Theatrical Design & Technology Major
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About the Major
The theatrical design and technology program is designed to give students a solid foundation in all aspects of theater production, design, history and literature. It emphasizes engaged learning and hands-on practices as students put their skills and talent to the test by participating in musicals, plays, dance concerts, student productions, musical revues and professional quality workshops.
Jobs in Theatrical Design & Technology
- Stage manager
- Set designer/builder
- Costume designer
- Lighting designer
- Sound designer
Past Elon Theatrical Design & Technology Internships
- Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
- The Fisher Center at Bard College
- Davis Shakespeare Festival
- Alvin Ailey Dance Theater
- New York Musical Theatre Festival
Related Majors
Using theater production design to enhance the audience experience — and break new ground
Since graduating from Elon University in 2021, Sydney Dye has been working as an associate projection designer in New York City, bringing to life the stage designs in Off-Broadway and regional theater productions.
It’s a job she was well-prepared for after four years at Elon University as a theatrical design and technology major — four years that gave her opportunities to design four mainstage productions and around 15 cultural and special program events. Four years that taught her how to create video content in Photoshop and After Effects, program QLab, do basic networking, create cue lists and develop problem-solving skills. Four years that saw her awarded the Lumen Prize for undergraduate research, which she used to write and produce a groundbreaking drama.
“For theatrical design and technology students, there is truly an abundance of practical opportunities to develop your craft at Elon,” said Dye, who graduated from Elon in 2021 with a double major in theatrical design and technology and communication design. “Being able to experiment with various design and technical disciplines gave me a well-rounded knowledge of theatrical design, and having the opportunity to learn and practice what was interesting to me, rather than solely focusing on just design in one specific concentration, has served me greatly post-graduation.”
When Dye decided she wanted to study theatrical design and technology at Elon, she wasn’t sure what specific area of the field she wanted to work in. Lucky for her, one of the hallmarks of the program is that students are given the chance to work on dozens of productions during their time on campus. And with each production, they can choose from countless jobs behind the scenes.
For theatrical design and technology students, there is truly an abundance of practical opportunities to develop your craft at Elon.
“Looking at the peers around me, I had friends who were not only scenic designing but were also designing props, working as paint charges, building the set, working as technical directors and painting scenes,” she said. “Friends who weren’t only designing lights but were also programming moving lights, drafting light plots, working as electricians, leading light hangs, organizing gel storage and repairing broken fixtures. And friends who weren’t only costume designing but were also working in the costume shop, leading fittings, managing washes after shows, organizing costume storage, rendering designs and coordinating with other theaters over what pieces can be borrowed or rented.”
In Dye’s first year alone, she was the assistant audio technician for the fall musical, the sound designer for the musical theatre program’s senior show, the assistant stage manager for the winter play and the projection designer for the Black History Month Dance Concert. She also worked for Elon’s Office of Cultural and Special Programs during her four years, getting the chance to experiment with different productions.
“As my interest in projection design grew, my supervisors worked with me to find ways to develop my skills in projection design specifically,” she said. “By the time I reached my senior year, I was exclusively working as a projection designer for the [office] and playing with so many different avenues of projection design. And I was enthusiastically encouraged to experiment.”
For example, for a jazz band concert, she created a liquid light show using a clockface, food dye, oil and a GoPro camera. For a one-night only Gina Chavez concert, she created a hand-drawn cel animation.
But one of her most unique projection designs was for her own Lumen Prize research project, for which she was determined to push boundaries. Dye set out to write and produce a drama based on the controversies surrounding Confederate monuments while reflecting social media’s role in personal and national politics and using onstage projections to advance those themes for audiences.
Dye ended up doing more than push boundaries. The finished result — the docudrama “#silenced” — broke new ground in how plays can be performed and presented virtually by using theatrical design software and 3D animation.
