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Show Arts & Leisure SOUTHERN UTAH STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY THE THUNDERBIRD MONDAY, APRIL 16, 1990 PAGE 9 Dedication whirls behind scenes BY AMANDA REESE Behind the scenes of SUSCs plays, a whirlwind of activity and dedication takes place. Long before the cast has been selected, hours of backstage work has been rendered. Technicians work at making a plays lighting changes virtually invisible to the audience. If you dont notice the lighting, I know Ive done my job, said Scott Goslin, a theatre major, and an SUSC lighting technician. Todd Ross, another lighting expert, echoes that: I know Ive done a good job when no one comments on the lighting; its supposed to be natural. Goslin designs light plots mindbending blueprints of lighting cues with dimming, colors, spots, and gobos (a technique where thin, patterned sheets of metal are placed on lights to create clouds in the sky or flamingos glowing on the wall). Light plots take between four and 12 hours just to sketch, he said. Since so much of a plays personality and mood are weighted on the lighting cues, careful consideration goes into their planning. I try to read the script of the play two to eight times before I even attempt to start the light plot, said Goslin. A lighting cue occurs when one light dims, changes color or moves. In Life with Father there were about 20 light cues; Peter Pan had 1 10. Before a play opens, each light has to be moved to the correct position, gels (colored cellophane filters) or gobos attached to certain lights, and the intensity of each light programmed into the light board. Technicians must also consider the angles of the lights as they program the board for a play. If you flush a person directly with light, they look pale, so you have to plan the angle of the light carefully, said Ross. The lighting crew attends half of the rehearsals to fine tune the light plot. Meanwhile, set work, involving designing, building, and painting take place. A lot of heart goes into all of this, said Ryan Schow, a freshman set designer. Schow, the master carpenter for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, has worked on many productions this year. Set work for Forum, which opens mid-Mabegan over a month ago, and is anticipated to be finished later this week. But before the manual work could begin, the set had to be created both mentally and on paper. Just like the lighting crew, the set crew reads the script multiple times to get a feel for the sets time period and mood. Set design can also require many hours of research. The style of Life with Father was old English manor, which I didnt know how to build, so I spent a lot of time in the library and with other people figuring out how to build that style, said sophomore Michael Kartchner, master carpenter for Life. Another consideration is the productions budget. For True West, the entire set budget was a mere $25. I had to do a lot of improvising. You make do with what you have, said Kartchner. s task is creating sound Another d effects. timing and creativity are characteristics of the sound technicians, who can make a radio go on at the same moment the actor turns the knob. The sound room in the Randall L. Jones Theatre has compact disks with hundreds of sound effects, everything from a spring rain storm to Star Wars style laser fighting. The sound crew also attends rehearsals to make sure everything sounds as realistic as possible. Its not hard, you just have to train yourself to listen, said Ross. And the person who pulls it all together is the the second most important person, stage manager under the director, Kartchner said. The stage manager makes sure the sound and light technicians, as well as the actors, receive their cues. There are times when the lighting operator cannot see the stage, and must rely on cues from the stage manager to know when to dim or change a light. Somehow, with all of the sweat and pleasure of y these workers, a production forms a production so smooth that when the actors take the stage, the audience doesnt notice anything else. behind-the-scene- Split-secon- -- behind-the-scener- Bach featured at organ recital Musical works by Johann Sebastian Bach, the organ composer, will be blown from organ pipes in the annual SUSC organ recital April 18 at 8 p.m. in Thorley Recital Hall. Four students of organ instructor Jan Harrison will perform in the free concert. Senior Janell Carpenter will play a violin piece transcribed for organ, Arioso and Prelude in C both by Bach. Major Freshman Dana Jessen will play a hymnal tune called Chorale, and Berceuse, a composition by the blind composer Louis Vierne who was popular during the 1920s and 30s. She will also play Bachs Prelude and Fugue in D Minor. DeeAnn Jessen, a senior organist who accompanied the SUSC Choral for two recent concerts, will play a hymn by contemporary composer Dale Wood. She will also play Gustav Holsts "Jupiter Theme transcribed for piano and Bachs Little Fugue in G Minor. Junior Wendie Wayland will play Prelude and Fugue in C Minor by Bach and an organ transcription of the hymn Sheep May Safely Graze. Harrison will also perform three pieces: Allegro from Sonata in D Major by a Portuguese composer, The Rejoicing by contemporary organist Charles Callahan and Bachs fast and showy Dorian Toccata. rzn Sophomore Michael Kartchner assists freshman Ryan Schow with set construction for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Both are theatre arts majors from Salt Lake City. Historical dance shown Neither ballet nor popular show dancing, the Utah Repertory Dance Theatre, features modern dance that is independent of, and in opposition to those classical forms. The troupe will perform at Convocation April 19, and teach classes both Thursday and Friday, April 20. Utah Repertory Dance Theatres Convocation appearance will feature a narrated dance demostration. Linda L. Smith, artistic director, and one of the founding members, will cover the history of modern dance, giving instruction in the social, economical and political controversies of the development of modem dance. The 10 performers will focus on dance technique, movement and motion. The dancers will present dances by different choreographers from the early 1900s to the present day. The performers will also it instruct credit and classes for those with dance experience. Thursdays classes are at 1:30 to 3 p.m. and 3:15 to 5 p.m.; Fridays classes are at 10:30 to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Interested students can call 0 for more information. non-cred- 586-788- |