This podcast episode is an exploration of design and technical theater classes at Lansing Community College, emphasizing their significance for aspiring theater artists. We engage in a dialogue with esteemed LCC design faculty, Chelle Peterson and Michael Beyer, who talk about their experiences and the transformative nature of technical education in the performing arts. Both faculty members share insights on how such courses not only enhance artistic collaboration but also foster essential life skills in creativity and teamwork.

Website: IATSE Local 274

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Website: LCC Performing Arts

Welcome to Exit Stage Left: LCC Performing Arts. Your all access pass to creativity, talent and stories shaping the stage at Lansing Community College and beyond. Places, everyone. Energy up. Okay? Let's make some magic. And now, here's your host, LCC Performing Arts Coordinator and Theatre Faculty, Paige Tufford.

Hi, everybody. Welcome. Today we have LCC design faculty Chelle Peterson and Michael Beyer as our guests. Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having us.

Can you introduce yourselves and tell our listeners a little bit about you?

Hi, my name is Chelle Peterson.

I have been working at LCC for almost 10 years in the costume shop as the costume designer and design, I would have to say 99% of the shows that we do here. And the last five years, I think I've been teaching as well with different design classes that we have available.

Great. Thank you. Michael.

But as of recently, I am now adjunct faculty in lighting and scenic design. I'm starting to get more involved. I'm teaching a class that complements Chelle's class.

I'm going to be looking forward to working more heavily in the future. I have some directing that I'm thinking about doing and continuing to design more shows over the next few years.

Wonderful. Well, thank you. That's what we're here to talk about today is our design and technical theater classes.

A lot of students that I talk with, they don't even know that we do that. So we recently added an Introduction to Technical Theater course. And that's a one, right. The first level. And we also have a Tech two class.

So, Chelle, you've taught the tech theater one class before. Can you tell us a little bit about the setup of that class and how it works?

Absolutely. So our technical theater class, which is theater 114, it runs every fall, and it's a very beginner course. You don't have to know anything.

The whole purpose of the class is to give you the basics. We run in modules where there's a different teacher for whatever module, depending on their expertise.

I do costumes, which we teach you hand sewing, we teach you machine sewing. And if you know nothing about it, that's where I'm expecting you. So if you know more than nothing, that's great, too.

But we teach you the basics of the technical aspect of costume construction. How to read a pattern, different types of fabrics, different stitches, how to thread a machine, and you make a bag and Stuff sometimes sound runs.

We have a sound design section that doesn't always run. It depends on what's available to teach. But we have great overlap with dmacc, so DMACC can also teach some of that as well.

We have stage management and we have lighting and scenic. And I'm super happy that Michael is here to teach that because I cannot.

Yes, that's true. I teach the stage management module usually. And yes, Michael is here to take on the scenic and lighting design module of that Tech1 class.

Yeah, the Tech1 class I will probably be teaching next semester. And that one will be similar to Chelle's costume and sound areas where it will be very, very basic.

I'll teach you what a hammer is, teach you what a screwdriver is, literally as basic as that. And how that applies into building an environment for the stage and whatever production you're working on at the time.

And how the those basic elements of building and construction and plugging lights in and all of those real seemingly difficult, but once you take the class, really simple tasks that need to be done in order to realize the actual design elements of a show. It would be an eight week module that we'd try to talk about both scenery construction and lighting implementation.

So it really, really is just the basics before you move on to the Tech2 class that I'll be teaching, which gets a little more involved in depth into the more reasons we make design decisions and again, the environment on stage for the production that we're working on.

Right. You know, most theater students come because they want to be actors. Right.

But a lot of the programs also include or require students to take a technical class. Can you speak to the importance of that for actors, Michael?

I certainly can.

And you can go first.

I'm sure Chelle has some input on that as well. When I started college as a theater major, I thought I was going to be an actor.

As Paige said, most people come to a theater program thinking that that's all that there is. And I started taking classes similar to the ones we just spoke and realized that there's more to it than just acting.

