Theatre Design and Production

Interested in researching and finding authentic period costumes? How about creating a set on a model scale before building it on stage? Or running a spotlight?

Students have always been involved in the behind-the-scenes aspects of producing one of our spectacular shows, but with the December 2007 production of Guys and Dolls, our tech theatre program has reached new heights. We hired professional set designer Larry Lawlor to work with students in creating NEYT’s first set on a truly Broadway-size and scope; a colorful extravaganza, complete with pivoting platforms, walls opening and closing, and student stagehands moving scenery in coordinated movements. Along with learning set design and construction, this group of eager young students also studied lighting and sound with Jerry Stockman, costuming with Sandy Klein, and ran the show during its entire two-week run.

NEYT's theatre tech program runs in conjunction with our major shows. Check under classes to find out more about how you can get involved. The Technical Theater Program is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

All About Technical Theatre

NEYT’s Technical Theatre Program provides opportunities for students ages 13 and up to learn how to design and execute all elements of a theatre production: scenic design, construction, painting, lighting, costuming, sound effects and music. Stage managing and running shows is a key part of the program.
NEYT recognizes that acting is only one facet of theater and works to support students whose interests and strengths are more suited to technical work. The program functions as an apprenticeship in which students are able to progress and take on leadership roles as they develop their skills.

The Technical Theatre Program at NEYT, coordinated by Rick Barron, dovetails with our productions so that practical skills are developed through real experience. Depending on the show and the requirements of the directors, this can involve design, construction, painting, and installing of sets, individual set elements, backdrops, etc.

Get Involved: The Tech program is for students ages 13 and up. It is free of charge.

Guys and Dolls Set

The Evolution of a Set

To begin the design process, the designer looks for photographic representations of the main physical elements in the set. In this case the landscape of a city with its high rise buildings, billboards and bright, exotic lighting, plus bars, cafes and newsstands; then the underground sense of being in a sewer with it’s dark tunnels and pipes and finally the foliage and landscape of Havana and the arched doors into the café.

Wait Until Dark Set

The entirety of the visible action for Wait Until Dark takes place in a Greenwich village apartment in the 1960s. Consequently this production, conceived and directed by NEYT artistic director Stephen Stearns, has been among the most literal and realistic of the sets produced by NEYT to date.