Whether touring on a large scale production or on your first starting out band, you will always notice that your physical health takes a hit. Much of the entertainment and performing arts industry is just beginning to talk about mental health, but still ignoring the physical aspects of health and safety. What can we do to change this?
Mentorship is a vital part of the entertainment and arts industry and our careers within it. Mentorship is especially invaluable for those who are underrepresented in the industry. This beginning of our careers often sets the stage for where we decide to take our careers in the future. However, with it being so crucial to our profession, should we expect to pay for this knowledge or if we are the ones giving this knowledge, should we expect to be paid?
Working in the entertainment industry, especially for large-scale acrobatic circus shows had been my life’s dream. A dream which I had, over the years, painstakingly realized. I had found the backstage experience exhilarating and highly addictive. Magical. In the end, I decided to say goodbye. Yet, how do you let go of something that lives and breathes in every fibre of your body?
This past June, concert touring veteran Lance “KC” Jackson celebrated 44 consecutive years in the live entertainment industry. The many artists KC has worked with include Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men, New Kids On The Block, Justin Bieber, and he is currently on the road as Production Stage Manager for Earth, Wind and Fire with Santana on the Miraculous Supernatural Tour. In this interview that he gave for PLSN (Projection Lights & Staging News) he tells us about his fascinating touring career.
Beginning of June this year, at the NAMM Show in California, Roadies of Color United (ROCU) hosted the Promoting Diversity Within the Industry panel. ROCU have been active in the music industry since 2009. Founded by Lance “K.C.” Jackson and William “Bill” Reeves, this organization continuously promotes diversity and equality for music industry professionals working backstage.
In the live entertainment industry, you will find yourself working new venues fairly often; in the beginning, it might be every week! It’s not easy being ‘the new crew,’ and it can feel somewhat daunting at first. I remember when I started out and I used to not be able to sleep and get stomach ache because I was so stressed out that I was not going to fit in or that I was not going to be able to make some friends or do a good job.
Duncan Northern is the CEO and President of Tinc Productions. He started at Tinc in 2012 as a stagehand, working his way up to President in 2018. Born and Raised in Colorado, his background as a technician and stage manager culminated in his eventual progression into Production Management. He is dedicated to bringing top shelf production supervision and technical direction to a wide variety of projects.
Working backstage thoroughly absorbs you. And, as every activity and experience which challenges you profoundly, it teaches you more in a year than you’d otherwise learn in ten. I treasure all backstage work experience I’ve been privileged to accumulate thus far. Often pushed to my very limits, my growth has been exponential during all those times helping to rock and balance the stage. So, what are the key lessons gained you might ask?
Many believe that in the early days of theatre it was mostly sailors who functioned as stagehands and riggers. While they were on shore leave, or once they were retired. The legends go that in London, for example, there were even underground passages leading directly from the docks to the big theatre venues in town. The sailors ran from the ship to there, did their duties in the theatre, got drunk after, and went back to their ships in the early morning.
10 strange theatre terms. In this fun little immersion into the weird and beloved world of theatre we only look at 10 such terms and what they stand for. There are of course many more terms as most of you will know. But let’s start with these. And then, perhaps, at some later time, we’ll look at a few others as well. To get you started… have you ever heard of Sitzprobe?
In the beginning of 2021s Pride Month, major corporations in Switzerland signed what they call the LGBTIQ Agreement. In this beautiful one-pager they basically state that everyone is the sum of their experiences and that they will not ever judge anyone on anything other than their competence, experience, work ethic, and capacity to grow and learn.
E-hui is an independent lighting designer and digital stage technician currently based in Singapore. She creates art mostly in theatre and dance, and more recently theatre for young audiences. Passionate about the melding of art and science in theatrical production, E-hui often approaches artistic creation from a practical and problem-solving perspective, and especially loves to collaborate with like-minded artists to produce works that inspire the audience to reflect and enact positive change.
We are regularly publishing interviews and updates around the group Roadies of Color United (R.O.C.U.). An international, professional association which is based in the USA. Today, we are happy to share the news that R.O.C.U. are being recognized on the 2021 Pollstar Impact 50 List as ‘Transcending Confines.’ Read more here about what Pollstar has to say about R.O.C.U.
