Hello, Technical Type Theatre People!
Okay, I’ll admit it—I’m not entirely sure how to start a blog conversation, but I guess “Hello, technical type theatre people!” works until I come up with a more fun catchphrase. So many good ones are already taken…“D’oh!”, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” “You talkin’ to me?” (Okay, Prudence, focus—voice in my head).
As I was saying… Hello, technical theatre people!
Last week, I had the opportunity to serve as co-Technical Director for the KCACTF Region 6 festival in Abilene, Texas alongside Zach Oehm from West Texas A&M.
For those unfamiliar, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a prestigious event celebrating excellence in collegiate theatre. Region 6 covers a broad area—Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma—with multiple schools applying to participate. Throughout the year, productions are observed, and six schools are selected to perform at the festival, each bringing its own unique technical challenges.
As one of the festival’s Technical Directors, I had the privilege (and responsibility) of ensuring the technical aspects of the festival ran smoothly. From coordinating lighting and sound to managing set load-ins and load-outs for each invited production, my role required a mix of creative problem-solving, strategic planning, and teamwork.
Thankfully, I wasn’t in it alone. Working alongside Mr. Oehm was fantastic—our individual skill sets complemented each other well, making for a highly effective and collaborative team. The festival brought plenty of challenges (as all theatre productions do), but with solid communication and quick thinking, we managed to handle everything that came our way.
I also had the pleasure of bringing along a student, Turner Laxson. Turner is a senior theatre major at Tarleton and is planning a career in Technical Direction, ideally with touring shows. This week was an amazing opportunity for Turner to witness six different productions tour in and out of the space. Some sets were built specifically for touring, while others were modified after the schools learned they’d been selected for the festival. Turner also had the chance to speak with other Technical Directors and learn from them. I am incredibly proud of how hard he worked this past week. Below is a picture of Turner and me.
Side note: As a professor of theatre, I believe it’s my responsibility to include my students in any opportunity, production, or design work I do outside my regular faculty duties. You’re not just their teacher from 9-5—this is a never-ending role.
KCACTF Region 6 was an incredible experience, filled with hard work, teamwork, and, of course, the thrill of live theatre. It was rewarding to see everything come together and to be part of an event that celebrates the artistry and dedication of collegiate theatre.
I’ll go into more depth about the festival and the event center’s technical aspects in my next blog post. Until then “Good night, John Boy” … I really need to come up with a catchphrase.
Prudence Jones