Toast... and jam...!
Whilst watching the other nights CSI...
at the end of the episode Grissom was making a miniature and apparently we are going to have a shocking revelation about who the miniature killer is... If it's Grissom I will be very excited! I mean, how fantastic!!!! Even more exciting, Lady Heather returns next week!
today was woken up around 8am by what sounded like the world falling apart (or at least the world above my head!). At first I thought something had broken, then I thought that maybe they've started the work on the window they are replacing then I realised it was my downstairs neighbours... What they were doing I haven't the slightest idea and why is sounded like there was a tap dancing elephant above me, I will never know. It is now 11:12am and they are playing rather loud thumping music... I know it is Saturday but it's still 11:12am!!
Tomorrow is the French elections :S
The government appointed skills people are apparently 'shocked' by the lack of people going into technical theatre... Considering that drama is disappearing from the curriculum and people don't encounter technical theatre until they reach university sometimes it's hardly surprising!!! Apparently we need 30,000 more technical workers to support the growing Live Entertainment business... more? Fucking hell, there are about 30,000 technicians unemployed! This is hardly a secure industry.
The CC skills council want to change the way that the industry works by making a national academy (fine), a structured career path (er... no) and an end to word of mouth recruiting (might work). Theatre doesn't need a structured career path, bits of paper don't say that you are good or competent - anyone can attend Central School of Speech and Drama, leave with a 1:1 honours degree in Stage Management but that doesn't tell you if they are any good. Theatre is a word of mouth industry because you not only have to be very good at your job, you work in such close quarters that you need to be able to get on with people, particularly your boss. It's a high risk, high pressure industry - if you are neither good enough or determined enough then you won't find work. Word of mouth works better than advertising, theatres have such a high turn around of show positions that it would be stupid to advertise every time that a followspot or a crew member moves show/leaves industry. Even if they do advertise because everyone pretty much knows everyone as soon as a CV lands on the desk they give the previous boss a call as a friend.
If you do bring in qualifications such as a certificate in followspotting or something equally as daft, what's going to happen then? The person employing you is still going to go for experience/word of mouth. As I was told when working for my electrical qualification, getting qualified doesn't mean you are competent, competency comes with experience.
The Conference of Drama Skills are naturally pleased by the idea... they would be, it means more money.
In theatre people move jobs often - at the moment the former Master Carpenter at the Phoenix is working on the crew at the Albery (sorry 'Noel Coward' :P) it makes life interesting. Tim, a guy I went to college with, was working as the 'super swing' on Dirty Dancing (a position that much equals mine except he had more responsibility), he is now the Deputy Chief Electrician. He got the job based solely on his skills, competency and general all-round nice-guy - based on this new idea he probably would have had to go off and get a piece of paper to have been in with a chance or have been a chargehand. In the 'structured career path' idea, the job 'above' me would be LX Console Operator so in the 'structured career path' I have technically moved down the ladder, but am earning much more money... explain that one! :P
*munches toast*
I'm breaking my own rule of 'no toast on the bed'. It's cold by the window!
at the end of the episode Grissom was making a miniature and apparently we are going to have a shocking revelation about who the miniature killer is... If it's Grissom I will be very excited! I mean, how fantastic!!!! Even more exciting, Lady Heather returns next week!
today was woken up around 8am by what sounded like the world falling apart (or at least the world above my head!). At first I thought something had broken, then I thought that maybe they've started the work on the window they are replacing then I realised it was my downstairs neighbours... What they were doing I haven't the slightest idea and why is sounded like there was a tap dancing elephant above me, I will never know. It is now 11:12am and they are playing rather loud thumping music... I know it is Saturday but it's still 11:12am!!
Tomorrow is the French elections :S
The government appointed skills people are apparently 'shocked' by the lack of people going into technical theatre... Considering that drama is disappearing from the curriculum and people don't encounter technical theatre until they reach university sometimes it's hardly surprising!!! Apparently we need 30,000 more technical workers to support the growing Live Entertainment business... more? Fucking hell, there are about 30,000 technicians unemployed! This is hardly a secure industry.
The CC skills council want to change the way that the industry works by making a national academy (fine), a structured career path (er... no) and an end to word of mouth recruiting (might work). Theatre doesn't need a structured career path, bits of paper don't say that you are good or competent - anyone can attend Central School of Speech and Drama, leave with a 1:1 honours degree in Stage Management but that doesn't tell you if they are any good. Theatre is a word of mouth industry because you not only have to be very good at your job, you work in such close quarters that you need to be able to get on with people, particularly your boss. It's a high risk, high pressure industry - if you are neither good enough or determined enough then you won't find work. Word of mouth works better than advertising, theatres have such a high turn around of show positions that it would be stupid to advertise every time that a followspot or a crew member moves show/leaves industry. Even if they do advertise because everyone pretty much knows everyone as soon as a CV lands on the desk they give the previous boss a call as a friend.
If you do bring in qualifications such as a certificate in followspotting or something equally as daft, what's going to happen then? The person employing you is still going to go for experience/word of mouth. As I was told when working for my electrical qualification, getting qualified doesn't mean you are competent, competency comes with experience.
The Conference of Drama Skills are naturally pleased by the idea... they would be, it means more money.
In theatre people move jobs often - at the moment the former Master Carpenter at the Phoenix is working on the crew at the Albery (sorry 'Noel Coward' :P) it makes life interesting. Tim, a guy I went to college with, was working as the 'super swing' on Dirty Dancing (a position that much equals mine except he had more responsibility), he is now the Deputy Chief Electrician. He got the job based solely on his skills, competency and general all-round nice-guy - based on this new idea he probably would have had to go off and get a piece of paper to have been in with a chance or have been a chargehand. In the 'structured career path' idea, the job 'above' me would be LX Console Operator so in the 'structured career path' I have technically moved down the ladder, but am earning much more money... explain that one! :P
*munches toast*
I'm breaking my own rule of 'no toast on the bed'. It's cold by the window!