Text Size: A
A
A
A
Lighting designer Kenton Yeager, back left, talks drama with Signal Mountain High School’s Theatre Arts Boosters and director of the theatre arts department, John Lennon, back right. Standing back are Boosters treasurer Jolyn Burdyshaw, left, and Theatre Arts Boosters president Julie Daniel. Seated front are Amy Meller, left, and Jennifer Phillips. Photo by Katy Mena
Signal Mountain High School thespians are in the process of updating their theater with a new lighting system to dazzle audiences.
The inspiration for the lights comes courtesy of lighting designer and University of Tennessee lighting professor Kenton Yeager, who paid a recent visit to SMMHS to evaluate the school theater and enlighten the students about the power of light.
“If you know theatre and live in this world, then you know who he is,” said SMMHS’s director of theatre arts John Lennon, who said he was thrilled to welcome Yeager to the school.
“Anytime I can help someone fix their lighting system, the learning goes up,” said Yeager. “I am passionate about helping anyone who is interested in teaching lighting by using lighting.”
Lennon was particularly struck by the mini theatre lab that Yeager presented during last year’s Southeastern Theatre Conference. He hopes to acquire one at SMMHS so that his students may reap the benefits of being totally immersed in their craft.
“(The theatre students) are going to be doing these lighting jobs and they need to know how to do them,” said Lennon.
While it is still uncertain whether SMMHS will use Yeager’s system in the classroom, both he and Lennon are hopeful that the lab will be installed in the theater sometime in the near future.
“My broad base of design and educational expertise puts me in a unique position to help schools figure out the best way to spend their lighting dollars,” said Yeager, whose labs are roughly priced between $2,400 and $3,500.
“It’s more money up front, but you save money in the long run,” added Lennon.
To learn more about Kenton Yeager’s work, visit the Yeager Labs Web site.
Yeager agrees with Lennon’s affinity toward hands-on learning, and provided SMMHS students with a real-life look at how the world of theatre works.
“To tell a story, I’ve had to live an interesting life,” said Yeager, encouraging the SMMHS students to get well-rounded collegiate educations. “Every day I live, I see things in a more educated way.”
Yeager, a graduate of Penn State University, has traveled the world building his education and sharing things he has witnessed and created in cities such as Avignon, France; Prague, Czech Republic; and most recently in Seoul, South Korea, where he was one of nine designers chosen to exhibit their work at the World Stage Design 2009 event.
del.icio.us
digg
Furl
Spurl
YahooMyWeb
co.mments
Ma.gnolia
De.lirio.us
blogmarks
BlinkList
NewsVine
scuttle
Fark
Shadows
Comments
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.