“If you ever start to feel inadequate at what you’re doing, don’t let that stop you.”
Whitney McDonald is the Theatre Operator for the Amentum Center of Performing Arts and the Aiken Community Theatre in Aiken, S.C. She acts as a liaison between the city and the theater, runs the box office, and handles communications for the theater.
Interview
There was a technical issue with our audio during this interview, so we are providing just the transcript.
Transcript
Whitney McDonald 00:00 Hi, I am Whitney McDonald. I live in Aiken, South Carolina. I am the theater operator for the Momentum Center for Performing Arts. It is a city-owned facility, and Aiken Community Theater is the main tenant. So, I work mostly for Aiken Community Theater, but I also do work for the city as well. I’m kind of split between both. I am more of a liaison between the city and the Aiken Community Theater.
Haley Hansen 00:28 How long have you been doing that?
Whitney McDonald 00:29 Two years in August. Yeah! coming up in August. It will be two years.
Haley Hansen 00:33 Can you walk me through your typical workday?
Whitney McDonald 00:36 Sure. I come in at 8:00 a.m. every morning, even though the box office isn’t open until 9:00. I use that hour to check voicemails and emails for both the theater and the city. I walk through the theater to make sure everything looks okay, especially if we have a rental that day making sure the stage and the back hallway are clean. After that, I answer phone calls and emails. It really depends on what is going on that week or month. There is always something different to do, which keeps you on your toes.
Haley Hansen 01:21 How did you wind up in that field?
Whitney McDonald 01:23 I’ve been a part of the theater for a long time. The previous theater coordinator was with the theater for over 20 years, and I always thought, “If she ever retired, that would be a really great position to have.” It seemed like a nice job weekend off, evenings free. In mid-2022, she announced she was leaving, so I applied. I knew it was a city position, so I had to interview both the city and the executive director of the theater. I had an interview one day, and two weeks later, they offered me the job.
I already knew everyone in the theater. I’ve always been a performer, mostly on stage, and a bit backstage. I did not realize how much went on behind the scenes until I took the job. I’m still learning new things every day. There is no handbook for this position; my predecessor created the role. So, I’m the second person to fill it in. I just take it day by day with support from the board and executive director.
Haley Hansen 03:08 Was there any specific moment when you realized you wanted this job?
Whitney McDonald 03:25 It was always in the back of my mind as a “Dream Job,” but I never thought it would really happen. I was happy doing theater as a hobby. When the job opened, I saw it as an opportunity. I figured even if I did not get it, I would not regret applying. It still feels surreal that I actually work here, kind of like a dream come true.
Haley Hansen 04:21 What were you doing before you came to this position?
Whitney McDonald 04:24 I did a lot of retail, food service, and worked in banking for a while. Those were the main things. I didn’t have a lot of administrative experience, other than what I gained in banking. I think I got lucky. Knowing the people involved helped a lot.
Haley Hansen 04:45 What was the biggest adjustment when you started?
Whitney McDonald 04:58 Getting comfortable answering the phone was a big one. I keep my personal phone silent all day, like a true millennial. Learning the ticketing system was daunting too. The previous coordinator had already left, so there was no formal training. Volunteers, board members, and the executive director helped, but I had to figure out a lot on my own. Learning quickly and independently was the biggest adjustment.
Haley Hansen 05:50 Are there any specific skills a student or young adult should pick up if they want to work in theater administration?
Whitney McDonald 06:01 A background in administration would help. I did not have much, and I was lucky this position didn’t require a lot of it. It depends on how much administrative responsibility a theater coordinator has. We have a treasurer who handles finances, and our executive team shares administrative duties. Also, being okay working alone is important and there are many days I’m here by myself. Customer service is key, too. You are the face of the box office, so being pleasant and helpful really matters.
Haley Hansen 07:19 That’s helpful.
Whitney McDonald 07:20 I’ve never met another theater operator, so I can’t really compare my role with others. Each theater’s daily operations are unique.
