The School of Design & Production offers a unique and comprehensive program of instruction and practice in 12 different concentrations in theatrical design, technical production, project management, arts management and related theatre crafts. Students design and execute the sets, properties, costumes, lighting, sound, and wigs and makeup, as well as manage all production aspects for more than 20 shows a year. The School of Design & Production works hand-in-hand with the Schools of Dance, Drama, Filmmaking and Music in mounting and producing operas, musicals, plays, ballets, contemporary dance performances and films. Students may enroll in the undergraduate (Bachelor of Fine Arts or Arts Diploma) or the graduate (Master of Fine Arts) programs. The instructional program equips graduates for positions in the profession at an employment rate that approaches 100 percent.

The Winston-Salem Lighting Project, is back in downtown Winston-Salem for a second year.  The project, under the direction of Norman Coates (lighting department program head), is a multimedia public art presentation using prominent downtown landmarks as the canvas.  This year, the Pepper Building in downtown Winston-Salem will serve as the location for the project.

Last year, D&P students “lit” the Millennium Center using the styles of various artists.  This year, students will project up to 100 images onto the Fourth Street side of the Pepper Building during a 15-20 minute cycle.  The cycles will run continuously, in a loop, from 7-11 p.m. each day.  The images, which have been designed by four 4th year undergraduate lighting design students in the School of Design and Production, will focus on depletion of the world’s resources, the environment and sustainability, and population growth.  D&P lighting design students whose designs will be incorporated into the exhibit include John Alexander, Alex Bright, Emily McGillicuddy, and Rob Ross.   In addition, Robert Virzera (4th year lighting) will serve as the lead production electrician.   A total of 26 students in the lighting program in D&P are involved in implementing the event, which involves projecting digitally manipulated images onto the building façade with high-tech, large format projectors.  Coates describes the project as being “conceived to powerfully demonstrate the impact of light as an artistic medium in urban contexts.”  The project runs downtown at the Pepper Building (101 West 3rd Street) Thursday – Saturday, November 19 – 21, from 7 p.m. – 10p.m.

Press Release

Lighting Project coverage in Sunday November 16, 2009 Winston-Salem Journal

Lighting Project coverage in Sunday November 22, 2009 Winston-Salem Journal

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Design and Production and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts recently presented the UNCSA Southeastern Regional Entertainment Technology Conference which was held on UNCSA’s campus October 8–10, 2009.  This was a major event, with participants coming from throughout the region and U.S.  The event was a three day conference presented by Cirque du Soleil Resident Shows Division and included demonstrations of Cirque’s automation techniques, rigging, show operations, and digital projection systems.  The conference also offered training sessions on the unique production environment of Cirque shows.  

Several participants from the conference  were interviewed recently by David Ford on WFDD radio – 88.5 FM.  Participants interviewed included Dennis Booth (technical direction faculty and conference coordinator), Eric Ludacer (BFA ’98 and head of projection for Cirque’s production of Love in Las Vegas),  Andrew Bodd (2nd year MFA – technical direction), and Leu Strope (operations production manager – Cirque, Las Vegas ).  The interview can be heard on WFDD’s website.  The link to the interview can be found at: http://wfdd.org/wfddnews.php/story2098/ts1255631377.

Read more on the Conference in the Triad Business Journal

More coverage to follow shortly…stay tuned!

Several D&P faculty and students are participating in Twin City Stage’s upcoming production of Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming. 

Show designers include Bland Wade (stage properties faculty) set design; Tyler Holland (4th year costume design) costume design; and Janie Bullard (3rd year MFA – sound design) sound design.  Dean Wilcox (undergraduate academic programs) served as lighting designer.  Wig masters include wig and makeup students Terra Willis (3rd year, MFA), Alexandra Marsh (2nd year, BFA), and Alex Perrone (2nd year, BFA).  In addition, forty two students in D&P’s costume design and technology programs worked on the production as drapers, first hands, craft head, assistant craft head, assistants, and stitchers.  The show opens this weekend at the Arts Council Theatre on Coliseum Drive, and runs through Sunday November 22nd.

Vicki Davis (scene and costume design faculty) designed the sets for the Kentucky Opera’s production of Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, which opens Friday October 30th in Louisville.  Davis originally designed the sets for a production by the Utah Opera, where the show was first produced.   

In addition, Davis has designed the scenery and costumes for the musical Winter Wonderettes directed by Roger Bean, at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Hills CA.   The show opens Thanksgiving weekend.

Will Taylor (visual arts faculty) recently opened a new collaborative video and sound exhibition with Mark Robinson (Multimedia Lab Director at UNC-Chapel Hill) at Elon University's Art West Gallery.  The exhibition runs until Nov. 5 and is open to the public.  Further information on this exhibition can be found at:  http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Story.aspx?id=2745

In addition, another upcoming exhibition “eNTER aCTION” at the Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, NC will include the work of Will Taylor, along with 4 other artists, and opens November 6th.  The link to this exhibition can be found at: http://www.visualartexchange.org/november2009.php

As part of the performing arts management program, 3rd year graduate students are spending the 2009-2010 school-year working as interns for various arts organizations around the country.  Internship assignments include:

• Jennifer Blank, Triad Stage, Greensboro, NC
• Lindsey Hardegree, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA
• Rebecca Johnson, Elon University, Performing Arts Department, Greensboro, NC
• Anne Kohn, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington DC
• Charlie Owen, Arena Stage, Washington, DC
• Tami Thomas, Arts & Science Council, Charlotte, NC
• Carlin Weirick, TRACS, Inc., a global marketing and event management company, Boston, MA

Read More D&P News...