Don’t Forget the Tech Crew!

Leah Crockett, creator of Tech Crew HQ, explains the importance of training your crew to ensure that your show is a success.

It’s four weeks till showtime - time to bring in the technical crew!

Uh-oh, how do we train our new Tech Crew members so that they will be ready for the show?

If you’ve ever been involved with a school production you will know that students relish being involved in all aspects of a production - even if they are not performing on stage.

However, too often we bring in students with no other theatre experience and give them a slap-dash introduction to working backstage. This approach often leads to difficulties communicating, increased safety issues and some very tedious technical rehearsals.

A well-coordinated backstage crew is the unsung hero behind every seamless performance, and the key to a great backstage crew is great training. Technical theatre training doesn’t have to be laborious and expensive, but it does have to be theatre specific and it must have safety at its core.

That’s why Tech Crew HQ was invented; Tech Crew HQ is online training specifically designed for tech crews to give them skills and knowledge in the areas of lighting, audio, safety, stage management and vision. Being online means that Tech Crew HQ is accessible 24/7 and features lots of videos and interactive activities so that learning the skills for the next production is quick and engaging.

Tech Crew HQ is flexible enough for individuals to learn on their own, or for group training sessions.

Tech Crew HQ is theatre and live event specific, utilising Australian theatre terms and standards, as well as showcasing Australian and New Zealand live event professionals in its regular webinars.

As more schools and community organisations access training through Tech Crew HQ, we are hearing of great things happening backstage including increased professionalism of the crew, higher confidence when operating shows, more efficient technical rehearsals and a focused approach to staying safe backstage.

If we take the time to train our technical and backstage crew effectively, shows will run smoothly, safely and these creative collaborative experiences may even provide students with a career pathway into professional theatre and live events. 

Tech Crew HQ also provides face to face training for schools, colleges, community organisations and school holiday workshops. The next scheduled workshop is North Sydney in January. 

Contact techcrewhq@inspiredproductions.com.au orwww.techcrewhq.com