A group of dark, shadowy figures moved across the stage in February's Ohio University School of Theater production The Conference of the Birds. Most of these figures were not actors but video images projected on the stage.
Projections are just one of the more recent implementations of technology in the School of Theater. From moving lights to digital cinematography, technology is changing the world of theater and encouraging collaboration among different departments.
This use of projectors and other technology helped The Conference of The Birds tie for first prize in the theater category at last week's Student Research and Creative Activity Fair at OU.
Graduate students Brandon Kirkham and Rachelle Beckerman co-designed the lighting and scenery and will share the first-place prize. In June, they will put design elements, storyboards, research and photos from the show on display in the United States Student Exhibition at the Prague Quadrennial, an international theater design exhibition.
Technology changes at a fast rate, and it is often hard to keep up with it, said Lowell Jacobs, a master electrician and lead audio engineer for the School of Theater. Twenty to 30 percent of his job is paying attention to new technologies using trade publications, he said.
School of Theater students have the opportunity to work with many of the latest technological advances, said John P. Woodey, a first-year lighting design graduate student. Students in the school work with a modern sound system and lighting consoles similar to those used on Broadway and use computer programs similar to what professionals use.
For students, the best way to learn about this technology is by using it. The School of Theater stresses a hands-on approach, Jacobs said.
Video is an exciting aspect of technology in the School of Theater because it can act as a form of lighting, sound or scenery, Jacobs said. Video and other technologies have encouraged collaboration within the school and beyond.
The College of Fine Arts Information Technology Committee is one way that different departments collaborate. The committee is composed of representatives from the Aesthetic Technologies Lab ' or @Lab ' as well as the schools of fine arts, theater and dance, Jacobs said. Representatives meet to prepare for the evolution of technology and combine their different resources.
The @Lab is a multidisciplinary hub for the College of Fine Arts, building a bridge between the different schools. Created by a Board of Regents grant in November 2004, is a project-based lab for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.
The Conference of the Birds Project was the first time that the School of Theater and the @Lab worked together on a theater production, said Nathan Berger, operations coordinator for the @Lab.
We've made new friends because of technology
Woodey said.
Incorporating video into productions is still a new concept, said Berger. Using video and projections in The Conference of The Birds was a new experience for the actors and the technicians.
Creating some of the projections required the use of a blue screen, something the actors had never experienced. The actors had to get used to crossing the stage while avoiding getting in the way of the projectors. The technicians involved have to figure out how to match the audio and light with the video.
Technology is exciting, but it also has consequences. It tends to make audiences lazier, said Dennis Delaney, head of professional director training in the School of Theater. This trend is unsettling in a realm of entertainment when people are expected to use their imaginations.
Delaney said he has conflicted feelings about the use of technology.
Part of me loves it and part of me wants to stay away he said. I love the new toys
but sometimes I just want to have a bare stage.
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The School of Theater's production of [I]The Conference of the Birds[/I] on Feb. 26 made use of projections and other technology. It went on to tie for first prize in the theater category at the Student Research and Creative Activity Fair.
Technology creates interdisciplinary opportunities for arts
