Staff Spotlight: Adriane Heflin, Technical Director

CTC: What is your role at CTC?
Adriane Heflin: I have been the Technical Director here at CTC since 2008. I work in our Scene Shop with our Assistant Technical Director, Kelly Pursley, and five full time carpenters.

CTC: What does your job involve?
AH: The Technical Director works with the Director and the Scenic Designer to bring their visions for the world of our show from ideas to reality! It is my job to budget, schedule, build, and install the scenery for each production here at CTC. If you were going to build a house, you would hire an Architect to design it for you, but when you were ready to build it, you would hire a General Contractor to make it happen. In the Theatre, the Scenic Designer is like the Architect. They choose what the scenery is supposed to look like and how it supports the story of the play. My job is like the General Contractor; As Technical Director, I take the scenic designs and figure out how much it will cost to build them, how long it will take to construct, and what technical solutions we need to use to make it happen. I help do the structural designs, make a build schedule, create construction drawings, purchase the materials, and lead the carpenters during the build of the show. Once we’ve built and painted everything, I plan how to install it in the theater and then support the Run Crew who is backstage moving the scenery during the performances.

CTC: What is your favorite thing about your job?
AH: I love collaborating with all of the other Production departments, like Props, Lighting, Costumes, Paint, and Sound. It takes all of us to make the show happen, and I love working together to solve the challenges. I also love to make the “magical moments” that you might see in some productions. It’s fun when we make scenery move or do tricks in a way that the audience can’t see how it happens. I also love working with the talented, creative, and passionate artisans on our staff. Many of the folks who work in the shops have been here for over 20 years, making the magic!

CTC: What do you love most about CTC?
AH: Here at CTC, we often are the first place where kids get to see a live play. While attending a show, we teach our audiences so many things, like how to listen to someone’s story, or how to tell their own story; how to stand up for social justice, or how to be empathic to someone else’s situation. The work we do must be at the very highest level, because our audience is so important – kids! We hope to turn our audience members into lifelong theater-goers and supporters of the Arts. In these challenging times, what could be more important than that?

CTC: How can someone prepare for a career like yours?
AH: Get involved – there are lots of ways to explore the world of building! Make stuff out of cardboard, or Lego! Be a tinkerer! Help out backstage at your school or local community theatre to learn about how things work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and stay curious! The most important thing to know is that there are many people supporting a show who are never seen onstage, and everyone’s contribution is important. I started by doing shows in middle and high school, and I attended theater camps in the summer. I went to college to study architecture, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year that I learned about the role of the Technical Director! Once I did, I changed my major and never looked back.