I've been an actor basically my entire life. I took my first acting class when I was just five years old. So I know a lot about theatre, at least, I thought I did before I worked the technical side of theatre for the very first time as a spotlight operator. It was definitely an eye-opening experience. Here's some things that happened to me, and many other actors who try technical theatre.
1. Your wardrobe becomes all black overnight.
Actors are used to standing out and being the center of attention. As such, many enjoy bright colors and have their own unique sense of style. It's definitely a game changer to want to try to blend into the background. But, wearing all black doesn't mean you have to lose all your sense of style, it just means you're going to be buying enough black clothing to make a Death Eater jealous.
2. You realize how important being "word perfect" actually is.
When actors talk about "word perfect" they aren't talking about an Office program. They're talking about how they need to memorize their lines word for word without paraphrasing. It's very difficult, but also extremely important. There were over three hundred lighting cues in the show I worked on, and each one was tied to a very specific line. If the lines would have been skipped or rearranged, it would have thrown off the whole design.
3. Yes, your cell phone really could mess with the equipment.
As an audience member, it's never good etiquette to be on your cell phone during a show. It's distracting to everyone else in the audience and is really annoying to performers. But, theatres aren't lying if they tell you that cell phones could mess with their equipment. Everyone in tech needs to be able to communicate with one another. This communication, run by the stage managers and assistant stage managers, is done over headsets. If someone is using a cell phone, it could mess with the frequency and interrupt communication.
4. You enjoy audience participation as much as the performers.
When the audience is actively engaged in the show, clapping and laughing, it's the best feeling for a performer. It's also the best feeling for all behind-the-scenes workers as well. They've put in just as much work as the performers into making this show the best it could possibly be, and they absolutely love seeing the audience enjoy and appreciate it.
5. You realize just how important the technical side of theatre is.
All actors are very grateful for those who work backstage, and they know just important technical theatre is. But, it's hard to truly understand and appreciate tech workers, until you become one yourself. It makes you want to find everyone who's ever worked backstage for you and give them a big hug. They work so hard and are so important!
