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09.27.16 A lot happened last week, we finished the All Shook Up build, build for Cloud 9 started, some of the pieces that I drafted started to get CNCd, and we loaded in Seminar. Very busy, very exciting! I've also started doing some drafting for How I Became a Pirate.

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Florida State!

09.08.16

My first two weeks of graduate school have been nothing short of exciting! Living in a new state and starting a masters program can be stressful enough but to top it all off I lived through a hurricane too.

Even with the disruption of the hurricane things are in full swing. I got to see first hand the importance of not only budgeting materials, as a hurricane can wildly drive up the price of plywood, but also budgeting time and labor, as the university was closed for four days because it was without power. We could be scrambling to get things built on time but these are the moments that contingency can save the show and your sanity. We will have to come in for an extra work call to make up for the time lost to the storm and we’re calling in some reinforcement from the 2nd and 3rd years, but there will still be plenty of time to get everything done without having to work ourselves into the ground.

The first show of the semester was built at the end of last semester so we are currently in build for show two, All Shook Up. I have also started drafting for the show I will be the ATD on, Cloud 9. The units I’m responsible for will be cnc’d so I’m also diving feet first into V-carve.

I’m so excited to start this 3 year journey!

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Second show of the summer!

Austin’s Pride: A New Musical of Pride & Prejudice 

Staging a new show always comes with more challenges than a show that’s been done hundreds of times and that makes it even more exciting to take on head first. This was the first show I decided to try my hand at 3D AutoCad drafting. The scenic piece I was working on had tons of moulding, inset corners, and strange curves and angles. I learned so much drafting this and I feel so much more confident in my skills after finishing. There were also rotating columns that had to be actor motivated and tracking string drops that were used as walls and entry ways that presented interesting challenges to be solved.

My summer spent at Merry-Go-Round taught me so much from technical skills to management techniques all of which will make me a better technician and TD in years to come. Thank you so much to everyone that I worked with, especially David Phelps, the TD that I worked under. You are a lifetime friend and colleague. 

Production photos by Kirsten Vine

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Quick recap of the first show I worked on this summer at Merry-Go-Round Theatre this summer.

Oklahoma!

I spent most of my time working on the surrey. There were plenty of technical challenges with this item, but we overcame them all. I drafted this in 2D AutoCad. I also spent some time doing some metal bending and shaping for some of the details. I learned a lot about making an odd scenic element perform the way the director wants it to in the space while also making sure the designers vision is upheld.

Production photos by Kirsten Vine

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This summer I am working as the assistant technical director for Merry-Go-Round Playhouse - Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. So far it has been a great time. In today's adventure I drove a 12 passenger sprinter van through Yonkers, the Bronx, over the George Washington Bridge, and through the Jersey Turnpike to Rose Brand to pick up an order. It was mildly terrifying but also super cool to get to go to one of Rose Brands warehouses. Now back to Rochester to put the order to good use!

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Undergraduate time coming to an end

As I finish up my work for the last classes as an undergrad at UB I am sad but excited to move onto the next chapter of my life. I will be attending Florida State University in the Fall for the masters program in technical direction. Before that though I will be in Rochester/Auburn NY at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse as the ATD for two shows in their summer season. A paper and a presentation and away I go!

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This semester I was also able to be one of the lighting directors for Dancers Workshop, our completely student run and produced dance show. It is a great chance for student choreographers, dancers, and lighting designers to come together and make something completely on their own. I managed, designed, and danced for this production. I had a great time and am so proud of everyone involved for all of their hard work!

Photos by Sammi Pfeiffer

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Production photos!

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05.01.16

And we’re out of the woods. Saying good bye to my last department show here at UB. But Dancers Workshop is right around the corner! On to the next one!

[kassidyc-design-tech]

I made a repeat appearance in the costume shop this week to help with some distressing for A Ring Never Ends, our black box show is semester. Too dirty or gross was not a concept for the director.

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Last weekend I production managed our university's Spring Fest. It is a large music event with internationally touring artists. This year we had Coleman Hell, Icona Pop, Mac Miller, and the Chainsmokers! It was an amazing experience and I would love to do this again!

[kassidyc-design-tech]

04.14.16

Today marks the first day of tech! All the scenery is on stage and ready for actor interaction. Some things still need more paint or final touching but we’re in a good spot to have a smooth and relaxed tech week.

[kassidyc-design-tech]

Here is a quick video of the bean stalk in action. It grows at the end of Act I and was very important to the director that it happened live on stage. There is still some dressing to be done to give some more dimension. We are going to use lighting and atmospherics to achieve magic! 

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Earlier this week I took on a sewing project and made a bean stalk. 8′ wide at the bottom at 24′ tall. It was a fun challenge and it worked out really well!

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04.04.16 The last few weeks have been insane! We have been super busy and we have officially started every piece of scenery for the show. We have loaded in some of the large scenic items and have begun the final paint treatment on them. We loaded in the passerelle and it looks great! Light focus is Wednesday and I feel like we're in a really good spot. Here's to the next two and a half weeks! Soon we will have a show!

[kassidyc-design-tech]

USITT booth set up nearly complete! Come check us out on the expo floor tomorrow. LED Chose Your Own Adventure! Lots of LED applications to check out and play with. @ub-usitt

[kassidyc-design-tech]

03.11.16 You say indoor outdoor carpet, we say rock formation.