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The Master Electrician (or ME) in a theatre is responsible for implementing the lighting design for a production drawn up by the Lighting designer. This involves overseeing the preparation, hanging, connection and focusing of stage lighting fixtures. [1]
This can be done on a show by show basis, or as a resident position of a specific theatre. The tool of the trade of the theatrical Master Electrician is the Crescent wrench or adjustable spanner, used to secure stage lighting instruments from lighting positions in the theatre. This wrench is typically attached to the belt or wrist with a lanyard. The lanyard is important because the Master Electrician tends to work at great height from ladders, lift tables, catwalks, or lighting trusses where a falling wrench may hurt people or damage property below.
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Duties
The Master Electrician supervises all other Electricians working on a production or show. They are sometimes referred to as the Head Electrician or in a touring house, the House Electrician. The master electrician may also perform similar functions for the sound department. Their other duties include:
- Inventory and repair and maintenance of all stage lighting fixtures, cables, effects, power distribution, dimmers, networking and lighting control consoles.
- Organization and purchasing of all consumables including color gel, gobos, Sharpies, and gaffer tape.
- Planning and implementing of the cabling (circuiting) of lights and electric power distribution for any given show or production.
- Documenting and tracking of all scenery, circuiting, addressing, and system configuration in cooperation with the Lighting Designer.
- Patching assignments of the control console based on the paperwork generated by the Lighting Designer and the planned circuiting.
- Occupational safety and health of workers and operational decisions as the Head of the Electrics department.
Training, origin, and professional affiliations
Master Electricians are usually trained on the job, with little work in more formal settings such as schools or colleges, which tend to focus on lighting design rather than vocational experience. Knowledge of the field is often passed on by word of mouth, rather than having a documented industry.
There are as yet no formal certifications of the theatrical title "Master Electrician", as there are in some of the more mainstream trades. The stagehands union, IATSE, come close in that they offer apprentice and journeyman levels of certification. In the future, IATSE, or some of the larger local affiliations may form a more formal method of certification, which may include the title of Master Electrician. In the meantime almost every production, from high school shows to Broadway uses the term to describe their primary electrician, regardless of their skill level or experience.
References
- ^ Parker, W. Oren (1990). Scene Design and Stage Lighting. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 263. ISBN 0-03-028777-4.
External links
Websites with information on Master Electricians in the construction field (non-theatrical type).
- www.Electrician-ElectricalContractor.com - Get a detailed look into the Electrical Trade and what it takes to become a Master Electrician and a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
- http://www.masterelectricians.com.au - Australian Accreditation program for Master Electricians
- www.masterelectricianmelbourne.com.au - Find information about Master Electricians in Melbourne Australia.
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