In the same breath, I realized I wasn't a good actor, but I still enjoyed working in theater and I found a niche. And I wouldn't have found it had I not taken a class like that.

And then in taking those classes, I also ended up getting to work in the scene shop for all four years of my college career.

And that's really where I cut my teeth and really got into that kind of stuff and realized I was better at doing all of those things than I was an actor. And it came so naturally.

And again, I'll just repeat myself and then pass it off to Shelly that had it not been for those classes, I probably would have ended up finding a different career because I was not a good actor.

My experience was a little bit different when I went back to school.

I was 39 when I first went back to school and hit MSU at 42, and I already knew how to sew really well, but I was a theater major, and I was like, okay, I'm not gonna tell anybody I can sew. So I didn't tell it because I'm like, they're gonna put me in costumes, and I know I'll be there for the rest of my life, lo and behold. But anyway.

But because I was going more for sound design, I thought, oh, you should be a sound designer. You should be a sound. Because I'm a composer.

So I went into that route, and by the end of the first semester, which we had an intro to technical course class, and the grad student who was the teacher of that class, by the end of the class, she called me her TA of the class, because I was going around showing everybody how to thread a machine and everything. So. So, yeah, the cat was out of the bag and every design, costume construction course. And so I'm like, well, I want to take that anyway.

So eventually I switched my major from just a BA to a BFA in design so I could focus on those classes and didn't have to take a foreign language. So one of the things I noticed in one of those classes, other students having an aptitude for design.

And I remember talking to KKP at the time, who was the teacher of the costume design classes there, about another student, and about how they had a lot of talent in this area, even though they wanted to be an actor. And I'm like, oh, they're a designer and they just don't know it yet. And at that point, I knew that about myself as well.

I knew that I would go more into design, and I love it. So, yeah, yeah.

Can I go with the thought that actors should know what's going on behind the scenes? You know, they should know everything that goes into supporting that performance, that production.

Absolutely.

It gives them a level of respect for the other work that happens because there's so much work, there's so many pieces to the puzzle to bring a theater performance together.

Yes, absolutely.

And the performance isn't a performance without all of those pieces coming together. At exactly the right times, at exactly the right place.

And when an actor is aware of those things going on around them, they're able to contribute in ways that only help strengthen all of the other parts. And it's a collaboration.

And that's what we, you know, we preach to actors. Theater is about collaboration. Theater is about collaboration.

And unless they are aware of everybody who's contributing to this, they don't really have a clue about what collaboration means in theater. So we do hold that very highly.

And that translates to, you know, throughout life.

Absolutely.

Working with other people.

There's no I in actor. I.

So you both told me a little bit about how you kind of fell into the design area. When you read a script and you're preparing to design that, what do you look at?

I mean, what's the first thing that you start looking at to be inspired about what you want the look, other than the director's concept. When you're reading a script, how do you approach it?

Why don't you go first? Because I'll end up reacting off of what you do anyhow.

Well, if it's. I've gotten a script and it's a cold read, and I just read it to, you know, absorb the script, absorb the content of the script.

I don't think about any design aspects, really. But it doesn't mean I'm watching a movie in my head, seeing that on stage.

And it doesn't mean that I'm not picturing somebody in that role already and what they would wear, because that does happen.

And even if that person is, you know, not a person who I would ever work with because they're a famous actor somewhere else or a person I personally know, that just reminds me of that character. But that inspires me a lot.

I'm like, oh, this character reminds me of this person that I worked with in the past or went to school with or was friends with in high school or something. And that. That will inspire me on what I think they would wear because it connects me personally to that character.

I'll start as a lighting designer because that's primarily what I am anyhow. But I am also a scenic designer. Those two disciplines are gonna have different approaches.

Where I start, though, very similarly to Chelle, you gotta read the play first without thinking about your contribution to it. Let the play talk to you, figure out its vibe.