Bruce Reiter is a sound engineer who also works as a tour manager and production manager. For the last eleven years he has worked for the Heavy Metal band Five Finger Death Punch. Bruce shares his experiences in an industry he loves with us. He speaks about staying healthy on tour. About the importance of kindness in the music industry. About how we can learn from each other. And about how we have a responsibility to speak up if we see or hear things which are discriminating. Stand up for each other.
Daychia Sledge is a successful audio engineer. She has experience as a recording engineer in the studio, as a live sound engineer, and as a sound engineer for television. As part of an interview series with members of Roadies Of Color United (R. O. C. U.), this story in three parts focuses on Daychia. She tells us about her life and how amazing circumstances, great timing, hard work, grit, focus, and determination aided her in making her dreams come true. This is the last part pf Daychia’s inspiring career odyssey: Part 3.
Daychia Sledge is a successful audio engineer. She has experience as a recording engineer in the studio, as a live sound engineer, and as a sound engineer for television. As part of an interview series with members of Roadies Of Color United (R. O. C. U.), this story in three parts focuses on Daychia. She tells us about her life and how amazing circumstances, great timing, hard work, grit, focus, and determination aided her in making her dreams come true. This is Part 2 of 3.
Daychia Sledge is a successful audio engineer. She has experience as a recording engineer in the studio, as a live sound engineer, and as a sound engineer for television. As part of an interview series with members of Roadies Of Color United (R. O. C. U.), this story in three parts focuses on Daychia. She tells us about her life and how amazing circumstances, great timing, hard work, grit, focus, and determination aided her in making her dreams come true. This is Part 1 of 3.
Wilbur Graham Jr. is the Head Carpenter of The Longacre Theatre on Broadway, in New York City. The Philadelphia schooled native has been doing stage work and technical management for almost fifty years. This article is part of our series introducing members of Roadies of Color United. Wilbur Graham Jr., who usually much prefers staying out of the limelight, shares some stories of his life backstage with us.
Kenneth Williams is a versatile artist and technician. He is a passionate guitarist and song writer. At the same time, Kenneth does live sound reinforcement, broadcasting and recording (Front of House and Monitors). He also takes care of concert tours and venues as a production manager. Kenneth loves what he does and literally blew me away with his inspirational ponderings and his contagious positivity. Not wanting to cut any of his words, this ended up being an interview in two parts. Here is Part 2.
In the course of Black History Month 2021, we are working together with Roadies Of Color United (R. O. C. U.) and we want to introduce you to a number of fabulous entertainment industry professionals. Today’s spotlight is on Martin Thomas, Lighting Designer and Lighting Director. He shares with us his thoughts on working in the entertainment industry.
2020 has been a hard year for many in the entertainment industry. Roadies Of Color United decided to take action for their peers. Inspired after the death of Alan Thompson, a committee set up a fundraiser and managed to collect enough donations to make a meaningful difference in many people’s lives. Co-Founder Lance Jackson of Roadies Of Color United tells us about the experience.
I don’t think anyone will look back and forget the year of 2020. For Roadies Of Color United or R. O. C. U. Pronounced “Rock-U” Twenty Twenty started out with so much energy and optimism. We began the year finalizing our plans for the 10th anniversary celebration of Our Social Network and Our first Annual Conference. This event will stand out to be one of the most positive memories for many who attended when looking back at 2020.
Fireplay is a dynamic, open, and collaborative multidisciplinary design studio made up of artists from all walks of life who combine their talents to make each and every project impeccable. With a team of live design masterminds, Fireplay has quickly become the go-to team when an artist is looking to take their tour to the next level. CEO Nick Whitehouse and Director of Lighting Brian Vaughan told us about their vision in this interview.
It’s not common for women to work in the concert touring industry. It’s even less common to have a Caribbean woman behind the camera. Liselle Bertrand has been touring for ten years now and is one of the best camera operators in the business. Interviewing Liselle was a pleasure. I greatly enjoyed to learn more about her career and her views on the industry.
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