Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018 - 61

Colin Cauche and Gerald
Aragon looking over
lighting paperwork at
State University of New
York at Fredonia. Photo
courtesy of Fredonia
Department of Theatre
and Dance.

find reviews on equipment and how to
research the quality of new products
hitting the market. Give them examples
of how to find online videos for lighting skills/techniques. Emphasize good
research skills by taking the time to
show them good resources. Students
may go for the easy Google search without looking much further. Teach them
advanced search tips available from
Google
(https://support.google.com/
websearch/answer/134479?hl=en).
Help them find manufacturers' support
sites and how to utilize a support forum.
Controlbooth.com is another great forum for getting help, as is the technical theatre sub on Reddit.com https://
www.reddit.com/r/techtheatre/. Trade
magazines like PLSN, Protocol, Live
Design, TD&T, Lighting and Sound
America, and Stage Directions are all
great resources for learning and they all
have online versions, as well. Encourage your students to start looking at
gear reviews and project profiles. The
more you can help them find it themselves, the more their critical thinking
and troubleshooting skills will improve.
* Provide practical training and experience through realized productions.
Take the time to decide what experiences you want your students to have

through productions and set goals. It is
imperative that goals and learning objectives are established for production
experiences. These stated objectives
should not limit the teachable moments that occur, but they will provide
an understandable foundation for the
outcomes of the experience. Often the
students who are working on the productions will be the ones who are going
into the field, so you can get much more
specific with your instruction than you
can in the classroom.
* Make sure students have adequate
time to drill the basics: hang, focus,
and basic wiring. Often, students have
misguided ideas of their expertise and
want to move on to the more challenging projects after focusing a handful of
instruments. If they do not become fast
and proficient in these basic skills, then
it will not matter how well they know
the latest console software. Help them
find opportunities to build these skill
sets on campus, such as in roadhouses
or producing venues. By the time they
graduate, lighting technology students
should have hung and focused thousands of fixtures.
* Make troubleshooting a priority.
When confronted with a technical problem, how often do faculty simply fix the

issue or let the best student fix it? First,
if possible, incorporate extra time in the
work schedule to turn problems into
teachable moments. If time is limited,
then assign one of the less experienced
students to help with the problem in order to learn. No matter how the problem is resolved, make sure to take the
time at the end of a call to discuss the
problems and solutions. Likewise,
lighting maintenance is also vital to
the smooth operation of the rig. Make
the students be a part of that process,
even if professional staff or graduate
students handle such tasks, because
learning how to maintain and repair
equipment is essential.
* Consider console diversity. It's more
than "running the board." Lighting consoles are now so advanced that even
simple programming requires a bit of
training. Basic concepts can be covered
in class, but often practical experience
is needed to really understand the operation of the console. Choosing a console is challenging. After you figure out
the needs of the venue, take a look at
where your students are working after
graduation. This data may help guide
your decision. Often you don't have a
choice and must work with the console
the university already owns. If possible,
WINTER 2018

THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

| 61

https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/134479?hl=en https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/134479?hl=en http://www.Controlbooth.com http://www.Reddit.com https://www.reddit.com/r/techtheatre/ https://www.reddit.com/r/techtheatre/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2018