JACOB ROTHERMEL

      I am an experienced technical designer, technical director, and project manager for live theatre and the commercial entertainment world.  For almost twenty years I have worked as a professional theatrical technician and manager in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, PA.

       Here, you can see photos of my work and review my progression as my career has advanced.  I am seeking a professional challenges that will test the skills I currently have, give me the opportunity to expand those skills as well as gain new ones, and perhaps give me the opportunity to teach others what I have already learned.

      Please feel free to navigate through the pages to the right and look through some of the productions I've been a part of and the work that I've done to date.  I'm proud of my work, both past and present, and I'm happy to discuss any of it with just about anyone.  If you have any questions, contact me.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


      Theatre, arts education, and the entertainment industries (both not-for-profit and commercial) all require the support of skilled and knowledgeable people who are comfortable in their roles as part of a larger entity in order to fully realize its potential impact on the world and the people in it.  I am one such person.

      A technical director or manager of any kind is an important part of the support structure for the Arts.  More than just the person who swings the hammer, makes the turntable spin, and hangs the masking; more than simply the person who tracks the budgets and available resources; and not merely the person in charge or organizing, training, and running a crew (or students or professionals); I must be one who can speak the same language as my designers, directors, and actors whom I work alongside and whose work I am there to support.  Sometimes that means I translate that language into one my students, who are still learning what their own roles will be, can readily understand.

      I work with a client, designer, or director to make the most out of whatever resources they have at their disposal.  Bridging this traditional gap between technician and designer is not only a necessary challenge for me but is the essence of my own work and one of my ultimate goals.

      Teaching and successful communication is not “dumbing down” technical jargon or talking to designers or students as if they are children; insulting my collaborators or those to whom I have a fiduciary duty is a quick tactic to alienating those whom I am there to support. Rather, successful interaction means explaining accurately and in a straightforward manner any conflict of interests or means which inhibits the artistic or educational process. This is not always a simple matter. It takes effort, patience, and the ability to adapt to different personalities to do effectively. More so, being a successful teacher means being an endless student.  It is a continuous process that must adapt to a particular group or moment.  It requires constant honing and polishing. I always strive to speak the same language as the designers, directors, and actors whom I work alongside; and, if need be, clarify that language into one that my students – who are still learning what their own roles will someday be – can readily understand.

      I have long considered what I do as a technical director and an educator as part of the theatrical infrastructure, and of the Art as a whole; particularly because of my belief that we enter into such collaborative work to do just that: Collaborate. It is the essence of what I do in my work and the field in which I have chosen to do it in.