Lighting the Fire vs. Filling the Bucket
Professional development should be fun.
- For High Schools, Middle Schools, and Colleges
- Explore new ways for programs within a district to collaborate
- LOTS of problem-solving tricks & shortcuts for productions
- Virtual labs and resources for your students
- Subscription access is included.
- Ready-made projects for lighting
- The lighting design process made accessible and fun
- Effective and accessible ways to integrate projections
- Really fun activities for acting, directing, and collaborating
- Important concepts about safety and accessibility
- Down-to-earth conversations about school, college, and the industry
USITT is the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
OISTAT is the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Technicians.
ABTT is the Association of British Theatre Technicians.
I attended multiple conferences and symposiums in 2024, which yielded really interesting conversations between industry professionals and theatre educators. These included USITT, OISTAT, and ABTT. We discussed the education that typically begins in middle school and continues through high school and college.
In their early careers, people are entering the entertainment industry that are often over-trained in specifics. A gentleman from one lighting company said “They know too much about gear, and not enough about why and what we are doing.” Roundtable conversations between industry professionals and educators yielded very similar sentiments. A London West-End producer emphasized that consoles and software change constantly, but the art of what we do needs to be a core value. Education should not necessarily be about filling a bucket. Often, it should be about lighting a fire.
Art students often use clay and paint. They get to play freely. It is truly difficult to provide this sort of mindset when training theatre designers and technicians. The theatre is a costly, dangerous space that is usually heavily booked. We cannot let untrained young people wander and play in a high-risk industrial space. An important part of this training is how to use virtual spaces not only to train students, but to inspire them and ignite their imaginations, and to make this easy and accessible.
Professional development workshops are available both in person and online. The cost to your institution will vary. I am happy to travel to you and work in person, depending of course on my availability. Online workshops can also be arranged.
Please inquire below if you are interested.