Get to know the characters a little bit, because you're gonna end up reading it many, many more times in the next stages. Where I come from as a lighting designer, though, once I'VE read the play a few times.

I really feel as if my early responsibilities to the production, which is different than my responsibilities to the script, and we might talk about that a little bit later in the podcast, but lighting tends to get added to the process last for the most part. That's not to say, though, that the lighting designer is not involved from the very beginning.

What I mean, though, is I spend a lot of time early in the process listening to my other designers, my other teammates, my collaborators, and figuring out how I can react to what they're bringing to the table initially. And because they're creating the. The tactile environment, when I add light to that tactile environment, that's what really reinforces the.

The statements that they're trying. That those other two designers are trying to make. It makes that world of the play.

That's a phrase we throw around in the design biz often, but it brings that world of the play to life.

The colors that I choose to put on the costumes that the costume designer brings to the stage or the colors that I choose to put on the paint on the walls on the set is going to manipulate in certain ways how that vibes. And if I do that properly, it works.

If I do that improperly, I can end up totally changing what other designers have brought to the table, and that doesn't do a service to it. So that's why my early responsibility is to really listen and pay attention.

Look at the research that the other designers have done and react to that and again, figure out how I can reinforce that. As a scenic designer, I end up having to work earlier in the process a lot closer with, believe it or not, the costume designer.

For instance, say I decide I want to paint my wall red as a scenic designer, and I haven't talked to the costume designer about that. And she puts the lead character in a red Dr. Yeah, just.

And, you know, a red dress standing in front of a red wall, especially with a bad lighting designer, equals talking head. Yeah.

So all of the designers are involved from the very beginning of the process, and it's just when their element gets added to the soup bowl, for lack of a better reference.

Right.

That makes the entire production a chili. Next question.

Oh, boy. Okay.

Delicious.

You're delicious. What I've loved is seeing every.

As a director myself, seeing all of those design elements come together on stage to, you know, realize that concept or that single creative vision. And lighting has always. It's been my secret passion to be a lighting designer, but I just.

I love lighting and how it can create mood and environment and affect how people feel and see.

Yeah.

I always referred to, and I think this came from my undergraduate mentor when he was coaching me out of becoming an actor into becoming a lighting designer. One thing that stuck with me that he always told me was that the lighting design can really be that extra character in a play.

And that's how I could still use kind of my acting bug and can contribute that.

I can make comments very subtly in ways that costume and scenic designers can't, because you can pick up the costume and say, this is what it looks like, but you can't pick up a beam of light and describe what that does on stage.

Right.

You just have to see it and react to it. And it's one of those invisible movement things that I can control how an audience reacts to something without them knowing that I've done that.

Right. And working with a costume designer, also, the light playing off of. Of certain fabrics or movement and how those things work together is truly magic.

It's theater magic. Okay, well, when you're stuck, like, if you're designing and you're stuck and you just cannot get started, what do you do?

Ask the director more questions. Okay, I want to know what the director wants. We want the cohesive world that we're building.

And if I'm stuck, that means that I don't understand necessarily, necessarily what the director really wants. And I love it when a director gives me a piece of art and they go, this is my inspiration for the show. This is the world I want to build. And it's.

Sometimes it's abstract or something, but it gives you a jumping point. So I really appreciate that.

Yeah, I also ask questions, but I also ask my other designers as well, and Chelle does, too. I also will go back to the script, find out what the script wants.

And sometimes it can be super specific.

And, you know, it sounds cheesy, but you're all, yes, you ask the director because that's the production. But you do tend to, in your mind, ask the script heavy questions as well.

And sometimes it means you have to sit down and read the entire play all over again, even though you just did that yesterday. And that's okay, because informed design decisions come from asking the right questions and, again, reacting off of your collaborators, too.

Right. We have all had experiences with students who, you know, say, oh, I can't do theater. I can't make a living at theater. But as a designer, you can.

Absolutely.

You really can. As an actor, you can, too. But for design, for, you know, for students who don't know what is. What options are open to them with a design degree.

