# New from NU



## TheSwami (Nov 30, 2008)

Hi guys,

My name's Jeff, and I'm an undergraduate lighting designer/electrician at Northwestern. We don't have a terribly strong lighting design program in terms of classes for undergrads, but we have a mountain of student theatre productions and only a handful of designers, so we get lots of practical experience. Right now I'm trying to find my into the Chicago theatre world as an electrician, and figure out where my interests with lighting lie.

I've been cruising these boards for a little while now, thought it was about time I popped in to say hello!

73


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## icewolf08 (Nov 30, 2008)

Welcome to the booth. Good luck on your search for what gets you going. If you ever have questions, feel free to bounce them off us. With the range of members we have from students to pros to vendors and manufacturers we can usually answer almost any question. Also, don't hesitate to jump in and answer questions or offer help where you can, that is what makes this community work! The search feature is great for weeding through the vast amounts of info already on the site and do be afraid to bring back old threads if they pertain to new questions you have. Above all, enjoy your time here!

Oh, if you have any photos of your work or a website, we love to see that stuff, so post it!


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## cdub260 (Nov 30, 2008)

TheSwami said:


> We don't have a terribly strong lighting design program in terms of classes for undergrads, but we have a mountain of student theatre productions and only a handful of designers, so we get lots of practical experience.



In a lot of ways, that practical experience can be more important than the design classes. Try to keep a photo record of your design work as well as your old plots and paperwork for your portfolio. These photos, more than anything short of actually seeing a show you designed, will give people an idea of your design style, and whether it's right for their projects.


TheSwami said:


> Right now I'm trying to find my into the Chicago theatre world as an electrician, and figure out where my interests with lighting lie.



While I don't know the Chicago theatre world, I can give you some general advice here. Do as much theatre work outside of school as you can. If that means you work in a scene shop building sets to pay the bills between lighting lighting gigs, then work in scene shop between lighting gigs. The most important thing here is for you to get to know other people in the industry, and more importantly, for them to get to know you and what kind of work ethic you have as well as what you're capable of.


TheSwami said:


> I've been cruising these boards for a little while now, thought it was about time I popped in to say hello!



Finally, welcome to controlbooth.com TheSwami! Have fun in the forums, and remember icewolf's advice, except for the do be afraid comment. I think he meant don't be afraid.


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## WestlakeTech (Nov 30, 2008)

Like Icewolf says, you can usually find the answers to all of your questions right here...

but feel free to share some answers yourself if you think you can help anyone out. I know I won't turn down any helping hands when I need them.

Welcome.


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