kyalia you'll rock the house Im sure!

[cptwright 1]

OK, I am a techie. For the past seven years, I have lurked in the booth in the back of the theater.

And now, the director has cast me as the main character.

 

I'm starting to get scared...

OK WHATS A TECHIE?

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

Techie - Someone who works on the techology side of things.

[edmcgon 0]

Personally, I have done both techie and acting. Acting is more fun if you don't take it too seriously.

 

The best recommendation I can make is to make sure you know your lines (AND your cue lines) PERFECTLY. Spend as much time as you need to get them memorized. When you know your lines, you will be a LOT more comfortable on stage.

 

Have fun! B) (your audience)

[Indy 8]

Hmm, that's good advice, but I think I would add that you should get to know your character extremely well. If you know your character well enough that you become that character, you will know what he/she would say under those circumstances, and the memorization of lines will be much easier.

 

But then again, you don't want to 'bury yourself in the part.' (HEHE, quote from ST:IV. B))

[Luvin1stdegree 0]

Good luck with the part! Let us know how it goes.

[cptwright 1]

Techie - Someone who works on the techology side of things.

i guess my question should've been more specific, what does kyalia's job as techie pertain too. lighting or what? well anyway BREAK A LEGG, AND DONT HAVE A GOOD TIME. B) just a little reverse psychology, i hope you have a great time with it. B)

[edmcgon 0]

Techie - Someone who works on the techology side of things.

i guess my question should've been more specific, what does kyalia's job as techie pertain too. lighting or what? well anyway BREAK A LEGG, AND DONT HAVE A GOOD TIME. B) just a little reverse psychology, i hope you have a great time with it. B)

I don't know what Kyalia does specifically, but "techie" generallly refers to the people behind the scenes who handle everything "technical", including (but not limited to) set construction, lighting, sound, curtains, and any other special effects (if applicable).

 

Hmm, that's good advice, but I think I would add that you should get to know your character extremely well. If you know your character well enough that you become that character, you will know what he/she would say under those circumstances, and the memorization of lines will be much easier.

 

Indy, theatrical acting is more difficult than tv/movie acting. I am not saying that knowing your character is unimportant. But learning when to emote is the easy part which is generally handled in rehearsals.

 

I also find that the more emotion that is involved in saying a particular line, the easier it is to remember the line.

 

TV/movie actors can concentrate on character more because they can always have another "take" to get their lines correct. Theatrical actors don't have that luxury. A flubbed line in a play can alter the entire flow of the play (sometimes with adverse results). In one play I did, one of the actors forgot their cue and another actor mistakenly thought it was their cue. As a result, we ended up skipping most of the first act! Fortunately, no one in the audience caught it (although I overheard a few commenting that it was somewhat short).

 

In a play, "under-emoting" is less of a sin than forgetting your lines.

 

Anyhow, I always found the emoting to be the fun part of acting. I found it emotionally liberating to put myself in another person's "feelings" for an hour or two. I think everyone ought to act in at least one play in their lifetime.

[Indy 8]

Kyalia - Just have FUN with it. From the curtain rising to leading your cast in that final curtain call - there is really no feeling that can compare.

 

If nothing else, if you want to continue work as a techie, it will give you an actor's perspective on your work. It's always good to view things from all sides. B)

[Klingonmike 0]

I'm sure you'll do great! I've been a techie for years,most recently the head techie! I was the Stage Supervisor for the Arizona Theatre Co. for 5 years, I was in charge of all the techies for every production. I spent 8 seasons as Crew Chief for the Lost Colony outdoor drama in North Carolina. I've worked on hundreds of shows backstage and every once in awhile I get to do some acting on stage. I've always thought Techies make better actors,at least we know the difference between Stage Right and Stage Left, Upstage and Downstage and we know what a spike is,you'd be amazed at how many just plain actors don't remember these things!

Break a leg and have a good run!