Students who attend a show or concert at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium are entertained for a few hours. For Todd Coogan, however, the planning behind those events takes much longer.
At the beginning of each quarter
we sit down and look at the calendar and work out the logistics for all of the events said Coogan, who is the associate director and production manager for Ohio University.
This basic planning is just the beginning for Coogan, a 2001 OU graduate with a bachelor's degree in production design technology. The job, which Coogan took in 2000 while he was still a student and now pays him $42,627 annually, gives him full control of almost all events that take place in Baker University Center, MemAud, Galbreath Chapel and the Convocation
Center, including the commencement ceremony each June.
For an average-sized event at MemAud, Coogan's work begins hours before an act arrives.
We are typically in the night before after-business hours prepping the space and getting things ready for the show the next day
he said.
Coogan and his team, which is made up of student workers, return the next morning at 7 to begin loading gear and setting up the stage and lighting. The day-long process also includes organizing ushers and security measures. After the show, the process of tearing down the set begins, which Coogan said takes until about 2 a.m.
While the process may seem complicated, most large
touring companies provide a step-by-step technical rider who outlines everything that a particular show or band will need, which makes the job much easier, Coogan said.
The band Wilco, which performed at MemAud last month, brought its own instruments, monitors and technical engineers, while MemAud provided the lights and sound, making Coogan's job much easier.
For the most part
the technical rider is an equation for our space and how we need to set things up
he said.
While the job has allowed Coogan the opportunity to meet with many famous bands and acts, he said he prefers working with the road crews for those artists much more.
They tend to have a fair amount of stories and
experiences that are fun to learn about
he said.
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Culture
J.W. Johnson, Jr.
