Set Teacher Interview Series: Lisa Swift
We’re back with the latest addition to our Set Teacher Interview Series! After our conversations in 2020 with set teachers Stacey Hirn, Margaret Cox, Michelle Bohlen, and Wissam Nasr, we’re thrilled to be introducing Lisa Swift, who has worked on OLE projects around the globe for nearly fifteen years. Read the interview below, and be sure to scroll down to view the video of Lisa’s on-stage proposal (which occurred while she was set teaching for The Lion King!).
About Lisa: Lisa grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Early Childhood Education. After accepting a random teaching job on a national commercial shooting locally in Kansas City, she made it her mission to find a permanent job teaching in the entertainment industry. After graduating, she spent two months in New York City, enjoying the city and entering ticket lotteries for Broadway shows every night. Following a performance of The Color Purple one night, Lisa waited outside the stage door and approached the woman caring for the kids in the show, who agreed to have coffee and discuss her role as a child wrangler. She pointed her towards On Location Education, which was having interviews a few weeks later. After a wonderful interview with Alan, she went back to Kansas City, sold her car, packed her belongings, and moved to NYC, where she began her work with OLE.
Your path to working with OLE is really exciting, because you specifically set out to work as a teacher in the entertainment industry. What interested you in this role and led you to pursue it further?
When I decided to pursue a career in education, I just assumed I would work in a classroom after graduation. I had never even heard of a set teacher before I was asked to work on the commercial. Additionally, I have always been captivated with the entertainment industry. Movies, television, and live theater have always been a passion for me. Once I was asked to work that first job, I was hooked. I love the energy on set. There is just something about watching the magic of a film or theatrical production come to life. I love watching my students put all of their passion and heart into each project. It’s also safe to say that every day is a new adventure. No two days are ever the same. I have taught in subway cars, Central Park, a Hugo Boss on 5th Avenue, and more theaters across the country than I can count.
What does a typical day/week for a set teacher look like on theatrical projects as opposed to film and TV?
Live theater is definitely in a category of its own. While still an unconventional way of teaching, there is more consistency in theater than life on a film or TV set. My students have 6-month contracts, but are often asked to extend for a year or more. The opportunity to teach them for an entire school year allows me to become really invested in their education.
My week is mostly spent juggling both the educational requirements of the kids as well as the demanding obligations of production. In addition to teaching, I am also a child wrangler for the show. Not only do I oversee academics, I also manage all things kid-related on the performance side as well. This includes taking them to and from their cues during performances. It’s essentially like working two full-time jobs at once. The same idea applies to the kids. They are not only full-time students, but they also work 40 hours a week. I think this is important to remember. They work so hard, and the fact that they can find this balance at 10-12 years old just blows me away.
It is my job to meet with production to determine the weekly show needs and then create a school schedule around the show responsibilities. It is a constant shuffle of back and forth between school, rehearsal, and the show. In the moments between school, rehearsals, meetings, and shows, I spend my time communicating with teachers and parents, grading and submitting work back to schools, and planning 16 lessons per day (four for each student). On top of all of that, we travel every 3 or 4 weeks, so packing and unpacking is a regular occurrence. It can be a very busy and hectic schedule, but it is also so rewarding! As I mentioned before, every day is an adventure!
Having worked on tours and as a traveling teacher, how does having ever-shifting locations inform your work with students?
I absolutely love the fact that we get to experience a new city every few weeks. There are so many educational opportunities for kids throughout the county. It’s the best form of authentic learning I can think of. I have been fortunate enough to take my students on field trips to Pearl Harbor, The Underground Railroad Museum, Central High School (The first integrated high school in the country) and The Freedom Trail in Boston, just to name a few.
We went to the Boston Tea Party museum this past October where members of the tour were asked to participate in a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party along with costumed performers. All four kids were chosen to become Sons and Daughters of Liberty. The people who worked at the museum didn’t know what they were getting into when they asked my students to participate. Let’s just say they took the role very seriously!
Any city that holds historical significance makes for a fantastic field trip. Show responsibilities as well as curriculum obligations can make field trips challenging at times. However, my production team is always so wonderful in setting aside time for these memorable educational experiences.
You might hold the record for the most exciting experience while set teaching! Can you tell us more about your on-stage proposal?
It was definitely exciting, that’s for sure! I was asked to join The Lion King Cheetah tour in 2007. It was my first live theater job and I was absolutely thrilled to mix my two passions of teaching and live performance. Little did I know, I would meet my future husband my very first day. He is an actor in the show who plays Ed and understudies Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa. We began dating and actually opened the Las Vegas production of Lion King in 2009. It was here that I was quite literally pushed on to the stage at bows by my stage manager. Robbie was sure I wouldn’t walk out on my own so he arranged for a little “help” prior to the performance. When he got down on his knee and proposed in front of 1800 people, I was in complete shock. What made it even better was that he arranged for our family to fly in and secretly attend the show. It was a beautiful moment that I will always remember! My students can be seen in the video jumping up and down as he proposed. They were so excited for me and two of them even came to the wedding in Mexico!.
My husband and I are so fortunate that we are able to tour together. I was incredibly lucky to return to The Lion King in 2017 after some time away working on other projects. My husband was already cast in the new touring production so we were thrilled when the position was offered to me as well. Being able to travel and work together is an incredible opportunity. We are able to see the country while we both do what we love, and we get to do it together. Side note: We also tour with our two cats, Smokey and Garth. I think it's safe to say they have seen more of the country than most adults!
What is your favorite part about this work, and what is the biggest challenge you face while set teaching?
There are so many wonderful aspects of touring with a Broadway show. Getting to see the country and “live” in places I might never have visited otherwise definitely makes touring worth it. As busy as I am, I really try to get out and explore the city, eat at delicious restaurants, and sightsee as much as possible. Additionally, I love the strong bonds I form with my students. I keep in touch with so many of them even to this day. It’s crazy to see them all grown up. In my mind they will forever be 10 years old!
The most challenging aspect of touring is juggling the intense demands of the show, while making sure the kids get the education they deserve. There are moments when you just feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. There are days when the kids all have questions at the same time and you wish there were four of you. I have a tendency to put too much pressure on myself and I sometimes forget that certain things are out of my control. I will also say that it can be hard to be away from family and friends year-round. I have missed far too many birthdays, holidays, and celebrations throughout the years. We try to make them whenever we can, but it never feels like enough.
What are you up to now?
We were in South Bend, Indiana when our show shut down due to COVID-19. I don’t think anyone at the time could have imagined our entire industry would be shut down this long. I miss theater, I miss teaching, and I miss my students. I think the day we are able to put live theater back on stage will be an incredibly emotional experience and I can't wait to be a part of it.
Thankfully, after seven long months of the shut-down, I was fortunate enough to be offered an amazing private teaching job with a family in an exotic locale. I have been here since mid-October. When I'm not working, I have been enjoying my time off on the beach and soaking up as much sun as possible. OLE has always been so gracious to me and I am so grateful to be working during these incredibly uncertain and scary times.
Check back over the coming months as we speak with more industry professionals on how they’re adapting in these newly challenging times. We’re thrilled to be returning to work in film and television, and are eager for live theatre to reopen when it is safe to do so. For now, be sure to book Production Services through OLE, explore our Private Learning Offerings for your children, and keep following our Industry Updates page to stay current on what’s happening in entertainment and education.
We continue to wish you health and happiness during these difficult times.
-The team at On Location Education