# Sorry It Took So Long ~achstechdirector



## achstechdirector (Jun 18, 2008)

My name is actually Patrick Hudson
I turned 16 yesterday
I go to Alcorn Central High School
I am the (student) Technical Director
There is no adult Technical Director
Yes I have authority over students just like an adult technical director would

ANY QUESTIONS
P.S. this is the coolest website ever


----------



## gafftaper (Jun 19, 2008)

Welcome officially Patrick... although I've seen you around a while.

You say there is no adult tech director. Do you have any classes in tech theater? Is your drama teacher a decent tech resource for you? Just curious. Far too often the answer to all those questions is no and students are just making it up the best they can on their own. Let us know how we can help you.


----------



## jb595 (Jun 19, 2008)

haha this sounds just like my school im in australia and we have no official person in charge of the tech we have our it guy who looks after the financial side and our drama teacher who is only interested in purchasing lights on pushups. i end up doing it all.

my 2c

Jake


----------



## achstechdirector (Jun 19, 2008)

gaff-
No we do not have tech classes
No our teacher does not know crap about tech
I took several small summer classes at the local community college
There is only one theatre class (teacher teaches spanish the rest of the day)
It is a pain because I do not get the time I need in the theatre during school
I am usually at the school after hours doing things that I could do in school if we had more theatre classes
I am sometimes there to 10 or 11 at night

In theatre class, she (our director) splits the class up into two categories
acting oriented students
tech oriented students

I do take the tech back to our fairly large tech booth (approximately 10 tech students) and teach them something 3 days a week. The other two days are work days where we do regular maintenance and other things

I wish I knew more but I do not have the extra money to buy books or any other resources. I have learned a lot from CB

Keep up the good work
~Patrick


----------



## gafftaper (Jun 20, 2008)

Sadly there are a lot of schools like that. Buy used books and earlier edition books (if the 3rd edition is out buy the 2nd). 

Technical Theater for Non-Technical People is a GREAT book for beginners. I use it as the textbook for my Intro To Tech Theater class. There are a couple in the used section listed at $12 including shipping. It would be easy for you to read and teach other students from on a wide variety of topics. If you can't afford it ask the drama teacher. She must have a little money in her budget for classroom materials (I taught in a really poor high school and I got $200 a year for stuff like this).

You mentioned taking some college classes. Do you have access to their library where you could check out tech theater books? What about your public library system? Is there someone cool at a local community theater or college who would help you. Write a letter to the person who taught your class and ask if there is an upper level student who could get credit for coming to your school to teach you. Perhaps the person who taught your class would be willing to come once or twice a year to teach a workshop... I do, it's fun and it promotes my college.


----------



## achstechdirector (Jun 20, 2008)

The book by Drew Cambell

I have that book
That is my current handbook for the tech theatre students

I also use some stuff out of the WPI Tech Handbook (some, because their theatre is a "little" more advanced than ours

The workshop idea is a good one and I know that the tech theatre teacher from the college owes me a favor (wink wink)

He could bring a couple of teaching tools

(or maybe a field trip to the college would be in order)


BTW at our school, the teacher gets 100 dollars for stuff like that and that money has to supply all her classes including the 5 spanish classes


----------



## gafftaper (Jun 20, 2008)

This is a great college textbook. ("Scene Design and Stage Lighting" by Parker and Wolf). The new edition will cost you about $80 new but a used copy of the 1996 edition is currently available used for as low as $1.55+$3.99 shipping on Amazon. Can't beat that... unless you want to buy the 1985 edition for $0.34 + shipping. But I wouldn't advise going back that far. The 1996 will be "Mostly" current.


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 20, 2008)

If this one was good enough for me...


----------



## achstechdirector (Jun 21, 2008)

thanks for the great posts


----------

