Teaching
Among the most satisfying experiences for me as a teacher are the opportunities for the instruction and mentoring of students in real production environments. I find that within the experiential-learning laboratory created by bringing to life a play, students gain knowledge quickly and intuitively by solving actual production problems. They also learn to communicate more effectively with one another while working collectively to realize a common goal. I believe that engaging students in this way, allowing them to find solutions to their own questions coupled with one-on-one guidance and support from faculty, is essential to their development as young theatre artists.
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As the developer of the Minor in Entertainment Design & Technology, I am excited to showcase that program here. I am also including information regarding three courses that I have taught and developed over my tenure. These courses include two foundational technical theatre courses that provide students with real production experience, as well as my primary area of specialization - Lighting Design.
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click the links below for more information
The Minor in Entertainment Design and Technology is open to all majors and is designed for students who have an interest in focused coursework in Theater or Entertainment Design and Technology, but who choose to major in another discipline. The curriculum is structured in such a way that students will be introduced to all areas of production and may also undertake more focused study in scenery, lighting, costumes, sound/projections, or technical direction. Students who complete the ED&T Minor will be prepared to pursue careers in a variety of production areas in theater, television, themed entertainment, film, live events, and related industries.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of theatre production, with a strong emphasis on safety and technical communication. Students explore various aspects of theatre, including lighting, sound, stage management, and video and projection. The course combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience through hands-on projects and collaborative work. This course is required for all Theater major and minor students and is the means by which students generally have their first backstage experience in our program as a member of a running crew for a produced play.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the technical language, tools, techniques and procedures utilized by entertainment technicians and designers in contemporary production environments. The course introduces concepts through demonstration and practical application using software in a classroom setting. Through hands-on experience using industry standard design software this course introduces the concepts of lighting technology, and screens/media production and show control. Additionally, students are introduced to computer drafting using Vectorworks and Lighting paperwork using Lightwright.
The goal of this course is to provide an advanced study of the language, tools and techniques of lighting design for the stage. Students explore solutions to lighting design problems through extensive analysis of play texts using group discussions and lighting laboratory situations. Further, students increase their lighting vocabulary by direct observation of lighting phenomenology and real-world lighting situations. A review of lighting technology (including an introduction to intelligent lighting) and stage electrics is included. The course explores the application of ighting controls through in-class cueing sessions.
