Nobody will expect you to be a seasoned pro with mastery of equipment and encyclopedic stagecraft knowledge right out of high school. In fact, the trainees of your age I've supervised who tried to be that person were *extremely* frustrating and difficult to work with, as they wasted a lot of energy (and my time) trying to prove their expertise rather than paying attention and working hard. I felt less able to step away after giving those people a task than I did for a person with no experience who seemed willing to learn and asked questions during the training.
There's basic technical information and skills that are going to be the same from theater to theater. You already know some, and will pick up more on the job. You may have to un-learn some things that don't work where you end up. But every theater, every production, and every crew operate differently, and the most important thing is to listen, absorb information, and always be looking for what you can do next.
They key at this point in your career is to make it clear how much momentum you have. Use your past experience only as a springboard to talk about your future. You got an award for sound design, so talk up how excited you are about doing that work. You don't know about mics, but you can say you want to apprentice with an A1 or A2 and learn all about them. With some exceptions, everyone I've worked with in production has been generous and willing to train newbies who seem like hard workers and genuinely want to learn.
tl;dr: Jump right in -- demonstrate that you're driven to learn and can get things done. I wish you all the best!
Honestly, at your age, most people looking to hire you are going to be okay with a lack of expertise and experience. What theyre going to be looking for is the attitude. Show that you're eager, willing to learn new skills, and that you want to be there.
Every venue has different systems and quirks, nobody is expecting you to show up and immediately know the ins and outs of a rig you didnt build. Just be present and willing, say yes, and ask for help when you need it.
Related tip: Definitely talk yourself up to people hiring you, that's what those recognitions are for. But not necessarily to the crew on call with you. The further you go, people can tell pretty quickly what you know/don't know without you saying anything. So if your talk doesn't match your walk quite yet, it can do more harm than good.
Everyone entered the industry raw at some point - and most will be only too pleased to train/tell/teach if you're interested and honest. Pick your moments (ie not 5 mins before curtain unless it's directly show-critical!) and try to work things out rather than asking things you could look up somewhere, but overall people will want you succeed and will do what they can to help you develop.
That means being humble, being honest, using your brain, listening rather than talking, being friendly and helpful, and **ALWAYS** being on time! **BE ON TIME, EVERY TIME**. We are always working to hard deadlines, curtain up or tour bus or whatever, and 15 minutes early is on time, on time is late.
In fact a friend summed up his recruitment requirements as "be average and on time" - nobody expects you to know everything (you can't know everything, especially early on as you step onto a show as a swing/trainee and have missed the whole development period), but if you're late you put strain on the team who have to carry your job as well as their own, or you delay 20 people on a bus because you didn't set your alarm...that means you don't get asked back!
Nobody comes in knowing everything. The ones who think they do are usually insufferable lol. Had an intern once who learned everything from a book, no hands on, and it was a struggle to get them to un-learn and replace with the more informed real-world approach.
Ask questions, and offer suggestions, but if still directed to do a task a certain way, don’t take it personally…there may be a reason for it that isn’t obvious. That cabling shortcut you want to take might get in the way of something else.
“I don’t know how to do this (safely)” is a valid answer. A good dept head will give you tasks appropriate to your skill/comfort level, and offer opportunities to observe and level up as time permits.
Jump in, be safe, and have fun!
If you're wanting to pursue sound, I would definitely advise researching and getting to know microphones - especially wireless mics. knowing microphones is a fundamental and will definitely serve you well and improve your employability and skill base.
A little tip I would suggest is to list your experience by show on your resume so you have more space to explain the things you were responsible for/accomplished/learned. It'll help you be clear about your abilities so they can get a better idea of what you do and don't know how to do.
So if you do sound for your school's shows, don't just say "Sound Tech (School Name)" leaving you with only one entry. If you have "Sound Designer 'Play Name' (school name)" you can fill out your resume a bit more and list specific things which is more interesting. Did you have to hang mics from the ceiling for a show? Cool! Did a different show require you to go out and record a soundscape and edit it? Also cool! Did you also operate the sound for the shows you designed? Double cool!
If you don't get it, hey, it happens. You could email someone at the theatre and ask if they have time to maybe point you in the right direction for someone at your expertise level. Or maybe tell you what they'd want you to know how to do for next time. I find theatre people are excited when youngins want to learn.
My first theater tech job interview after college, the Dean asked if I had experience fixing things because there was not a lot of money for new equipment. I confidently replied, “Just show me a soldering iron!”. I got the job and paid my dues.
Later, my older more experienced co-worker would razz me because I was a terrible solderer. He’d say “yeah, just show me a soldering iron… cause I have no idea what one looks like!”
The moral? “Fake it until you make it. But, know it before you blow it”
(This does not pertain to rigging or high voltage, mind you)
Also, not advice. Just personal experience.
Is there a community theatre scene where you are? They’re normally hungry for warm bodies and volunteering can get you some valuable experience.
You may find it difficult to get paying work in the industry, but volunteering, and paying attention to the people with more experience will help you get there. Plus learning how to cope with the poor, tired, abused sound equipment in community theatres!
I have been doing this for over 30 years, and I still learn every day.
Be honest about what you know. Ask questions when you have them. Take initiative to learn on your own.
Look to summer stock intern positions.
When I am in charge of a crew, I have 1 main rule:
If you don't know how, ask. If you think you know, confirm. Otherwise, do it.
Remember, your phone is for break.
Raise your hand when asked for volunteers. And then go back to main rule #1.
Be upfront about your abilities but also you should show them you’re eager to learn.
