Theatre Technical Training in the European Union

Theatre technicians do their work behind the screens. They are ‘invisible’ for the audience, but as necessary as the performers and musicians on stage. The scope of the profession of a theatre technician is very broad. It goes from the more from technical and technological oriented professions (e.g. in the field of stage management, or light and sound) to professions encompassing real craftsmanship (such as costume and wig makers, props, ) and professions with a great amount of creativity (in stage, light or set designing)...

• The performing arts is a sector where both geographic and job-to-job mobility are important. A technicians’ “job identity card” is therefore a unique compilation of his/her experience, work environment, levels of responsibility and competences developed.

When you run a performing arts company or a venue how will you know that the profile of one or the other technician corresponds with the competences you acquire for one or the other function? How will you know that you may give this person the responsibilities of handling certain equipment? Or manage a team? Or lead a production? Is a qualification of a graduate in your country comparable to that of his/her colleague from another country?

• Following a conference jointly organized by Pearle* and Euro-Mei (the European trade-union for technicians) in Turku, Finland in may 2000 on the training of theatre technicians, jointly, it was learned and concluded that there are variations between countries or within a country with regard to the use of terminology, and that there are also discrepancies between countries with regard to the quality of vocational training and the availability of in-house training.
• Collaboration between the sector and the education or training institutions is important in order to identify the needs for the sector and to match educational programs.

In 2005, under the leadership of the Helsinki Polytechnic school Stadia, a core of 4 enthusiast partners from Belgium, Finland, Sweden and UK started with an immense task : the development of a Competence Analysis Tool that can be used all across Europe. Since 2005, week by week, these partners have been describing and developing, level by level and point by point, the building blocks (units) which identify the competences for stage, light or sound technicians. In a follow-up project the exercise will be extended to other technical professions. The main areas of this Competence Analysis Tool take into considerations the elements in the European Qualifications Framework as has been suggested by the European Commission in 2005.

Click here for more information and a test-tool

When will this competence analysis tool become operational?
Will it be user friendly?
Is the tool going to be available in my mother tongue?
Why should I use it

• Under the next phase project starting end of 2007 and running until end of 2009 the tool will receive a user-friendly facelift. Following some test phases it will be fully operational by 2010.
• A theatre technical directory, initially focusing on a number of languages, but with a view to extend it to as many languages as possible, will be included. As a manager of a performing arts organization the tool will be a support in assessing your personnel. It will also allow you to exactly determine the competences of job applicants.
• As a manager of a venue you will be able to obtain information on the competences of professionals travelling with touring companies visiting your house and using your equipment.
• Once the tool has become integrated in the sector, it will be a person’s professional id-card which will facilitate both the person’s development and the sectors’ needs and it will help identify parts of competences where further training might be necessary.

The TTT-project runs from October 2005 until October 2007.
The project is financially supported by the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the European Commission

Project leader: Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia
European Social partners: Pearle* and Euro-Mei

National partners:
Core partners: TEAD – Belgium, Dramatiska Institutet – Sweden, Skillscene – UK
Supporting partners: SDTP – France, Estonian Theatre Union – Estonia, FAETEDA - Spain