Jayel Kirby

Prof. Youngman
MKTG 1010-003
T/1300
November 17, 2015
My Service Learning Experience
Initially, I was really excited about the opportunity to have a job shadowing experience.
Im still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and thought this would be a
great way to help me get a better idea of what I enjoy doing. Over the years, Ive played around
with the idea of two possibilities, so I started there. I asked a friend of mine who is a secretary to
an elementary school principal if I could job shadow her. She agreed to speak with her principal
about it and get back to me in a few days. After a few weeks of not hearing back from her, and
not getting my calls or texts returned, I asked another principals secretary. After speaking with
her principal, she turned me down on the basis of privacy issues. Next, I tried the Salt Lake
County Elections Office, as Ive done a lot of work as an elections official at polling locations
and have often thought Id like to work for them full time. Again, my calls werent returned.
So, as the time crunch neared, I settled for doing a community service experience.
Ive participated in a huge variety of community service opportunities before, so thinking
of a new one wasnt easy. Ive also participated in a variety of aspects of theatre productions.
Ive been a parent backstage helper for my daughters junior high productions, been stage
Mom for her community productions, and acted in a number of community productions myself.
Ive ushered and taken tickets and sold concessions and even written a script or two. What I
havent done is help build sets. Im not all that great with a hammer, and Im even worse with a
paint brush. So, when my acting professor, Zac Curtis, asked for volunteers to help build the set

for the upcoming Salt Lake Communitys Black Box production of See How They Run, I decided
it was time to learn something new.
On November 5, when my acting class ended at 11:20, I stayed at SLCCs South Campus
for two hours, waiting for the appointed 1:30 set-building time. As announced, Id shown up in
my old jeans that Id be okay with getting paint on. I figured thered be a bunch of students there
to help, as all theater students are required to put in eight tech hours per semester (I had
previously filled that commitment by ushering). One stagecraft student came. It was just the two
of us and the stage-craft instructor, Greg Caputo (gcaputobruinmail.slcc.edu).
The projects of the day were to build and install French doors, and to add ball catch
hardware to the standard doors that were already hung. Unfortunately, the first chore was one
that the instructor hadnt yet figured out how to do. He spent a good deal of the time trying to
figure out how to insert dowels into the boards for the frame of the French doors. After standing
around a lot, trying to help as much as possible, but basically being reduced to a tool grabber, I
was finally asked to assist the stagecraft student in attaching the door hardware to the existing
doors. But before that project really got started, Mr. Caputo realized the complications of trying
to insert the hardware into doors and walls that were much thinner than youd find in a real
house. So, again, I stood around a lot, watching and waiting to be given a job I could actually do
while he figured out how to make things work. I even offered to sweep, but was told theyd do
that when they were done (ie: after I had gone). As the clock ticked toward 4:30, I realized that
staying another hour wasnt going to do any of us any good, so I opted for the 3 hours of the
required 3 to 4.
And thats how my service-learning-instead-of-job-shadowing opportunity turned out to
be a job-shadowing-a-service-learning experience. Although I would rather have had hands-on

experience building a set, even if it meant trying to be somewhat crafty or (gasp) artsy, I did get
an idea of what the set-building aspect of a production is like. Its about trying to make flimsy
panels of wood that are put together on the spot look like actual walls and plugging 1.25- inch
wide catch plates into doors and door frames that are only one inch thick. In other words, it aint
easy! And thats important for me to know as an actor. It just happens that I had an experience
with set doors ten years ago while playing Grace Bradley in a community production of The Best
Christmas Pageant Ever. If we didnt shut them just right, theyd bounce back open again. I
remember being frustrated and wondering, Why cant they just fix them? It cant be all that
difficult! Well, now I know how complicated it can be and why.
Of course, Id still like the opportunity to participate more in set building. Fortunately, I
still need eight tech hours for next semesters acting class. Who knows? Maybe then Ill actually
get some paint on those old jeans.