Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1989 - 43

cure, compared to 38 percent of educational theatre
constituents. The responses of the other employment groups showed that about 20 percent of their
members perceived their jobs as secure.
ot surprisingly, IDs with a sense of job security
are far more inclined to see the profession as a lifetime career than those individuals who do feel less
secure.
Good working conditions such as safe and adequate
equipment and facilities help promote a sense of job
security among IDs.
Recognition/Advancement
Holders of a bachelor's degree perceive teclmical
direction as a stepping stone to other careers; those
with MFAs or PhDs do not.
Recognition from an employer does not necessarily
guarantee advancement, but a perceived lack of recognition does suggest little or no opportunity for
advancement.
Recognition from peers and coworkers shows no
effect on perceived opportunity for advancement.
Employer recognition does not affect a ID's perception of equitable salary, adequate production budgets, or manageable production timetables.
Work Week
IDs who see their jobs as involving manual labor
are at the top of the list of those needing 60 or more
hours weekly to complete their jobs. Those who
identify themselves as managers need less time to
complete their work.
Logically those TDs who consistently spend 60
hours or more each week at their jobs have little or
no time for outside interests; only six percent of this
group claim to have any time for such activities.
Exactly half of these same hard workers see the ID
profession as a lifetime career; the other half does
not. Interestingly, 80 percent of those IDs who only
occasionally must work the long week are certain
that their careers will not be long tenn.
As a group TDs do not associate job satisfaction
with free time, but if teclmical direction is to become a lifetime career, they do place a high value on
the availability of free time.
Compensation/Benefits
IDs who feel adequately compensated feel their
salary is competitive with others in the field. Those
who do not feel they are paid their worth view their
salaries as being non-competitive across the
industry.
Training
By an overwhelming majority, IDs feel well trained
to perform the job they expected to do upon completion of their formal training. Furthermore, over 50
percent of those TDs whose current job does not
match their original expectations also feel adequately prepared to do their present job.
Adequate job training contributes to job satisfaction; inadequate training produces frustration and
adversely affects job satisfaction.

nf\\

HOFFEN 0 &SON S, IN C.

ENGINEERS, MANUFACTURERS AND
INSTALLERS OF STAGE EQUIPMENT
RECENT PROJECTS:
Royal Opera House
Brussels, Belgium
Orange County Performing Arts Center
Costa Mesa, California
Calgary Center for the Performing Arts
Calgary, Alberta
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
Tampa, Florida
San Jose Center for the Arts
San Jose, California
34 EAST MAIN STREET
HONEOYE, NEW YORK 14472
716 - 229 - 5998

scope of the exodus from the field of technical direction.
From this survey it seems logical to deduce that many
individuals enter the profession of technical direction
with the preconception that this field is not the work of a
lifetime. Indications are that many IDS see the profession
as dead-ended with little opportunity for advancement.
These viewpoints have serious rarnifications which are
Figure 4: Areas of dissatisfaction among technical directors
Number 01 A** pondenll

Salaries
Production
Budgets
Production
Timetables

80 tOO

140

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Figure 5: Areas of concern among technical directors
Humber 01 A'ipendent.

Job Challenge

Job Security

CONCLUSIONS

The data cited in this report is overwhelmingly supportive
of suspicions already widely held in the theatre industry.
Much here is disturbing, but most troublesome is the

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Working
Conditions

Free Time

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TD&T

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SPRING 1 a8a

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1989