During their conversation, David and Chris discuss Chris’s role as a production coordinator. Chris manages sound equipment and lighting fixtures, and schedules musical events throughout the year.

 David and Chris discuss how Chris enhances the audience’s experience by assisting with stage setup and lighting for theatrical productions.

 

David and Chris agree that lighting sets the scene’s mood. Chris prefers manual control of light fixtures, while David relies on his surroundings and experience within the field of photography. With Chris’s knowledge of lighting and color temperature from film school which he learned through film and photography, transitioning to now he trains Wheeling Park High School’s tech students to use lighting and color temperature to create tension. He also teaches them to program the lighting board to control the lights creatively and vocally, wire the stage with the mic system, and control the stage curtains between scenes.

They discussed the challenges of mastering the lighting console and Chris stressed the importance of students understanding the soundboard and using the audio system to eliminate problems. They also talked about a camera crew that comes in to capture footage of each performance and creates fully edited copies of each show. Chris’s responsibilities included building maintenance and keeping the facilities presentable. The highlighted part of the year both David and Chris pointed out was the Festival of Sound and other concerts during the holiday season and the spring concert was the most successful.

David and Chris talked about the successful 2012 Festival of Sound, with multiple sold-out shows. They’re relieved no COVID problems exist, excited about people returning to events, and believe that post-COVID technology offers students more theatre opportunities. Chris guides students in lighting and stage design to empower them to complete tasks with ease.