It’s February and registration for the 2016/17 school year has begun. Next year, there is a new theatre class available called “Technical Theatre Certification”.

This class is a 9th hour, so it counts for school credits, but it is after school. It is only a semester long, but there is a possibility people will be able to be in it twice a year, this is to be determined.

This class will give theatre certification to use all of the equipment that we have. This includes learning how to use the Scene Shop, operating power tools, the ETC Element Lighting Board, Sennheiser Wireless Mics/Countryman Lavs, Q-Lab Sound/Video Projection Software, EV ETX Speaker System, Mehron Makeup, and the opportunity to work with our professional costume designer Rebecca Spafford. The class will teach people how to use whatever they are interested in.

The class is also mainly focused on next year’s theatre events, depending on the semester. The 1st semester class will work on all of the tech for the Fall Play, Frankenstein, while 2nd semester will work on the musical.

In order to be in this class, students must do a quick interview. The last set of interviews is on Friday, February 12th. Interested participants can sign up for it on the callboard, right next to the drama office.

This class is being implemented to help get money for our department. This is also so that we can help get everyone all the certifications that they need so that they can get  jobs after finishing high school. Students will walk out of this class with a certificate saying they know how to, and are allowed to operate, many different devices. Right now, the demand for people skilled in technical theatre is high, and many people with all the certifications can get hired straight away,  without even going to college.

Note: Students cannot be in tech theatre unless they are enrolled in this class. Incoming freshman are also not allowed to take the class, but the department is working on other ways that they can be involved in tech. Mentoring systems or allowing them to work on One Acts are being considered by Mr. Garner, Mrs. Rust, and Mrs. Kochis.