When I thought about being a lighting designer, there were a lot of events that I did not consider. In addition to  running all of the musicals within my theater, I also provide lighting for the majority of the outside events that rent out the space. 

NLHS Talent Show

My first job was to run lights for a talent show. I had no idea what to expect. My biggest challenge was that this was the first time performing for most of the participants and many had never been on stage before.  I had to teach them to “find your light.”  Thankfully, I planned ahead and spiked several positions on the stage for them to stand on and they did wonderfully. I have since been the director for the talent show every year and it has become a success.  These events bring much-needed funds to the school and serve as a showcase for our students to highlight their talents.

At the talent show my Junior year, a group of students in a rock band performed.  I was given the opportunity to practice concert style lighting.  This is not something that I get to do often and it is a lot of fun “busking” a live concert with 500 singing and cheering students packing the auditorium.

Dance Recitals

Along with school events, I also run lights for dance companies who rent out our space for their recitals and competitions.  With hundreds of cues per day, this is a great way for me to learn how to program fast and think quickly.  Lots of last minute changes and additions/subtractions occur quickly, so I have to always plan ahead.  We often have 2 or 3 different dance schools perform in a given week, so organization and planning are essential to the success of the show.  

Community Events/Meetings

The auditorium at North Lincoln High School is also rented out for meetings and company events. One Saturday during the school year, I received an emergency call from one of the school staff members to help troubleshoot issues they were having with the lighting and audio for an event that was already happening.   I dropped what I was doing and headed to the auditorium.  I was able to quickly fix the problems and get the event back on track.  While I was there, I saw that the show could be made a little nicer with some additional lighting.  I stayed to program a few special lighting looks for them and it looked great.  

There are so many other events ranging from pageants to band concerts to choir recitals that fill our auditorium.  These events have taught me to be flexible and quick-thinking because no two events are exactly the same.