The Lighting Guys are Here!

I found the theatre on Monday morning in a state of dramatic disarray. The lobby was filled with large fragments of The Last Five Years set, including numerous pieces of wooden shelving and a burnished Kawai piano. Unfamiliar people filled the theatre, climbing up on ladders and wielding paintbrushes like stage-fighti

ng Shakespeare actors. Music blared and lights were hoisted as The Parkville Project set began to take shape. But the most shocking aspect of the day was that both Artistic Directors and the Executive Director were all here at the same time. Somehow I missed the opportunity to take a picture, but I can assure you that Sean, Darlene and Tracy all occupied the office for at least a ten-minute span.

And another thing: it was hot. And humid. Dan and I expertly devised a system, however. The theatre itself is air-conditioned, a fact that we used to our advantage. We opened the theatre door, letting the icy air creep into the lobby. We then closed both doors to the foyer and positioned the fan in the office doorway to blow the air from the lobby and the theatre into our workspace. Ahh...circulation. The result? No one worked in the office that day.

But thank goodness that today is cooler and dryer and a little less hectic! As promised, here is the sixth and final intern intverview, and keep an eye out in the next few days for interviews with Helene Kvale and Michael Bradford, director and writer of The Parkville Project!

Lighting Intern

Name: Devin Lee

Age: 19

School: Endicott College in Beverly, MA

Major/Field of Study: Liberal Studies with a Photography concentration…which basically means he gets to take science, math, English and get a really well-rounded education while taking photography! Wow, I wish my school did that.

Where are you from? Cheshire, CT.

What do you do here? As the lighting intern, Devin hangs lights, plugs them in, and basically does anything to help with the construction and operation of lighting here at the Playhouse. He is usually called in the week before a show and works long shifts during load-in (yesterday he was here from 4-11pm!). “It’s hard work,” he says, “but really rewarding.” Devin started doing lighting in college. The drama club needed help and Devin was there to offer his. One of his friends taught him the basics of theatre lighting, and Devin learns more with each project he does.

How did you hear about this job? Getting at least a 120-hour internship is a requirement at Endicott College, so Devin was on the lookout. He then heard about PoP’s internship program from his teacher at Kingswood Oxford, where he attended high school.

Do you see yourself doing this in the future? “I hope to,” Devin says. Maybe he’ll be involved with lighting at a college theatre, maybe he’ll integrate photography somehow… “we’ll see where everything takes me,” he says.

Favorite Play or Musical: Sweeney Todd

Really Good Theatre Experience: Working on Endicott’s performance of Carnival for their Spring Musical Event this past semester. Doing lighting for The Last Five Years at PoP was also quite an experience because he could compare it with Endicott’s production of L5Y the year before.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Black Raspberry

Favorite West Hartford Activity/Locale: Running around Blue Back like a bunch of wild children! “That was what we did when were done with school at KO: we ran around to all the different stores and talked to the employees.” Devin and his friends found that the guys at REI are particularly friendly. I have to agree.

Favorite book/what are you reading? Whenever there is a lull in his lighting duties, Devin can always be seen with a book. As an avid reader myself, this sparked my curiosity and I felt that I just had to know what he was reading. Currently, he’s on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers, and confessed that The Lord of the Rings series is one of his favorites. I in turn confessed that I had read The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Two Towers, but never made it through The Return of the King. I did watch the movies, though. Devin then expressed his complete awe of J.R.R. Tolkien and his imagination: “I wish I had his mind!” he said.