Haley Hansen 07:34 Are there any organizations, programs, or events you’d recommend for people interested in theater?
Whitney McDonald 07:43 We used to offer workshops, improve acting classes but haven’t in a while. That is a great place to start. Or just go to an audition. That is how I got started, I had never done theater before, went to an audition, got cast, and went from there. As for getting a job in the industry, I don’t know the exact route. I just got lucky. Some theaters require degrees or certifications.
Haley Hansen 08:28 It sounds like if you show up and get involved, people will help.
Whitney McDonald 08:33 Absolutely. We always welcome new volunteers and encourage people to come in and help.
Haley Hansen 08:40 Do you have any advice for students pursuing a creative career?
Whitney McDonald 08:46 If you ever start to feel inadequate, don’t let that stop you. I feel that way all the time, but I am still learning. If it’s something you really want to pursue, don’t give up. That’s my advice.
“Your path in life won’t look like anyone else’s.”
Thurayya UmBayemake is the Spark Lead Actor-Teacher in support of the Arts Grow SC program at SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She delivers literacy-based drama programming to public schools to encourage “creative thinking, divergent thinking, and overall motivation to read.” UmBayemake earned a degree in drama studies at South Carolina State University (SC State).
Interview
Transcript
Thurayya UmBayemake 00:00
My name is Thurayya UmBayemake. I moved to South Carolina a couple of years ago from Ohio. But I claim Ohio, Kentucky, and South Carolina because I went to college here, and I felt like I grew up here.
Emma Plutnicki 00:13
Perfect. So, what do you do for work? And where are you currently working?
Thurayya UmBayemake 00:18
My official title is Actor-Teacher Coach for the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. So, what that entails, is that I’m the Lead Actor-Teacher for a program called Spark, which is through their department of outreach and community engagement. The Spark program is a literacy-based drama program. So, we go to elementary schools, and not only do we show students how to take stories from picture books and how to add drama enactments in there, to show characters, to show settings, to show plot, to reinforce the literacy-based learning, but also creative thinking, divergent thinking, and just overall motivation to read. That’s our main goal. But we also have a goal of showing teachers that even though you don’t have an arts background, you could do this too. So, it’s a twofold job.
Emma Plutnicki 01:18
Amazing. So, you’re working out of South Carolina?
Thurayya UmBayemake 01:21
Yes.
Emma Plutnicki 01:22
Okay. Perfect. And how long have you been working there?
Thurayya UmBayemake 01:25
So, I’ve been here for a little over two years. And that’s when the residency program started. But the program before I came along was a summer based only pilot. And when the SR [Sub-recipient], ARP [American Rescue Plan] grant money came in, that’s the federal grant money that was given for the pandemic, it turned this program into a year-long residency program. So, that’s when I was hired in. And I had a team underneath me of other actor teachers, and we’re spread out throughout the state. So, we work somewhat remotely and we traveled to different schools across the state. To spread the wealth, to spread the joy of the job.
Emma Plutnicki 02:11
Yeah, amazing. So, two years, how did you end up in this field? How did you hear about it? How did you know that this is something that you could do?
Thurayya UmBayemake 02:19
So, my background, I’ve always been into theater. Well, I shouldn’t say I’ve always been. I’m a storyteller. So, I’ll try not to be so long winded, I promise you, I will try hard.
So, it all started when in high school, I was actually an athlete, I did cross country and track and field. I got injured my senior year. And at the same time, I got injured, the African community theater opened up in my hometown. And I tell this story, because it’s very important. That’s how I got into theater. I was involved in a theater that embraced me for who I was and told stories that I could truly relate to. And so, that gave me the theater bug because, actually, I wasn’t even initially an actor; I was an assistant director, slash stage manager, then came acting, and I knew from then I wanted to stay in theater. So, I went to college and ended up at South Carolina State University because they had a drama education program. And that’s how I ended up from Ohio to down here. I have no ties to South Carolina other than that, but that program really developed me. One as a family unit, you know, I felt comfortable and vulnerable enough, which is very important. When it comes to drama and theater, you have to be vulnerable onstage, in the script, everywhere, for the story to be told authentically.