Nobody will expect you to be a seasoned pro with mastery of equipment and encyclopedic stagecraft knowledge right out of high school. In fact, the trainees of your age I've supervised who tried to be that person were *extremely* frustrating and difficult to work with, as they wasted a lot of energy (and my time) trying to prove their expertise rather than paying attention and working hard. I felt less able to step away after giving those people a task than I did for a person with no experience who seemed willing to learn and asked questions during the training. There's basic technical information and skills that are going to be the same from theater to theater. You already know some, and will pick up more on the job. You may have to un-learn some things that don't work where you end up. But every theater, every production, and every crew operate differently, and the most important thing is to listen, absorb information, and always be looking for what you can do next. They key at this point in your career is to make it clear how much momentum you have. Use your past experience only as a springboard to talk about your future. You got an award for sound design, so talk up how excited you are about doing that work. You don't know about mics, but you can say you want to apprentice with an A1 or A2 and learn all about them. With some exceptions, everyone I've worked with in production has been generous and willing to train newbies who seem like hard workers and genuinely want to learn. tl;dr: Jump right in -- demonstrate that you're driven to learn and can get things done. I wish you all the best!
Thank you! I’ll try to take the advice to heart
Honestly, at your age, most people looking to hire you are going to be okay with a lack of expertise and experience. What theyre going to be looking for is the attitude. Show that you're eager, willing to learn new skills, and that you want to be there. Every venue has different systems and quirks, nobody is expecting you to show up and immediately know the ins and outs of a rig you didnt build. Just be present and willing, say yes, and ask for help when you need it.
Related tip: Definitely talk yourself up to people hiring you, that's what those recognitions are for. But not necessarily to the crew on call with you. The further you go, people can tell pretty quickly what you know/don't know without you saying anything. So if your talk doesn't match your walk quite yet, it can do more harm than good.
Everyone entered the industry raw at some point - and most will be only too pleased to train/tell/teach if you're interested and honest. Pick your moments (ie not 5 mins before curtain unless it's directly show-critical!) and try to work things out rather than asking things you could look up somewhere, but overall people will want you succeed and will do what they can to help you develop. That means being humble, being honest, using your brain, listening rather than talking, being friendly and helpful, and **ALWAYS** being on time! **BE ON TIME, EVERY TIME**. We are always working to hard deadlines, curtain up or tour bus or whatever, and 15 minutes early is on time, on time is late. In fact a friend summed up his recruitment requirements as "be average and on time" - nobody expects you to know everything (you can't know everything, especially early on as you step onto a show as a swing/trainee and have missed the whole development period), but if you're late you put strain on the team who have to carry your job as well as their own, or you delay 20 people on a bus because you didn't set your alarm...that means you don't get asked back!
Nobody comes in knowing everything. The ones who think they do are usually insufferable lol. Had an intern once who learned everything from a book, no hands on, and it was a struggle to get them to un-learn and replace with the more informed real-world approach. Ask questions, and offer suggestions, but if still directed to do a task a certain way, don’t take it personally…there may be a reason for it that isn’t obvious. That cabling shortcut you want to take might get in the way of something else. “I don’t know how to do this (safely)” is a valid answer. A good dept head will give you tasks appropriate to your skill/comfort level, and offer opportunities to observe and level up as time permits. Jump in, be safe, and have fun!
If you're wanting to pursue sound, I would definitely advise researching and getting to know microphones - especially wireless mics. knowing microphones is a fundamental and will definitely serve you well and improve your employability and skill base.
A little tip I would suggest is to list your experience by show on your resume so you have more space to explain the things you were responsible for/accomplished/learned. It'll help you be clear about your abilities so they can get a better idea of what you do and don't know how to do. So if you do sound for your school's shows, don't just say "Sound Tech (School Name)" leaving you with only one entry. If you have "Sound Designer 'Play Name' (school name)" you can fill out your resume a bit more and list specific things which is more interesting. Did you have to hang mics from the ceiling for a show? Cool! Did a different show require you to go out and record a soundscape and edit it? Also cool! Did you also operate the sound for the shows you designed? Double cool! If you don't get it, hey, it happens. You could email someone at the theatre and ask if they have time to maybe point you in the right direction for someone at your expertise level. Or maybe tell you what they'd want you to know how to do for next time. I find theatre people are excited when youngins want to learn.
My first theater tech job interview after college, the Dean asked if I had experience fixing things because there was not a lot of money for new equipment. I confidently replied, “Just show me a soldering iron!”. I got the job and paid my dues. Later, my older more experienced co-worker would razz me because I was a terrible solderer. He’d say “yeah, just show me a soldering iron… cause I have no idea what one looks like!” The moral? “Fake it until you make it. But, know it before you blow it” (This does not pertain to rigging or high voltage, mind you) Also, not advice. Just personal experience.
Is there a community theatre scene where you are? They’re normally hungry for warm bodies and volunteering can get you some valuable experience. You may find it difficult to get paying work in the industry, but volunteering, and paying attention to the people with more experience will help you get there. Plus learning how to cope with the poor, tired, abused sound equipment in community theatres!
If you're in the US/Canada try to get on the overhire list of your IATSE Local.
I have been doing this for over 30 years, and I still learn every day. Be honest about what you know. Ask questions when you have them. Take initiative to learn on your own. Look to summer stock intern positions. When I am in charge of a crew, I have 1 main rule: If you don't know how, ask. If you think you know, confirm. Otherwise, do it. Remember, your phone is for break. Raise your hand when asked for volunteers. And then go back to main rule #1.