In the Fall, I will be embarking on a new adventure: grad school.
I will be sad to leave NYC and to leave my full-time, kick-ass job with really great co-workers, but I am excited to begin the learning process all over again at Yale Drama, where I have been accepted into the Technical Design and Production department. I'll be focusing on technical direction, and learning all sorts of crazy awesome things from professors like John Huntington, Don Harvey, and Ben Sammler.
It's been a long time since I've been in classes, and I've never had the luxury of JUST going to school- I had a full-time job nearly the entire time I was in undergrad- so I'm looking forward to focusing on my training for the next 3 years.
The things I'm most excited for are the stage machinery/rigging and projection design courses. They all look really bad-ass. I'm also hoping to sneak my way into some playwriting stuff during my time there as well, as I am really into the creation of a production as a whole...and the fusion of production with playmaking, as seen in Big Art Group, Superamas, The Wooster Group, Radiohole, etc...
I'm also happy that I'll get a chance to learn more about sound design, as I am terrible at EQing and such...
I'm hoping to keep up this blog while I am at Yale- I'll have to check with the department to see how much information is okay to post-
It appears as though the work I'll be doing will be a lot safer and more regulated than what I am accustomed to- which is a welcome relief. Hard hats, harnesses, goggles, etc. I'm down with all of that in my old age.
But I will say- if you haven't checked out Yale, do. They have an amazing program, and their financial aid is effing incredible. Seriously.
And, to de-mystify the process of applying and interviewing for grad school in production- if anyone out there is reading and like me, could use the advice of someone who's been there: of course be prepared, be on time, etc. etc. But also- show them your personality, be honest, be as confident as you possibly can be. Honestly, I was a stuttering wreck through my whole interview with the dean. But apparently something I did worked.
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About Me
- KDubs
- New York, New York, United States
- Tired. Caffeinated. Quietly evil.
I'm a theatre technician, living and working in NYC. Also an aspiring costumer, makeup artist, playwright and dilettante.
I like to rant about things, I swear like a person who swears a lot, and I work too much. Other than that, my time is spent at home with the puppy or in Chelsea bars with friends and co-workers.
3 comments:
Hey there,
So I've been reading your blog for a while now. I have finally had the privilege of being able to go to college. I hope to go to grad school at some point to focus on stage management. But the process is kind of of confusing. As a freshman, I know a have alot of time to figure things out, but do you have any advice on what I should be working on right now, and what the next step would be? Let me know if you would rather have this conversation over email.
Hello Lauren- good to hear from you, and congrats on your first year of college!
It's hard to say without more information what you should focus on- but if you're in a theater program right now, I'd suggest learning as much as you can about technical theatre- I dont know what your major is there- but most of the good SMs I know are really quick to be able to identify and solve problems, tech or company-related.
I'd recommend taking a year or so off in between undergrad and graduate school, to get some work experience.
Feel free to email me at karen AT karenwalcott DOT com - always happy to help a fellow theatre person!
I just found your blog and I have to say its nice to find one about the technical theatre side of things. I found your post about interviewing for grad school. I'm attending U/RTAs this february for a technical direction spot in a good school. I've been out of school for 6 years working in the field and am a bit rusty on the school interview process. Being that you've gone through the interview process, I was hoping that you could shed some light on the kind of things that are asked.
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