So, that was one thing. But then also, when I realized how long the drama education program was going to take to complete, I switched to drama studies, which was good for me because it helped me learn other aspects, more in depth in theater, I learned Tech, I learned administration, all these different aspects, versus just little surface levels and education. So, that is my educational background.
Once I graduated, I did some traveling. I called myself a little bit of a nomad, so I went back to Ohio for a bit. I did a children’s theater up there, and I opened up my own theater, basically for social justice. It was called the Sue Company. And I opened it with two of my friends, and we focused on telling the African American stories, you know, up here. I don’t know why I said up here, I put American in there. African American stories.
From there, I went to New York and, actually when I moved to New York, I took a break from the theater, even though I was living in New York. I know that’s backwards, but I just was living life and, and me being a natural storyteller, you have to experience life to tell stories. So, that’s what I did in New York. I just was experiencing life. I did go to do readings, and volunteered as an actor, but that’s the extent of my theater experience in New York. Once I came back to Ohio, I realized I wanted to get back into theater. But I also knew I wanted to come back down south to South Carolina, because this, to me, is where my home theater is now. Where my friends from school kind of stayed in the area. So, I was looking for jobs. And then one of my colleagues or old classmates sent me this job. He was like, “Hey, I think you’d be interested.” So that’s how I learned about this job. And I was like, “I am interested.”
So, I was nervous. I actually applied for both the actor, teacher job and the actor, teacher coach job, because I didn’t know if I fully qualified or not. And it’s funny, because I think you’ve probably seen that article where there was a study on men and women. How women feel they have to heal. That’s me. I was like, “I don’t know.” So, obviously, I interviewed well, and I got the position. And it’s just been smooth, not smooth sailing, but it’s been smooth sailing since. It’s definitely been challenging, but it’s a good challenge. And I’m really happy that, one, that they picked me, and they trust me with this position, and that I could do justice for it.
Emma Plutnicki 06:20
Yeah, amazing. So, what kind of challenges have you experienced? And how have you overcome those challenges?
Thurayya UmBayemake 06:26
Well, one is I’ve somewhat managed before. My managing experience has always been short-term, right? Like my last job, I worked for the Board of Elections in Cuyahoga County, and I was a recruiter official. So, what that means is that I basically was responsible for filling in the poll workers. So I hired them. And then sometimes I had to fire them, you know, or relocate them, and things like that. But it was a very short-term commitment. This job is a very long-term commitment. You know, because once someone’s on the team, we want them to stay on the team. So, I had to grow as a manager to overcome difficulties, whether it’s individual or personal, or just overall team dynamics.
Emma Plutnicki 07:10
Yeah, that makes sense. So now, on a daily basis, what kind of things are you working on? And what are your responsibilities on a day-to-day basis? Are you working on long projects? Or are there kind of short assignments that come up? Or what does it look like?
Thurayya UmBayemake 07:26
It’s a mixture of both. And I feel like since I’ve been brought on, it has always been a mixture of both. Mostly because it was such a brand-new idea of a program, where we had an idea where it was going to go, but we didn’t necessarily have the pathway. So, we had to be always flexible, which sometimes is harder than it sounds, you know. So, my daily projects, like the shorter terms, are what I know, right? Like summer programming, I know what comes up every year. So, I have to plan for it, right? During the school year residency, I have to plan for that. That’s the short term, you know, constantly, but the long term part is choosing the districts, how we’re going to get to those districts, who’s going to be involved, that’s more of the long term, and also getting the word out about our program because, there’s a lot of challenges that comes with our program, because it’s new, you got to explain it. But you have to explain it in a way that you don’t lose interest. For instance, not being too long winded. But you don’t also want to be too short, because they’ll come up with their own idea of what the program is. I feel like the whole program has had a significant impact on me.
