Autumn Brathwaite
I don’t consider myself a typical artist. As a theater technician, more often than not my work is not the focus of attention, or if it is, the person who designed it gets the credit. We wear blacks because it is literally a part of our job description to remain unseen. “So why do you do it?” The simple answer: because I need to, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Technical theater has taken my life on this epic roller coaster and I have no intentions of getting off.
Going to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts opened my eyes to the possibilities in theater. Although I’ve dabbled in lighting, props, and costumes, my real love comes from construction of scenery. I’ve always been one to use my hands, from Lincoln Logs to LEGOs to Tinker-Toys, there was never a time where I wasn’t building something; that eventually extended into my life after grade school. My first audience was my family, I’d build these weird contraptions and force them to look at it and see how it works and often they just brushed it off, but sometimes they looked in amazement and asked “how did you make that?” That is the million dollar question that makes everything worth it. Saying this, I think back to the first high school show that I built: Beauty and the Beast directed by Harry Shifman in the LaGuardia High School Concert Hall. I remember being in the audience with my family saying “I built that! I built that!... and that too! and that too!” during the entire show because I was so proud. When something new came out onto the stage and my family sat shocked and amazed looking at it, that is what made everything worth it.