Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021 - 39

Amina Alexander's (WIU) lighting sketch-Team Orange. | Image courtesy Tammy Honesty.
Sarah Korn's (WVU) costume rendering for the
Tiger-Team Orange. | Image courtesy Tammy
Honesty.
of Kent State. " For example, early on I
discussed ideas of scenery that had large
holes and broken parts to it, and my lighting
designer Amina Alexander and I then
further discussed the capabilities and areas
where light could pass through these
scenic elements to act as a 'natural gobo.'
The collaboration continued later in the
process when the group struggled a bit
to directly connect the fraying of costume
elements to the set. We worked together
during a meeting to discuss how shredded
or peeling wallpaper mirrored the
texture brought about by fraying fabric,
which is why the stage left wall of the
design featured destroyed wallpaper.
The part that made this collaboration
so amazing was that we were able to
talk as equals regardless of age or status
or professional credits. For the sake of
this design, we were a team, which was
something the director Laura Moreno
mentioned at our first team meeting. She
was amazing in setting up the goals for
the project-the first and most important
was that we work to create a cohesive
world. We greatly achieved this goal, and
this project has been one of the best collaborative
processes I have ever gotten to
participate in. "
Collaborative Tools: The Kent State
University students also commented
that using Miro boards for collaboration
worked extremely well. We had started
using them in the fall to share class projects.
This was the first time they had the
opportunity to use them as a collaborative
Amina Alexander's (WIU) lighting sketch-Team Orange. | Image courtesy Tammy Honesty.
tool as it is intended. One group found
that it didn't work as well for their collaboration
process. Miro is an online collaborative
whiteboard that allows teams
to work together synchronously or asynchronously.
Users can upload images,
videos, and text; draw lines or arrows to
connect ideas; add sticky notes and emojis
for reactions and communication; and
use the platform for presentations.
Self-Reflection: Students were asked
what they learned about themselves as
the members of a creative team. Some
students felt like even though they developed
or discovered their own process
that they felt like they failed in other areas.
Two Kent State University MFA
students took the opportunity to step
outside their chosen profession as a technical
director to explore an advanced
scenic design project and realized that,
as Steve Sawicki put it, " I make a better
technical director than I do a scenic
designer (for now). " Students expressed
their appreciation for collaborating with
their team and having the opportunity to
work on a big project since they weren't
designing shows at their school, and others
embraced the opportunity to learn or
practice new skills like digital rendering
or 3D modeling in Vectorworks.
Seckfort said he learned that " I do not
have to be the loudest voice in the room.
Too often in design meetings I am so
wrapped up in my ideas that I close myself
off to the conversations happening
between the director and other design areas.
When I internalize and close myself
off, I miss key words discussed between
other groups that allow for the cross-collaborative
aspects of theatre that are so
important. If I had presented and called it
quits, my design would not have had the
texture and creativity that I felt I was able
to accomplish in the end. I also learned
a great deal from my director about how
FALL 2021 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 39
Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2021

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