Pulling from news coverage, online posts and historical documents, Dye examined the Confederate monument known as “Silent Sam” at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Protesters toppled the polarizing monument in 2018, 105 years after it was erected, but the controversy continued as the university and state determined how to display the monument going forward. Dye’s Lumen Prize-funded production involved heavy use of projected images and videos to contextualize the actors’ performances.
“At its core, the play is focused on how we engage with each other on social media and how we consume polarized content online,” Dye said in February 2021, shortly before the play opened. “I want this play to serve as a reminder of what happens when conversations online get ugly. It equally focuses on Confederate memorials in our society. Are they monuments to white supremacy, or are they monuments to people and a part of history? For audience members who don’t already have clear opinions about Confederate monuments, I think this play will be informative.”
Dye was fascinated by the ways projected video and images can enhance audience experiences and a performance’s message. But as the campus — and world — was still in the midst of the pandemic, she was limited in how she could present her work. That led her to an innovative solution that could have implications across the theater world.
Capture is a previsualization software often used by lighting designers to plan a stage show. It uses a 3D model of the stage and virtual lighting instruments to assist in creating the basis of a lighting design. Assisted by Elon’s Greg Thorn, then a technical director of Cultural and Special Programs, Dye animated the entire show and dubbed the actors’ voices.
“We created 14 3D models of our actors that move on a 3D stage designed to replicate the Black Box Theatre,” Dye said. “We paired it with edited audio of the actors’ performances and integrated it with the projections and lighting design.”
“#silenced” wasn’t the first time Dye made an impact in the theatrical design world. Her projection design for Elon Performing Arts’ “We Will Rock You” won first prize in the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s competition in 2020. She was also the first undergraduate to win the SETC’s John Spiegel Theatrical Artist Award, recognizing fresh talent in the field of theatrical design and production.
In addition to the opportunities she had on Elon’s campus to get hands-on experience in university productions, she also began interning at the outdoor theater The Muny in St. Louis starting in 2019. That summer after her sophomore year, she worked as a video design intern, assisting on all of season’s shows, and in the summer of 2020, she returned as an assistant video editor, working with a team of editors to create short videos for The Muny Summer Variety Hour virtual season. She continued interning at The Muny the summer after graduation in 2021 and was a full-summer staff member through 2023, working on more than 25 full-scale productions with the video design department.
“The internships I had while a theatrical design and technology student directly led to the career I now have post-graduation,” said Dye, who works as a full-time associate designer and studio manager at the New York City-based projection and scenic design studio Caite Hevner Design. “As a student interested in pursuing projection design in theater, having the opportunity to work at one of the only theaters in the country with an in-house video design studio was an invaluable learning opportunity. At The Muny, I worked with and was mentored by several New York projection designers, programmers, content creators and associates.”
She encourages students interested in majoring in theatrical design and technology to take advantage of all the opportunities Elon offers — anything and everything to build up their own personal toolbelt of skills.
“If you’re interested in stage management, I encourage you to work as an assistant designer ordesigner on at least one show in your time at Elon,” she said. “If you’re a scenic designer, go work in the costume shop for a show. Complementary skills are the nuts and bolts in your toolbelt — and something you have an abundance of opportunity to gain while at Elon.”
Did You Know?
- A one-on-one interview with the design and technology faculty is required for entry into the program along with a design and production portfolio. Students put their skills and talents to work in Elon productions beginning their first semester. They are involved in all aspects of the production process — including design, construction, stage management and production crew — and make key decisions from concept to the final curtain.
- The program is housed in the Center for the Arts, which was specifically designed for teaching and performance. In addition to various theaters, there are campus scene shops, costume shops and a design studio that give students hands-on access to the tools, equipment and industry-standard software used in the profession. Production facilities feature a CNC robotic router table, a 1-6 scale theater lab, state-of-the-art lighting consoles, and up-to-date sound and video editing software.
- Through internships, summer theater work and on-campus productions, students have the opportunity to gain professional and practical experiences before they graduate. Elon’s involvement with the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology as well as the Southeastern Theatre Conference provides its students with the opportunity to interview with dozens of professional companies each year.