Emma Plutnicki 08:31
Yeah, it makes sense. So, throughout your time doing this, has there been one project or something that you worked on that stood out the most like resonating with you or something that had a significant impact on you?
Thurayya UmBayemake 08:45
You know what, one thing I’ve always wanted to do is be a presenter, right? Like when I go to conferences or things, there’s always a presenter up there explaining. And I always thought that job looked cool. I didn’t know that this job would turn into part of that. So, this past year, particularly, I got to go to different conferences and present the program. So, I was really happy with that accomplishment.
Emma Plutnicki 09:12
Yeah, that’s so fun. You said that you didn’t really have too many ties to South Carolina. So, when you came, were there any, um, like organizations or events that you went to, or interacted with to kind of build a network, or just overall help you in your field?
Thurayya UmBayemake 09:30
Yes. So, this is when I bring in my mama. Growing up, we moved around a lot. My mama has always instilled in me that you get to know the community. Like, on the first and second day moving, we always went and got a library card. We met at the police station to meet the officer, like you have to know who you’re living with, you know, your neighbors and everything. So, when I came down here, not only did I reach out to my former classmates from SCSU [South Carolina State] who are still in the area. I did the same exact things. I went to get a library card, I went to local community festivals or events, you know. And I reached out to different communities to let’s say, hey, you know, introduce myself to things of that nature, you know. And that’s how I built my network here. I also went to many different theater events around. I live in Colombia. I don’t know if I mentioned that, but my remote position is in the Midlands. So, I went to the theater network here to just introduce myself because I’m also doing something in drama and wanted to know the familiar bases.
Emma Plutnicki 10:38
Amazing. When you were trying to get this job, were there any skills that you found helped you land, the position, or any skills that you think someone trying to get into your field should have in order to find success?
Thurayya UmBayemake 10:53
Definitely. So, I think two major skills are what got me the job. One was my natural storytelling ability. The second was my background and job experience. I have worked so many different types of jobs. And I know some people feel that once they get out of college, they should only work in their field, right? You’re missing out, right? Like you are missing out on meeting different people, learning about different situations, how to overcome it, you know, taking that L, you know, learn from your mistakes. So, I think having all those different types of jobs, one led me to be a recruiter official, because I could deal with people well, and that recruiter official helped me get this job because they’re like, Oh, you have management experience, see how it all just comes into place?
Emma Plutnicki 11:42
Yeah, perfect. And just as we’re wrapping up, do you have any advice for someone who would want to get into a position like yours, and how they can manage that? And just any overall advice for them?
Thurayya UmBayemake 11:56
Yes. One, don’t narrow your network, right? Like, make friends with any and everybody, just to learn about their life experiences and what they went through. It will help you learn that your path is not going to look like anybody else’s. Like, you could talk to 100 people, I promise you, your path is going to be different from all 100 people. Right? And with that being said, you can’t take everyone’s advice. Everyone’s advice is used with a grain of salt because, again, your path is going to be different no matter what.
Emma Plutnicki 12:28
Yeah, for sure. That’s good advice. And is there anything else you’d like to add about your experiences or your profession?
Thurayya UmBayemake 12:38
Yeah, I would like to add one more thing.
I feel like this job was a dream come true. And I say that because when you major in one of those fields that doesn’t, quote-unquote, guarantee you a job. You have to learn patience, right? And when I came out of college, I think my first job was housekeeping. Like, who wants to admit that nobody, right? I eventually got into children’s theater and other stuff, but none of those paid the bills, right? Like it was just something I enjoyed doing. But this job is the first one that meets both. That satisfied my living situation. And I really love and enjoy doing it. And it took a while. But I feel like it was perfect timing. So, it’s about faith. It’s about persistence. I just had to, like I said, refocus and learn different jobs and different skills and enjoy the journey of life. But I really do love this job. My team is great. Working at the SC gov school is great. And I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Emma Plutnicki 12:40
Yeah.Amazing. I’m so happy you found your dream job. So good to hear.
