Concerns

[Shakspeares suck]

Hey CB

I'm sure everyone is getting sick of all of my questions about colleges but I assure you I am almost done :/. Anyways I post this thread because I have some concerns about one particular school. The University of Evansville. From everything I have heard this is a great school for tech theatre and I feel like if I went there I would get a good education. However I have a few concerns: 1) The University told me they have two stages, A black box and a thrust. Being a lighting designer i feel like the Proscenium stage is the most important and, further more, most used type of stage. Does anyone have any thoughts about going to a college for lighting design without being able to design on a proscenium stage? 2) Univ. of Evansville resides in Evansville, Indiana which is by no means a center for theatre like Chicago or New York. Any thoughts on how this could affect my chances of getting into the bussiness later on after college or grad school depending on which route i take? 3) they offered me 2/3 tuition scholorship with a possibility of getting more money. Is this reason enough to go to a school? 4) I do no know if I will get experience with Automated fixtures or newer "toys", though i do believe lighting with conventional fixtures is extremely important in the ever changing newer technology that is happening in theatre I think it's important to have some experience working with these types of new technologies. Thank you all and I hope to get some feed back

Michael

 

[shiben]

To answer your question about movers, as long as you can play with scrollers, icues and similar DMX devices, i doubt you will be too far behind. If your really worried, buy a cheap mover yourself (I believe there is a topic on that already) and play to your hearts content. Distance from a big city? Not a huge issue, you just wont get as much experience volunteering in theaters, unless there is a nice community in your area (Im in Grand Rapids, and have plenty of chance to work with community theaters). As for the proscenium question, youll need to wait for a more experienced person than me, that said, I personally feel its easier to go from doing 360 lighting to a proscenium, but I guess our school has the advantage of doing a lot of concerts in a proscenium space. (Our theater dept. has a black box and an open vista stage, and our Fine Arts Center has a proscenium like space that we do all kinds of concerts in, but its under construction so yeah.) Dont know if that helped, but good luck on your choice!

 

[Esoteric]

There is nothing like the experience you get working with movers. It has been invaluable to me. I came from the largest moving light program in the US, and it has gotten me so many gigs that I have lost count. Believe me, tearing into a Chauvet scanner is not the same as doing repair (or programming) a VL3000. In today's climate a program that does not offer some kind of experience with movers isn't even worth looking at. Until you get your graduate degree and start doing high level regional theater I wouldn't be too concerned about black box vs procenium. About 75% of the shows I do are in black box or experimental spaces (and I do a lot of shows with equity theaters). Even a lot of the regional groups here (including DTC) use a thrust or semi-thrust stage. I would be worried about a college with only two theaters. We had a full procenium, a thrust, a black box, an opera lab, a lab theater, and a moving light lab. As far as the theater mecca thing. Don't worry. You wouldn't be doing more than moving boxes in Chicago or New York anyway. Save Northwestern and NYU for grad school. What you should be looking at is if there are a lot of community theaters and lower end regional companies. Those are where your design opps will come from (other than school productions). As far as money, I am not sure that should be a concern. There are lots of schools out there that will give you money.

Mike

 

[Shakspeares suck]

Esoteric what college did you graduate from?

 

[Esoteric]

University of Texas at Austin.

Mike

 

[Goph704]

yes, do tell, I'm looking for a good mover program for grad school mostly someplace where I can re-enforce my knowledge.

As for your question, it sounds like a good college, and in my brief experience you kinda want something that lets you focus on your education instead of where your going to work next. But you don't seem convinced on any level, which means it may not be for you.
I studied mostly conventional fixtures in Undergrad and have been working with movers Professionally. I know my way around a Mac 2k pretty well, and there aren't many boards out there I' can't pick up quickly. But even in Undergrad I made it a point to research as much as possible. But knowing how to light a show with a couple of Pars and some flashlights has been just as important to me as programing LED's
I'd say that you should talk to the TD. or LD there and see if you philosophically agree with what they have to say. If you do, if you feel like you can learn something then it's the place for you, if you can't then it's not, no matter what type of toys or spaces they have. It's a decision you have to live with so be open to it.
Just to be inquisitive have you checked out Catawba college in Salisbury N.C. yet? That was my Undergrad and they are a great school, when I graduated they were 2nd in the nation and They just picked up some new toys. ( and they have 3 spaces, a proscenium, a thrust and a black box)I know they are great with conventional fixtures.
As for money, just remember that money always matters no matter what, just be glad that when you go to school it's one of the few times where you don't have to worry about paying bills like crazy.
so good luck.

 

[Goph704]

That's Weird

UTA is on the top of my list for places I'm looking at. Can you, or anybody else tell me more about the Grad school there?

 

[Esoteric]

The grad school in theater is teriffic. Amerante Lucero is the head of the lighting program there now. David Nancarrow was the head but he retired. By the way, UTA usually means UT Arlington. UT Austin is known as The University of Texas at Austin or UT.

