Online Feature

Take Five: Dave Rogulich

by Courtney Bell

Dave Rogulich is one of Tricklock Company’s newest and youngest members, and he’s a tech – one of the many behind-the-scenes guys who don’t get nearly enough recognition for the work they do. Rogulich is currently pursuing studies in production design at CNM. He started working with Tricklock during the Revolutions International Theatre Festival in January 2006. This year he was technical co-director of the festival. He’s worked at The Vortex, N4th Theater, UNM, the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Musical Theater Southwest. His next big project takes him to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland where he will be managing all technical aspects of a small theater. He’ll then follow that up with a trip to Krakow, Poland, to work with Teatr Figur, one of the visiting companies of Revolutions 2008.

albuquerqueARTS: What do you like so much about the technical side of theater?

DR: I like doing the tech side of stuff because it really challenges me to either find or build and design unique things. I’ve always had a fascination with those kinds of things that we take for granted, that just kind of appear and happen—I like the idea of being the one who makes those things appear and happen in theater.

albuquerqueARTS: And what exactly does being a theater tech involve?

DR: Usually it’s building scenery, working with any kind of lighting stuff, putting the lights up, running the lighting board; finding the sounds or designing the sounds, running the soundboard. Painting a set is like a whole different thing from building a set. You could also say that costumes are a part of tech. Maybe on bigger shows designing makeup could also be tech.

albuquerqueARTS: Do you think there are any misconceptions about tech people?

DR: I think there’s a misconception that there isn’t a shortage of tech people. I’ve talked to some who think maybe I’m not good enough; I don’t know where to start. I think it’s just -, you’ve got to go out there and be willing to volunteer a lot.

albuquerqueARTS: So what other advice would you give to an aspiring tech person?

DR: Just go out there and work with as many theaters as you can. If you go to see a show, and you think it’s a good show, and you think the set design is good, go up to someone in the theater afterwards and ask them, “‘Hhow can I be a part of building sets, or designing lights, how can I be a part of any of this?”’

albuquerqueARTS: What’s in your pockets right now?

DR: Pockets? That’s a long list! Pocket knife, digital camera with extra battery and memory card, Chapstick, high-intensity flashlight, cell phone, lighter, Zippo, Swiss army knife, small black notebook with a pen, day planner with a pen, wallet with extra car key, safety pins, bobby pins and band-aids in it. Water-absorbing cloth, small (Kevlar, mind you) bag with ear protection, titanium spork, batteries, super glue, cigar punch, pills, plastic bags, Vvelcro, reflective tape, grip tape, and zip ties in it. All in this little bag. Permanent marker, pen, multi-tool, another multi-tool, forceps, scissors, watch, can opener on my dog tags, keys with pry bar and hex wrenches and a whistle. And extra cord. There’s a lot of stuff in the pockets.

albuquerqueARTS: What are your long long-term goals?

DR: I would like to eventually be tech director of a theater company that I’m a founding member of, and to be in a theater space that I helped design and build.

--Courtney Bell is a contributing editor to albuquerqueARTS.