Design and Technical Theatre Program

ABOUT DESIGN & TECHNICAL THEATRE

NEYT’s Design & Technical Theatre Program is an integral part of what we do. In a theatre “of, for, and by kids”, it is not just the performers you see making the magic happen. We trust in our young people as collaborators – that includes everything “backstage” from design through execution. This program provides opportunities for students ages 12 and up to learn more about all elements of a theatre production:

- Scenic design & construction
- Scenic painting
- Prop construction
- Lighting & sound design
- Costuming design & construction
  - Hair & make-up styling
  - Stage management
  - Running crew

This program dovetails with our production projects so that practical skills are developed through real experience. Students take on leadership roles as they develop their skills. Our young people are also given the responsibility for running the technical aspects of NEYT performances.

Coordinated by Jason Clark (Technical Director), Sandy Klein (Creative Director), and Jerry Stockman (Associate Technical Director)

Summer Tech and Design 2016

Click on the photo below for more images.

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.