Students pursuing Design and Technology in Theatre receive excellent training and have a wealth of opportunities for hands-on experience. Courses in the Design/Tech track include Play Production, Theatre Graphics, Historical Styles of Design, Scenic Design, Lighting Design, and Costume Design. Students select one of our Advanced Studio courses in Scenic, Lighting, or Costume Design and work one-on-one with their professors to create original scenery, lighting, or costumes for faculty-directed productions in the Mary L. Welch Theatre. In addition, the Senior Project is also an experiential course providing students a second opportunity to test their skills. Students may design faculty-directed productions or serve as the Technical Director or design a hypothetical production for a different space.
Throughout their course of study, students receive academic credit through THEA 160 Technical Theatre Practicum for working on Welch Theatre productions in a variety of capacities. Students may act as the Assistant Scenic, Lighting, or Costume Designer. They can also serve as Assistant Technical Director or Master Electrician. Jobs such as Running Crew, Props Head, Wardrobe, and Lighting or Sound Board Operator provide further opportunities for hands-on experience and academic credit.
Our first-rate facilities are excellent laboratories for Design/Tech students. The 15,000-square-foot Scene Shop includes a Miller 210 light industrial welder, radial arm saw, table saw, and chop saw. Our array of hand tools includes circular saws, jigsaws, and a saw-saw. Recently, safety was improved with the installation of a dust collection system. Students learn to create scenery from a variety of materials, including wood, metal, and Styrofoam. Students work with metal under the supervision of our Technical Director, who is an experienced professional welder.
Our Costume Shop is one of the best equipped in the state. It is furnished with six Bernina sewing machines, four overlock machines, and two large cutting tables. We build all of our own costumes for Welch Theatre productions or pull from the Theatre Department’s costume collection. Our huge stock of period costumes represents more than 40 years’ worth of costumes created for over 200 productions.
Students in all three design areas utilize our Drafting Studio, which is equipped with 14 drafting tables.
Students interested in Lighting Design work with state-of-the-art instrumentation. Our lighting equipment for the Welch Theatre includes ETC Source 4s and an assortment of Fresnels. In 2008, we purchased five Altman R4 striplights and 12 Apollo Smart-color Scrollers. Our lighting console is an ETC Expression.
In 2006, our black box, the Dragon’s Lair Theatre, was outfitted with all new instruments scaled for the space. These include 10 Fresnels and 15 ERS. The Dragon’s Lair Theatre also has a two-scene preset lighting console.
In 2007, we upgraded sound equipment in the Welch Theatre and also installed the sound editing software SFX. Sound Board Operators work with Eurodesk MX 2442A.
The Theatre Department faculty firmly believes that our students should receive a solid foundation in Design and Technology based on the combination of an inclusive curriculum and practical experience. While larger schools require students to specialize in one area, Lycoming provides students with fundamental knowledge of all areas in Design/Tech. Our focus on hands-on opportunities allows students to create the strongest portfolio possible for an undergraduate education.
