The cosmos, ghosts and overcoming fear: Irene Meikle’s voyage from mousy student to intergalactic performer

What is a planetarium operator?

Flandrau has a wide variety of shows for young and adult audiences. The planetarium holds educational shows, movies, talks, and laser shows.

For a majority of shows, operators sit behind the control console and work on an operating table. The table allows the planetarium operator to create and adjust light, sound, and imagery.

Planetarium operators slightly resemble early 2000s pop sensation Britney Spears with a headset microphone fitted to their person. Much like Spears, they are also the stars of the show. Operators are expected to direct, narrate and perform daily.

The lengthiness of each responsibility depends on individual shows.

For example, music-driven shows such as the “David Bowie Laser Light Music Show" requires more console control than narrating from the operator. Education-driven shows such as “Black Holes” require a large number of console mechanisms, control of the surroundings, and extensive narration.

Planetarium operators have been a crucial part of Flandrau's staff since its opening in 1975.

This part-time college job changed the trajectory of Irene Meikle's life

Two weeks after attending the Pink Floyd show, Irene walked into her interview and was immediately hired.

She began working “on the floor” at Flandrau. She helped with field trips, science lessons, and the hands-on science exhibits scattered throughout the Planetarium.

After working for a few months, she quickly realized she had discovered a new passion. 

“This job made me realize I would rather teach science than research it,” Irene reflects.

Irene immeditely switched her major to Literacy, Learning and Leadership with a minor in Biology, in hopes of one day becoming a teacher.

Today, Irene has an internship at Palo Verde high school teaching Biology.

After working several months as a floor employee, Irene was offered an opportunity.

“I was asked if I wanted to be an operator and I said 'yes'!” Irene recalls. 

She began intensive training for an estimated semester-long period but plans shifted when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. 

“That was horrible,” Irene recollects, “but, we did some online training so by the time we reopened I was certified operator status.”

What immediately excited her about the position was the fact that she got to tell others she was a planetarium operator, it was a dream come true. 

Irene had always been an introverted child. She never performed in theater or sang in front of large crowds. In highschool she was a member of the Science Bowl a focused on her studies. 

Irene shared that she had always had a phobia when it came to public speaking. She remembered times freezing up in front of class or not remembering a single word she said because she had so much adrenaline. Luckily for Irene, she did not have a choice to overcome her public speaking, it was expected of her when accepting the position.

“What turned me off was public speaking for a while,” Irene said, “but once you get past it doing the shows is so much fun!” 

Irene recalls an instance where she had a show with over 90 attendees. While performing, Irene noticed a few people from her high school were in the audience. After the show, a group of guests approached the control console. 

Irene shared:

"One person came up to me and was like, ‘I love the way you tell stories, it's so fun to listen to you talk’, that was such a nice thing to hear.”

Irene shared that although sometimes, she is nervous, her time at Flandrau has given her a sense of self confidence.

She said that even when she makes mistakes, she does not take it too hard.

Irene shared that sometimes she makes small mistakes, she has learned to not draw attention to them because the crowd will not notice. If it a bigger mistake, such as forgetting to turn on the projector, she will own up to it.

“If people own up to a mistake, I literally do not care," Irene Meikle shared.

Although Flandrau sees large audiences during the academic school year, a majority of their traffic comes in during major holidays and summers.

An average show during the school year for each operator is around 25 individuals. 

“I have gotten as few as one person and have done shows to 110 people,” said Irene.

Irene naturally tends to avoid the spotlight but has a strange preference when it comes to her audience sizes, “I would rather perform in front of 80 people, it makes me less nervous because they’re not people, they’re just audience members. Then I am not a person to them, I am just an entertainer. We can all fall into our roles a bit easier.” This has also helped ease her nerves when it comes to performing in front of large crowds.