In theatre, you don’t usually think about graphics cards. You think about lights, sets, sound cues, and maybe the projector that always seems to die five minutes before rehearsal. But during a projection festival, I found myself upgrading a dusty desktop GPU — and realizing this was more than just about hardware. It was about seeing IT as part of the stage.
From Projection to Problem-Solving
The festival relied heavily on projection mapping, and the old desktop just couldn’t keep up. Animations lagged, software stuttered, and rendering took forever. The fix was a straightforward GPU swap, but the process wasn’t just “plug and play.” It meant troubleshooting drivers, checking power supply limits, and making sure the software recognized the new card before showtime.
“Theatre teaches you timing. IT teaches you resilience. Together, they teach you how to solve problems when the curtain is about to rise.”
Learning Systems Thinking
That GPU upgrade wasn’t just about graphics — it was about thinking in systems. Projection needed stable hardware, but also proper ventilation, updated drivers, and contingency planning if things failed mid-show. It was the first time I connected the dots: IT inside theatre wasn’t separate from the art. It was part of the infrastructure, like lighting rigs or stage management.
Beyond the Desktop
Looking back, that moment kick-started a bigger shift in how I approached technology. Fixing a machine was one thing, but designing systems that supported people — directors, designers, performers — was another. It was a step toward systems thinking: asking how each piece of tech fits into the larger production, and how to build solutions that are reliable under pressure.
Takeaway
What started as a GPU upgrade became a lesson in IT inside a live performance environment. Hardware matters, but context matters more. Supporting creativity with technology is about solving problems before they become show-stoppers. That’s systems thinking — and it all started with one old desktop in a projection booth.