How can we be artists in community? Chimedum Ohaegbu interviews Brianna Bernard, who works as a technician for Neworld Theatre, a performing arts centre centring voices confronting systemic injustice, and Unbound Reading Series, a local collective and partner of Room committed to nurturing Black writers through literary gatherings.
Unbound’s third annual Summer Open Mic event for Black creatives took place on August 8th this year.
Chimedum Ohaegbu: How, and why, did you start working as a technician, and more specifically, as a tech at Neworld Theatre? Follow-up: your role at Neworld Theatre as the Technical Director was newly created in 2025. Could you tell me a bit about how that differs from what you were doing at Neworld before, and what your hopes and goals for this role are?
Brianna Bernard: I’ve been interested in backstage/behind the scenes operations in art for a long time but I landed in theatre because it was the most heartwarming environment for me. During my time at SFU, while I was training to be a technician, the program also offered students opportunities to work as a technician outside of school. The more jobs I found, the more I was able to network and let people know what my skills were. I also realized that I was always the only person that looked like me in the tech booth; a Black person, let alone a Black woman. And this was the same reason Neworld approached me to be a staff member.
I was introduced to Neworld through a friend when the company was looking for an additional technician for one of the Unbound open mic events, so Unbound was also the way I was introduced to Neworld. After that, they showed interest in hiring me further and I got to learn about Neworld’s extensive work in programming shows and events that amplify marginalized voices. There was a brief moment where my title was Technical Director, but it wasn’t exactly the accurate title for my responsibilities, so we then changed it to Technician and Inventory Coordinator, and now it’s Technician and Inventory Manager. When I first joined as the Resident Technician in 2023, my role was new for the company, so I had tasks any technician would have but I was also encouraged to express myself artistically within the position. I took on roles like Lighting Designer and Event Coordinator on our workshops and community events, as well as Technician and Assistant Technical Director on our mainstage projects.
My role hasn’t really changed much! It was, and continues to be, a fascinating role and I’m just now at the point where we’ve defined ita bit more, but it is a combination of all these sub-roles I experimented with throughout the years.
My biggest hope was actually to be where I am now! Being able to define my role has been an important goal for me, so now I just look forward to how it can contribute to the valuable work Neworld does.
CO: What draws you to the types of events Neworld puts on, including the Unbound Reading Series?
BB: A lot of dedicated time and energy is put into our community events. There’s always a good turnout and it’s all thanks to our amazing Community Engagement Manager, Angelica Schwartz. Our community events are where we get to connect directly with people, new and familiar, and it always feels like a restoration ritual. I’m an introverted person but I always find it so refreshing to talk to everyone at these events. People are often excited to just be among artists with the same medium, especially ones that look like them, and that energy is so needed. As a technician, it’s really easy to be invisible but I’ve consistently had audience members approach me to express their appreciation.
CO: You’ve been involved with Unbound since the very first open mic event. Could you tell me how your work on/with Unbound has influenced your work as a technician more broadly?
BB: Community events like Unbound are a direct and fundamental way of being as artists in community. We can see each other face-to-face, consuming each other’s work, supporting it and inspiring each other. So I’ve actively tried to participate in more community-building events and make it a point to interact with other artists in the space. Practically, it’s also been a great way to practice my technical and management skills. Unbound played a significant part in shaping my role at Neworld since sometimes I’m operating multiple pieces of equipment or I’m helping to build a tech schedule for the event, shaping my role as a technician on a whole. It’s also influenced me to show up more in spaces where I’m strictly a technician. I’ve also connected with other technically-inclined artists through Unbound, and have had opportunities to work with them outside of Neworld and Unbound.
CO: Your bio notes that you have “dabbled in roles such as stage designer, technical director, stage manager and scenic photographer”, so you have a fairly multidisciplinary approach to theatre. How does this diversity of experiences, artistically and technically, show up in your work as a technician–and vice versa?
BB: As a technician, I’m often tasked to design lighting states for an event or show, or when running cables on stage I’ll consider the composition of the set pieces and how to maintain the cohesion of the set design. Sometimes I’m able to offer suggestions on set design adjustments that would better suit the integration of the technical elements. On the other hand, when I’m in a design or management role, the knowledge I have about certain technical equipment helps me to determine the priorities when executing my design or building a schedule. Most notably, it’s really handy when communicating with artists. With a broader knowledge in artistic expression, it’s easier to interpret an artist’s vision and a clear stream of creative communication is super fundamental to a production.
CO: What do you most enjoy about the partnership Unbound has with Neworld?
BB: I’m really appreciative of how Neworld extends a sort of olive branch to communities that aren’t directly related to theatre. Unbound has been a great space for so many emerging writers, and Neworld has been a steady supporting body. I’m also appreciative of how this relationship has connected me to the Black community in Vancouver, and the artists within it. That caused a huge rift in my self-perception as a technician and as an artist. I’ve never met another established Black theatre technician but my eyes were opened real wide at the first Unbound event Neworld supported. I think what I enjoy most is this relationship showcases the genuine joy and support these kinds of events can garner.
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