Can you talk a little bit about how it carries over and how you can expand your horizon or job opportunities?

Absolutely. I'll start first off by saying that that's one of the most annoying phrases that I ever hear is I can't make a living in theater.

Or how can you guarantee that my kids are gonna get work after college as a theater major? I get asked that by parents all the time. And the snide side of me wants to look at them and say, well, I have a job.

You're talking to me about this, but here's the reality of it. Yes, I work in theater primarily, but I also work in the music industry. I work at music festivals.

I bring my lighting design knowledge to create atmospheres for entertainment. It's not just theater. You can work in television. You can work in concert industry. Music festivals, art festivals, Ren fairs. I had a.

A colleague for many years that her entire summer, all she did was make costumes for the rent for the Michigan Ren Fair. She has a traveling troupe of friends that go to Ren Faire to Ren Faire to Ren Faire. And. And she loves it. That's how I spend my summers.

Not doing Ren Fairs, but doing music festivals.

Yeah.

And, you know, I spend a month on site of just one festival building a world that people are going to come into for four days, and then I spend two weeks tearing it down and I come home and I sleep for a couple a weeks. But there's so many other opportunities than just theater with a discipline like this.

Absolutely. And one of the things that I was looking at when I was in my undergrad going, oh, I want to learn how to do that.

Anyway, that's another thing that you can pick up. I look at it as I'm learning a trade.

Yeah.

And so, like, sewing is a super marketable skill as well. I mean, everybody's looking for someone who can sew. But also there's cruise ships, which you haven't mentioned that.

And you've got every aspect of technical theater and acting with cruise ships. And I know some people have gotten jobs there and after school was over.

And let's not discount the education field as well, because there's steady work there as well.

Theme parks.

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. We've had quite a few of our students go to theme parks and also work on cruise ships as stage managed or touring shows.

Like stage managing touring shows. I mean, there's so much out there that, you know, many people may not be aware of.

Even for actors.

Yes, actors, too.

All of those theme parks, Cedar Point, they all have little shows that need all of the elements that we do. But also they need actors on stage to do those shows.

Right.

Even locally, there's IATSE that you can join or eventually join. And there's work at Wharton. You can get on a call sheet and get some work there as a dresser, even.

Yes. And for those who don't know what IATSE stands for, Michael.

International association of Theatrical Stage Employees. I think that's right. I always have to look it up myself. I just always say IATSE, but I'm 99% sure that's what it is.

Great. Yes. Well, I want to thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. Any closing comments? To inspire students to take a technical theater course.

If you are a creative person and you love creating anything, this is for you.

Yeah, I would echo that. Don't discount it. If you like getting a little dirty and you like making things, especially in the building of scenery and stuff.

But if you like to create, this is something that will reinforce that even if you don't do theater, it'll help you be a better artist, it'll help you be a better human, it'll help you be a better interpersonal person. Because we're collaborating so heavily. And you'll meet the most interesting people.

Yes, indeed.

You really will. And the other aspect of just working in theater, this just came to my mind, and I say this a lot.

Every show I work on is a different learning experience, and every show I work on brings different themes and things for me to think about to my mind and my life and new experiences. And it just makes me a better person all around every time.

And it like, you know, we work on a show for six weeks and we're really immersed in that world, and then we move on to another show for another six weeks, and we're immersed in that world, but we still remember all the other ones that we worked on, and we're looking forward to all the other ones. And. And it snowballs. And I've had a very fulfilling career and life because of the work that I do. Yeah.

That's a wrap for this episode of Exit Stage Left: LCC Performing Arts. We're so glad you could join us. And we hope you've enjoyed the show. To see what's taking center stage next at Lansing Community College, visit lcc.edu/showinfo. Exit Stage Left is a part of the LCC Connect Podcast Network. You can listen to this episode and others at lccconnect.com. Until next time, keep the lights bright, the cues tight, take your bow, and exit stage left.