A Practical Guide to Starting a Career in Technical Theatre: Section 1, Chapter 2
In A Practical Guide to Starting a Career in Technical Theatre, Steve Shelley distills the methodical and tactical steps required to secure a first job and begin building a career into seven distinct "toolkits." This introduction provides a brief overview of the topics explored within this particular toolkit.
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Chapter 2; Post-Educational Theatre Environment
This is an appropriate point to examine a brief history of technical theatrical studies in higher education, and to consider today's post-graduate theatrical employment landscape in light of that history.
Following World War II and the Korean War, technical theatre programs in colleges and universities expanded steadily. Degree tracks proliferated, particularly in design and production disciplines. Definitive historical lists are elusive, but multiple sources indicate that in 1966 only five North American institutions offered an MFA degree in theatrical design: Carnegie Mellon University, Brown University, the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, and Yale University.
Today, by contrast, there are more than 100 MFA programs and over 250 BA and BFA design programs in the United States alone.
Which means: At the end of the school year, a lot of graduates looking for work.
How We Got Here
In the mid-1960's, two developments occurred that would have a lasting impact on theatre employment in the United States.
The first was the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 1965. Charged with supporting projects of artistic excellence, the NEA funded numerous theatre companies and touring organizations across the country. By the mid-1970's, NEA grants had become a financial backbone for many performing arts institutions.
Sidebar: In 1981, the Reagan administration attempted to dismantle the NEA, arguing that it "had gone too far" by funding controversial projects. While outright dissolution was ultimately abandoned, the effort significantly weakened the agency. Funding levels declined, and many theatre companies and touring organizations closed as a result. Although the NEA still exists, its financial influence remains far below its mid-1970s peak, as does the number of organizations and jobs it sustains.
The second major development occurred in 1966 with the founding of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). Initially composed of 26 member theaters, LORT was created to standardize collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association (AEA). Contracts were tiered according to each theater's box office revenue, which generally correlates with venue seating size.
Over time, LORT membership has become a bellwether for the overall health of regional theatre in the United States. Member theatres now operate under collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association (AEA), Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and United Scenic Artists (USA). Implicit in these agreements is the assumption that each theatre possesses the financial resources necessary to maintain the administrative, artistic, and technical staffs required to produce a full season of productions. At the time of this writing, LORT has between 79 and 81 member theatres.
At the same time, however, the overall number of live-performance venues in North America has been declining. Since 2008, nine opera companies have closed , along with at least three commercial theatre companies . In New York City alone, more than 80 small performance spaces have either closed or been repurposed for commercial real estate.
That paragraph was written in 2018. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.
The July 2023 issue of American Theatre published the article "Theatre in Crisis: What We're Losing, and What Comes Next," detailing the contraction of American theatre since 2008. The assessment is grim. Although some recovery has occurred since the 2020 shutdowns, the total number of productions and performances in 2023 remained approximately 40 percent below pre-pandemic levels, and more than 30 theatres or arts organizations have permanently ceased operations.
The Supporting Theater and the Arts to Galvanize the Economy (STAGE) Act (H.R. 7894 / S. 4084) of 2024 was introduced in April 2024, but was not brought to a vote during the 118th Congress. As of late 2024, it appears to have "died in committee," and is currently stalled. At this point, its prospects appear dim.
Current State of Post-Graduation
To summarize: While the number of institutions training theatre designers and technicians has steadily increased, the actual number of jobs requiring those specialized skills has declined.
So how intense is the competition?
Using a conservative estimate of approximately 350 U.S. theatre programs, and assuming that each graduates only three designers and three technicians per year, the math looks like this:
- 3 x 350 = 1,050 designers
- 3 x 350 = 1,050 technicians
That's over 2,100 new theatre professionals entering the job market this year alone.
And that's just this year.
There are potentially thousands more graduates from prior years – many of whom are still seeking work, underemployed, precariously freelancing, or holding positions they are understandably reluctant to surrender to a newly minted graduate.
This is your competition: Experienced professionals, recent graduates, and everyone in between, all pursuing the same limited pool of jobs.
Welcome to the pool.
Yikes.