Well where to begin? I was very good friends with all the grad students and took their classes, so I have a good bit of insight. It is a three year program. There are 2-3 students per year. Graduate classes in lighting design range from the simple in first year (lots of script based work) to more complex in the third year (using video of actual shows to base your design on). Most projects last over 3 weeks. The first week you get the scene design and script and do your cue sheet. The next week the cue sheet is due, and you discuss it and work on your "butter papers". The next week those are due and discussed, then the next week the light plot is due. Cue sheets are discussed openly among the 2-3 grad students and 1-4 undergrads in the class in a small room around a conference table with Amarante at one end and David at the other. They WILL pick your work apart. But they will also give you an approving nod for a good job. When I was there, David was the good cop and Amarante was the bad cop. On plot day you get to pin your plot up on the board and discuss it. They will mark them all up. First year is usually just plots. Second and third year sections MUST be done (they are optional before that). You start out hand drafting, but quickly move to CAD if you wish. I took undergrad CAD classes in engineering. I don't know if the theater dept offers them. The grad students share an office (all 8 of them) with a couple of desks and a drafting table (and a comfey couch). You are required to lead a crew (ME shows, supervise undergrads in lighting repair and maintenance) when I was there the electrics crew met from 3-5 M-TH. This is when all hangs, focuses, etc happened. It is also when the crew meets in Bills Bar (the electrics shop) to do repair, maintenance, custom builds, etc. You will ME a show in each space. How many depends on how many workers. I MEd shows as an undergrad that freed up Grad students a bit.

There are several spaces. The B Iden Payne is a 750 seat procenium, the Oscar G Brockett is a 350 seat "flexible" space, the Lab theater is a 100 seat procenium, there was a small 50 seat black box there, and there is the McGulloh Opera Lab which is a small procenium space for small Operas.

The shows are assigned by the profs. They push you to face and improve your weaknesses. So if you are having trouble with 3 point front light you will be designing a lot in the black box and the Brockett. Things like that.

Most grad students will design one mainstage show a year. The musicals and operas generally go to the third years. But not always. Sometimes you will get a second mainstage show.

You will also get assigned dance shows (that happen in all the spaces) as well as "experimental" theater.

You will be expected (but not required) to mentor younger designers.

If you are in the moving light program (all grad students take one semester) you will have to spend time doing maintenance, and of course all the lab time required for projects (anywhere from 4-40 hours per project).

You will work with Flying Pig consoles and HES moving lights. Of course you will also work with Klieg dimmers, and Express Consoles.

The Local in Austin sucks. You will work more outside the local than in it. There are LOTS of great companies outside the University to work with though. Rude Mechanicals, Salvage Vanguard, there are tons of them.

You will have an inside track to getting on the call list at the Bass Concert Hall (on campus) and the Long Center (off campus), both LORT theaters and both non-union (although they pay union scale). The most frusterating part will be getting on 10 different call lists (no one calls off of anyone else's list).

You will take a scenic design course built around Arsnic and Old Lace (and you will want to kill yourself), and costume courses.

It is a great program. I took a half dozen grad classes as an undergrad and they are very rigerous. Add to that the real world experience and you have I would say one of the top 5 graduate theater programs in the nation (up there with Northwestern, UW, and NYU).

Mike

 

[Shakspeares suck]

So when did you go to UT because I know someone there now and what about going there for undergrad?

 

[Esoteric]

I was there from 1998-2004.

Undergrad is great if you get noticed. I was recruited into the program (I was an engineering student) by the lighting professors. So I took several years of the moving light class, I took a lot of graduate level design classes, I designed a couple of mainstage shows, and dance projects, and then I became a resident designer for a couple of local theaters, MEd several shows of 200+ units, I got experience in proper repair and maintenance of conventional and moving lights, it is an experience I would not have gotten anywhere else.. I also had to sleep (I mean sit) through Theater History, Art History, basic music theory, etc.

It is a great undergrad program if you get noticed and work hard. If you want you can just float through (the lighting professors will not hold your hand and throw opportunities at you, you must earn them, there were 3 undergrad lighting students who got design opportunities and we sought them out and worked hard for them), but if you work hard, it is a great program, I don't know of any other program where you would be able to design a show with 200+ units and movers under regional theater conditions in college.

Mike

 

[Goph704]

I would be hard pressed to think of another school as well. How is the Cost? for the grad/ Undergrad program and would you suggest outside of the college environment? I've never been a huge supporter of that but then again, bills to pay. Also What would you say they are looking for in terms of portfolio reviews? Should a grad applicant build on their mover experience, or should they focus on strait design?

 

[Esoteric]

The cost isn't bad for undergrad. If you are a Texas resident (only takes a year) it is downright cheap. Grad school you get lots of money (from being a TA, something I forgot to mention you have to TA at least one class, heading up crews, etc). There are tons of companies down there that need designers, Salvage Vanguard, Rude Mechanicals, the Vortex (although I think they have a rep designer), Austin Playhouse, One World Theater, and Zach Scott just to name a few. Too many dance troupes to count. Several high schools in Austin, Round Rock, and Pflugerville hire designers for their shows. The Paramount and State are union houses, the PAC has a call list as does the Long Center, Zach Scott has their own list, there are a couple of production houses that have call lists, the list of tech opps goes on and on.

I would say to promote yourself as a designer. Lots of pictures, plots, etc. Be organized, well rounded (they loved me for my engineering background) in theater and overall, and impress in the interview. Show them what you can do with a couple of scoops and a flashlight and show them what you can do on a full plot. Be well rounded.

I wouldn't say leave movers out, but don't concentrate on it, because no offense, but unless you were the lighting director for a Kenny Chesney or U2 tour, your experience just isn't going to impress them.

Finally show them that you have something to learn that they can teach you. Be honest and be humble.

Mike