Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020 - 30

experience with live video production,
and it was surprisingly easy to learn and
integrate into our normal workflow. It
came together so well because of how
easily everyone was able to work as a
team. Our profession relies on a mix of
strong individual skills and a collaborative artistry, and that base is important
for new projects. As soon as the team
was directed to figure something out, a
plan was made and followed through.
The team was in near constant communication while learning and discovering
new options. An event was tested and
modified as the team created something
from nothing. This process is no different
from what the department did pre-pandemic. The particulars have changed, but
the equation is still the same on the page,
plain as day.
The team has a very high opinion of
vMix as a vision mixer because it works
well and was easy to use and modify.
Graduation was streamed during the free
trial period, which incurred no expense,
but the license is relatively inexpensive.
The company provides good documentation and clear tutorials, so a person
who has never mixed can get a rudimentary show going within a few hours of
downloading. vMix also has a "playlist"
that can be treated as an automated cue
list and go button. Unfortunately, vMix
does not work with Apple devices; it relies on DirectX, so must be run through
Windows. Because of this, Pitt will likely
be working with OBS in the future, as it is
platform agnostic. While OBS is not immediately as powerful or as easy to learn,
it can be pushed through clever programming. Also, while screen capturing Zoom
windows worked well enough for graduation, future productions will work better
with NDI feeds from Skype or using SRT
output feeds from a phone camera.
The full ramifications of the
COVID-19 pandemic remain to be seen,
but there is little doubt that it will in
some way permanently alter what we
do and how we do it. The integration
of livestreaming, either to a remote audience, or even to a different stage or
part of a stage, is an enticing possibility.
Again, live video is nothing new, but the
ease of access and use combined with
the newfound availability of time to tinker and experiment allow us to consider
these options with greater clarity and
creativity. The pandemic may also force

license holders to change and adapt
some archaic restrictions to reflect modern times. Even if we are back to our
spaces after the summer, it seems very
unlikely that we will have full or partial
audiences in the building. Running a virtual event like a graduation is also a great
way to get your feet wet before diving into
something far more complex, like a full
production.
Eben Alguire is the technical
director at the University of
Pittsburgh Theatre Arts
department. He has
previously worked as the
master electrician at Pitt, technical director
at the Skylight Music Theatre, and a
freelance lighting designer. He has an MFA
from San Diego State University, and
currently lives in Pittsburgh with his wife
and daughters.

The Festival Goes On
By CC Conn
As the nation faced the brisk onslaught of
the pandemic mid-March and academia
was faced with adapting to an online environment after spring break, theatre was
facing the heart-wrenching reality of cancelling productions. Stephen F. Austin
State University School of Theatre's biennial Festival of New American Plays
was one of those productions on the
chopping block. The company had done
a single reading of each of the three plays
prior to spring break and full production
processes were to begin after the break.
Within a week, however, the faculty made
the heart-breaking decision to cancel all
productions for the spring and summer.
In an effort to satisfy student needs, ideas

30 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | SUMMER 2020

about virtual opportunities began to
percolate. Jack Heifner, the director, proposed going forward with a virtual reading of the plays. As the designer slated for
that production, I seconded the idea and
volunteered to take on the technical duties of such an undertaking. The project
involved learning very quickly several unfamiliar programs and adapting to new
situations, almost daily.
With only three rehearsals for each
show, the team staged a virtual Festival
of New American Plays on the regularly
scheduled performance dates, April 2224, 2020. These festivals have been directed by Jack Heifner, the playwright in
residence, since 1998. They highlight
new scripts by Heifner and two guest
playwrights each time. This year, SFASU
was slated to produce The Curse of
Plenty by Jack Heifner, The Texas Devil
by SFA distinguished alum, Matt Lyle,
and Such a Pretty Face by New York actor Caroline Aaron.
The final performance aired live on
our YouTube channel and was recorded
so that it could be available for one week
after the live performance. While getting
rights to livestream a traditional (published) play would have been more difficult and possibly expensive, because
these are new unpublished pieces, we
were able to get permission granted directly by the playwrights for a livestream
followed by one week of viewing on our
YouTube channel. All music was permitted or in the public domain. A social
media campaign and the online availability of the production resulted in an average audience of 90 people per event for
three evenings of reading. In addition to
the three evenings, the department also
hosted an online Q&A with the playwrights on Friday afternoon where cast
and YouTube viewers were able to ask

Production Team
Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre has approximately 190 theatre majors.
These three plays-The Curse of Plenty, The Texas Devil, and Such a Pretty Face- involved a total of 18 actors
along with three stage mangers, a student production manager, a student assistant director, the director, and
production designer (Conn). With the addition of a guest video designer, Matt Reynolds, a technical assistant,
Amanda Warren, and the two guest playwrights, it was a company of 29 people.
CC Conn - Production Designer
Jack Heifner - Director and author of The Curse of Plenty
Matthew Reynolds - video content designer for Such a Pretty Face by Caroline Aaron
Matt Lyle - author of The Texas Devil
Caroline Aaron - author of Such a Pretty Face
Amanda Warren - Technical Assistant
Gareth Phipps - Assistant Director
Ash Whiting - Production Manager

Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020

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