My second story, a day-in-the-life story of Jason Evenson, the technical coordinator of the Union Colony Civic Center, reaffirmed my suspicions of the backstage environment. The backstage is a quiet place between shows. The loading dock and long halls marked with a chain of overhead florescent lights are out-of-the-way places that would be almost drab if not for little remnant’s of past shows hung on the walls and the anticipation of future events. But when a show comes to town, it is D-Day for all those involved at the UCCC.
As was the case with my last story, the amount of information I gathered – from observations, quotes, reactions, and deeper thoughts – far outweighed the room allotted for this story. But the same kindness that was showed to me by other members of the UCCC faculty and volunteers also extended to the folks I met for this story. The information gathering process provides such valuable insight into the life of the people I shadow, that it is always difficult to boil down all those qualities into a single topic.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
An Outsider's View of an Insider's Job
Because this blog focuses on faculty at the Union Colony Civic Center, who are often out of the public eye, my first profile story introduces Mari Hein, the ticket services coordinator. Hein takes joy in being out of the limelight, she is happiest quietly watching from behind the scenes as all the preparation she has done unfolds at the beginning of a show.
I expected that condensing the information I gathered in preparation for writing this profile would be difficult, and that it was. Through writing and rewriting I was able to pear off extravagant words and redundant sentences. But, the very thing that made it difficult – a mountain of information, also sheds light on the personality of Hein and the rest of the theater facility. She is representative of many in the theater, who share great enthusiasm for their often-unseen work and are open and willing to share their experiences with interested observers.
My research and observations taught me what is necessary to make the smooth transactions at the ticket windows a reality. At the same time, asking more questions, spending more time and altogether becoming more integrated into the theater’s day to day operations would provide an even more honest, insiders look.
I expected that condensing the information I gathered in preparation for writing this profile would be difficult, and that it was. Through writing and rewriting I was able to pear off extravagant words and redundant sentences. But, the very thing that made it difficult – a mountain of information, also sheds light on the personality of Hein and the rest of the theater facility. She is representative of many in the theater, who share great enthusiasm for their often-unseen work and are open and willing to share their experiences with interested observers.
My research and observations taught me what is necessary to make the smooth transactions at the ticket windows a reality. At the same time, asking more questions, spending more time and altogether becoming more integrated into the theater’s day to day operations would provide an even more honest, insiders look.
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