Ace’s Adventures Through Technical Theatre
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
Behind the scenes of the theatre’s backstage
By Elli Thomas
Ace Walker is a senior at NSA, Nashville School of the Arts, in the theatre conservatory. They had 4 years of theatre experience before coming to NSA, having attended IT Creswell, a school well known for its theatre program. They have worked in technical theatre for 2 years now and enjoy the physical labor involved. They have worked on Almost Maine, The Wolves, and The Outsiders (all productions done at NSA). Their favorite show they worked on was The Outsiders because it was the first show they got to stage-manage, rather than build the set.
The following conversations have been edited and condensed.
I understand that you have been involved in multiple aspects of technical theatre. Did you have a better experience doing one over the other?
I was better at the building aspect, like drills and screws and putting things together, than the art aspect [painting sets], although I do like both of them.
What aspects of technical theatre frustrate you?
The measuring. Because it can be hard when you get the measurement wrong, but you thought it was right, and then you go back and do it again, and you don’t know if it’s right, so you do it a third time. It can be kinda frustrating to do it over and over again, but it is worth it to get the right measurement, keep everything correct, and, more importantly, keep everyone safe.
What are your thoughts on actors as a theatre person who’s solely devoted to technical theatre? Is there any tension between the two sides of the theatre?
For me, there is a small bit of tension. For the first seven years of doing theatre, I did acting and the history of theatre, and then, during that seventh year, switched to doing both. And now this year I’m doing technical [theatre] over acting. And sometimes actors don’t appreciate work that’s not being done during the show, like the set. But many actors do, and I really appreciate them. So, would I say there’s tension with actors in general? No. Specific actors that I’ve had experience working with? Yes.
Is there any show that you feel you haven’t gotten enough credit for doing?
There were two shows that I previously mentioned that I did a lot of work for, though it wasn’t the intention. While I did get recognition from our theatre teacher for helping out, the person who was supposed to be doing the job I took over didn’t appreciate me doing the work for them. So other than that, I think I’ve had plenty of credit for anything I’ve worked on from people I’ve worked with.
Has anything behind the scenes happened that has made you question why you still do technical theatre?
For technical theatre? No. For the acting part of theatre? Yes. I had a bad experience with the teacher, so I really fell out of love with acting. I also admit my memory isn’t that good, so memorizing the lines is a little difficult for me. So, that’s how I found and fell in love with technical theatre.
Which teacher did you have a bad experience with?
She worked for IT Creswell’s theatre department. And we did a show, which I will not name for personal reasons, that I didn’t really want to do, and I was struggling really hard with the lines, and it just made me really not want to do acting anymore.
Is there anything else you want to add, or anything I didn’t ask you that I should?
I want to say that I’m really appreciative of the opportunities I was given through Mr. Butler and his company to work on the technical part of theatre, and I’m glad that he came to my current school, NSA.
You really like Mr. Butler, don't you?
I do like Mr. Butler. He’s my favorite teacher right now.
Is there any reason he’s your favorite teacher?
He works really well with students at different levels of experience. And the way he explains things in his teaching, and the opportunity I had to be a stage manager in a show he directed, gave me a deeper appreciation for his teaching style and him as a person.
