Oklahoma City University’s School of Theatre is enhancing its students’ educational experience with the acquisition of cutting-edge lighting and sound equipment, thanks to a $75,000 grant from the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation. This significant investment will provide students with hands-on training on the latest industry-standard technology.
W. Jerome Stevenson, associate dean of the School of Theatre and artistic director of TheatreOCU, emphasized the importance of this upgrade.
“This new gear will allow our students to gain hands-on experience with equipment they’re more likely to use in the professional world of entertainment,” Stevenson said. “It’s about bridging the gap between academic training and real-world application.”
The grant has enabled the School of Theatre to purchase a range of the latest production equipment, including:
- LED lighting fixtures: Replacing older tungsten halogen fixtures with energy-efficient and versatile lights, which offer a more natural fade curve and color temperature.
- Moving lights: Providing dynamic lighting capabilities for complex productions.
- Lighting and sound consoles: Dedicated consoles for specific spaces, eliminating the need for constant relocation and setup.
- Clear-Com communication headsets: Ensuring clear and reliable communication among the production team.
“There’s a lot of unboxing going on right now, and our faculty and students are giddy with setting it up and seeing what they can do with it,” Stevenson noted.
He also highlighted the learning curve associated with the new equipment, which will ultimately benefit students as they enter the professional world.
“It’ll be a huge advantage for our students to learn the terminology here in school before they’re out in the professional theatre,” he said.
Some of the new equipment has already been utilized in the recent production of “King Lear,” and its full capabilities are set to be showcased in this season’s final production — “Anything Goes," which is set for April 11-13 on the OCU campus.
Theater design and production senior Jackson Maner said he appreciates the extra practice he’s getting with the new gear before he steps into the professional world.
“At this stage of my college career, it’s perfect timing,” Maner, the lighting designer for “Anything Goes,” said. “This is allowing me to learn and experiment with the same equipment I’ll be using in professional theater.”
The Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation, known for supporting educational causes in Oklahoma, has made a significant impact on the School of Theatre.
“This grant is a huge step forward for us,” Stevenson said. “This investment by the Rapp Foundation is invaluable.”
The new equipment will not only enhance theater productions but also support other university events, such as matriculation and dance shows. While the school is integrating the new technology, the older equipment will remain in use to ensure students gain experience with a variety of industry tools.
“They need to learn how to design lights for a variety of different kinds of spaces, and every space they’ll work in won’t be a 500-seat theatre,” Stevenson explained. “They’re going to need to know how to design with that.”
