EPISODE 184:

LOAD-IN, LOAD-OUT, CASH IN: A TECHNICAL DIRECTOR'S THOUGHTS ON FINANCE

Host: Ethan Steimel
Release Date: 3/5/2025

LISTEN HERE

Technical director Tab Birt discusses his journey through live entertainment, financial lessons learned along the way, and his dream of trading the stage for a glass artist’s studio in Norway.


Topics
⭐️ Glass blowing
⭐️ Not selling yourself short
⭐️ Getting on a stagehands union call list
⭐️ Burning out, being cynical, and the joy of theatre
⭐️ The secret investment vehicle called a ROTH IRA

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Links and Resources

Video Version
https://youtu.be/Kh9TP0Gls0s


Artistic Finance
https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance


Tab Birt
https://www.tbirtdesign.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tbirtdesign/


Saints Peter & Paul - Homeless Shelter
https://www.stspeterandpaulstl.org/homeless-shelter


Third Degree Glass Factory
https://www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoonESXmz4AvOFvGWqiziSPkJy_kBTC66ol4q9J4rvcuYxhm7cfN


Here’s What I Don’t Get
https://hereswhatidontget.com/podcast


Bullsh*t Jobs - David Graeber
https://bookshop.org/a/86693/9781501143335


Debt: The First 5,000 Years - David Graeber
https://bookshop.org/a/86693/9781612194196


David Graeber Lecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kikzjTfos0s


ROTH IRA
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/rothira.asp


Design Action - Minimum Rate Calculator
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KpsHWVKvc0FYfDftayTh1Dh2befS-oPM6_rwQ6waoVk/edit?gid=691329339#gid=691329339


The Lighting Archive
https://thelightingarchive.org/




Tab Birt hails from the Land of Praying Hands, Tulsa Oklahoma. He received his BFA in Lighting and Sound Design from the University of Oklahoma, and currently resides in in St Louis as the Technical Director for Edison Theatre. He’s worked in live entertainment for 17 years around the country, and when not in production you can find him in the hot shop pursuing his interest in glass, or at home sipping a fine whiskey, grilling steaks, or smoking a rich cigar. He dreams of one day retiring from theatre and becoming a glass artist in Norway.


Instagram Handles
@tbirtdesign
@thirddegreeglass
@ethansteimel
@nicolevsteimel