CORPUS CHRISTI – Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi holds a theatre summer camp each year and this year Elation Professional was proud to have been a sponsor by making available both LED and discharge-based moving heads that allowed students the hands-on opportunity to work with state-of-the-art lighting gear.
More details from Elation (www.elationlighting.com ):
“Camp on the Coast: Creating Leaders in Life and on the Stage” is a theatre camp that teaches more than acting, lighting, props and costume design, according to Phil Johnson, Lighting and Technical Director at the Department Of Theatre and Dance at Texas A&M. “It’s an immersive experience promoting creativity, comradery and healthy competition,” he says. More than 120 of the best high school theatre students from around Texas attended the camp, an intense two-week summer program (June 17 to July 1) for students whose skill sets range from novice to leading lady/gentleman.
The University has been holding the theatre summer camp for the last 14 years. Acting students take classes in movement, voice and acting while technical students immerse themselves in lighting equipment, sound equipment and a costume lab. Training in stage management and other areas are also on the agenda. The camp usually puts on six plays in both a proscenium and black box theatre, productions fully mounted with scenic elements, props, lighting and sound with direction often by the winning directors of the state UIL One Act Play Contest held across Texas.
The Elation sponsorship entailed the loaning of Platinum HFX™ hybrid moving head fixtures along with Fuze Wash Z350™ LED moving heads. “The Elation sponsorship allowed us to set up a practical light lab as part of the students’ experience,” Johnson commented. “We engaged the students in planning and setting up the rig with all the fixtures. Included in this activity was running power and data and hooking up the consoles. It was very helpful for the students to get experience and have time figuring out the various options the fixtures had and how they worked. Later on, when they were working with the directors, they were able to create effective lighting for the productions and show off their new skills. The students could then take what they learned back to their own schools.”
Elation Regional Sales Manager for the Central U.S., Scott Kinnebrew, as well as Elation Rental and Production Market Manager, Jean Lariviere, visited the camp to talk to students and answer any questions. “It was a nice presence and made a definite impact upon the students,” Johnson said. “The sponsorship meant a lot to our department as it allowed us to use the equipment to generate interest in our camp and department. It allowed us to expand our experience and to try out new fixtures to see what they can do and hopefully help us decide which units we would like to purchase. Most of all, the sponsorship allowed us to make connections with Elation Lighting and to continue to use their equipment. Experiencing newer fixtures in our own theatres allowed us to see how these new lights can meet our needs and serve our theatres.”
Johnson concludes by saying the biggest opportunity for the students was the hands-on experience with the fixtures, adding that many of them had not been able to get their hands on these types of fixtures before. “It opened their eyes to what a lighting designer can do and how knowing more about equipment gives them more options in their productions.”
