A BLISS-FUL JOB – WHAT IS THE WORK SCHEDULE OF A THEATRE TECH LIKE?

​This week’s blog is all about what would your daily schedule as a theatre technician look like, and how long would your contract be.
 
In chatting with Joie and Abby on board the Bliss (you can read all about them in the previous two blog posts), it seems that on average a theatre technician typically works a six month on six week off rotation (at least on Norwegian – other cruise lines may differ).  Joie, who has been doing this for 14 years, said it was more like five months for him, however he – and other techs – have occasionally been extended to seven months.  Abby on the other hand has had a more varied schedule. She was on the Bliss for eight months in 2022, then took a few months off – which she says, is the best part about working for cruise lines!  She was then on the Joy for four months, and then the Escape for a month.  She’s now been back on the Bliss for about seven months, and will be finishing that contract at the end of the month before taking a well-earned break.  So, as you can see, contract lengths can change for a variety of circumstances, but you should be prepared to be working on board for about six months at a time.  One reason why it’s important to take a Discovery Cruise first – because that’s a long commitment to jump into without having fully assessed what it would mean for you.
 
What about the daily work schedule of a theatre tech...

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Both Joie and Abby emphasized the 24-7 nature of the job.  OK, yes, you do get time to eat and sleep, and if the ship is in port and there aren’t any shows, Joie says if you’re free you can get off for a while.  But, your daily work schedule can depend on many factors.  One is, if there is maintenance to do.  There is little opportunity to send a broken piece of equipment to a repair shop, so it’s up to the theatre staff to take care of as much maintenance as they are able to in between shows and events.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous Bliss blog, usually the stage technicians for the larger shows are specialists (lighting, sound, stage/rigging), and the lounge technicians who work smaller events in the many venues scattered around the ship are more ‘generalists’, operating both lights, sound and setting up stages.  However, Joie explained that if you’re working as a stage tech, you can also be scheduled to work an event in one of the venues while there is no show on.  All of the techs have to work, and scheduling calls is a balancing act.

As for how many shows a stage tech works, Abby says they typically do four shows a week, but that still means working seven days a week.  Sometimes, as mentioned above, it’s maintenance that needs doing, there’s also safety duties, entertaining guests, and other events in the theatre when the show is not on, such as comedy shows, game shows, port talks, and the such.  Most of those are set-and-forget, as far as tech is concerned, but there still needs to be technicians present.  As I always say, you don’t sent the babysitter home once the kids are in bed!

Then there’s the theatre staff who are in management.  Abby calls her days without a show (air quotes) “days off”, but they’re not really.  They may be a somewhat more flexible schedule on those days, but if you are in theatre management, there is a lot of administrative work.  On the day I met with Abby she had already done two hours of office work that morning, and still had a few hours to to go after meeting with me, before working a comedy show that evening, which would start at 10:00pm and go until 10:45pm, followed by one more stop in the office to wrap up some paperwork.  That, she says, is her “day off”, but then it’s a lifestyle, not just a job.

A ship’s theatre is essentially a ‘road house’.  As well as all of the above, there’s the days when one show loads out while the next show loads in. There are times when the show changes completely – for example, “Six” recently ended and “Jersey Boys” started – and there are times when different casts come on board where the set is already in place, and they ‘just’ need to so some spacing rehearsals and the such.  In the case when it’s a complete show change out, the strike usually happens right after the last show. As soon as the last guest has left the house, all of the technicians and a few over hires (from other departments on the ship – who want some extra work), come in and strike the set, and then install the new set.  Moving from “Six” to “Jersey Boys” (side view of the “Jersey Boys” set shown in the photo) for example took about three and a half hours.  That sounds incredibly fast – I’ve been on change outs at least twice that time! – however there are usually about 30 people involved, and it’s basically an assembly line, so it’s pretty efficient!

With the 24-7 schedule, I asked Abby what the turnover is like. She says it seems like the people you work with have either been doing this for 14 years (like Joie) or a few months. She said it’s a very different vibe than working in a theatre on land, and that you have to be very willing to work.  Abby – an American - did comment that Americans aren’t used to working that much. Plus, there’s the factor of being away from home for so long.  (More on that in an upcoming blog post.)  She says you have to work with the energy of ‘working your way to the top’ every day. But, that all said, Abby says – it’s worth it, trust me, I wouldn’t keep doing it otherwise!


NEXT WEEK’S BLISS-FUL TOPIC:  “Jersey Boys”; behind the scenes – what does it take to put on a show on a ship
 
Curious about working on a cruise ship?  Check out the Master Class

Serious about working on a cruise ship?  Check out the Discovery Cruise

Don’t forget to check out the Slop Chest for your must-have cruise related apparel, etc!