In live entertainment there are traveling companies and venues. If you are a tech and you travel you’re, “with the company, touring” (roadie). If you’re with the venue you’re “local, with the house” (stagehand).
Currently, in the latter part of what I’ll call my career I am a local stagehand. I have traveled in the past but like to have a “house”. I know lots of techs who prefer to be on the road. Sometimes it’s fun to do a bit of both.
My house is The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. (CCPA)
I have been with the CCPA for 31 years.
I at first thought I would do a few part time gigs in the venue and continue freelancing, and I did for a while – But now I’m getting old! Hahaha
I started at the CCPA before the doors first opened. Since the place is a world class venue that artists say they love, I decided to stick around.
A lot has changed since the beginning. The building has changed, so have many tech crew personnel and venue staff – and of course the artists come and go almost every day.
Although I work at a house gig, almost every day is different. That keeps things interesting (sometimes tiring), and that’s something I love about my job.
You also see many strange things when you do this job for a while. And meet many interesting people.
Every day I learn something new and try to pass on whatever I know to new people. There should always be stage techs, or the world may fail!
When I’m not at work I like to travel and adventure, cycle, film stuff with cameras and drones, play with software (video edit, color correction, and FX), and work out at the gym so I don’t fall apart when I go back to work.
I wouldn’t mind scuba diving somewhere tropical right now either!
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