New Sun Theater Tech

Q: Why did the theater need new systems? (when the sun was re-done were they not equipped?)

A: “So when the Sun was rehabbed the technical equipment needed for a functioning theater was not included. Lights, sound, microphones, monitors even dressing rooms were not/have not, been built. So the rehab was literally the shell of the theatre, the exterior, classrooms, lobby and mezzanine. All of which is beautiful of course, but now we need to get the “stuff” a theater needs in order to present shows on the stage”.

Q: When did these systems get put in and when were they first used?

A: “The Parent Association began a Capital Fundraising Campaign and raised money for the “first installment” of lights and sound for which we are very grateful.( Because of the extraordinary cost of this equipment, we can’t afford to buy everything at once, so we are spreading it out in installments.) The equipment was installed the week of February 18th and consists of a lighting and sound board, house speakers, 2 cordless mics, several rack components for sound and microphone control, 8 LED par cans, 4 conventional Ellipsoidals, and 2 follow spots. The LED lights allow us to throw a lot of different colors onto the stage from just one instrument which is pretty cool. Right now all the lights that we have can be seen on the balcony pipes. The next installation (TBD) will include lights above the actual stage.

The first use of the new light and sound system was for the Black History Celebration.”

Q: Are the tech theater student learning how to use them?

Are they supervised while using the new systems?

A: “The tech students are being trained on the new equipment and yes, they are supervised. What will really raise the tech student’s knowledge will be when we get the lights over the actual stage on a catwalk perhaps or some type of piping and electrics system. Then they will learn how to hang and focus, design lights for a show, set up electrics, program the board for extensive shows etc. Slowly but surely we are getting there”.

Q: How have they prepared for future performances or difficulties? (Do they have back up in case something goes wrong?)

A: “The nature of live theatre is such that there is no real backup plan if something goes wrong. Someone may enter the wrong cue, or a bulb may burn out, mics go out all the time, feedback from speakers happens, sound cues get dropped or mixed up, but the show must go on! So, unless something catastrophic happens (which is very rare) or the performers are in danger, we keep chugging along and fix it as we go”.