A sound technician discussed her career path and experiences working in theater. She studied media in college and now works as a light and sound technician for theater productions. While the job is enjoyable for those with autism or ADHD due to its hands-on nature, the wages can be inconsistent since shows do not run every day, requiring her to work other jobs as well to earn a living. Despite the financial challenges, she finds the work in theater rewarding and recommended it as a career.

1. Sound Technician – Living Staircase
Aoife McKeown
Aoife was a student at Sunderland College, and she studied A-Level media. She has gone on to
work in theatre and is now a technician for light and sound. She did film and media at university,
and now loves theatre.
I learned about what it’s like to be a technician, and if you have Autism or ADHD, you will really
enjoy this job. She also told us that we will have no struggle finding work, because the Northeast
technician community is small, and everyone wants to work with one.
However, we did find out about the inconsistent wages. This is because there isn’t a show on
every day. She works two other jobs a long side this one, and she needs them to get by. It’s
interesting to get to hear the truth about working in theatre. But she recommends theatre, and
she thinks it’s fun. She also did a radio show for BBC Four called super amazing Burger Time, and
she really enjoyed that project.
It was good to learn more about different jobs within the industry. It’s good for assessing my
options.