Student Blogger: Laken Burkhardt

As college students, most of us have probably become accustomed to working with fellow actors our age who may have been doing theatre for several years, but how often are we getting involved in our communities to work with children and teens who are being introduced to theatre for potentially the first time? This July, I did just that.

How many of us have had the opportunity to work in an unconventional theater space? To strip down bare, take away all the commodities that a traditional theater has, and perform a show in a unique space with a simple sound system and just a few par-cans? One local theatre company in Johnstown, PA has been doing just that. The Stone Bridge Players theatre company performs every summer right in the middle of downtown on the third floor of the local Flood Museum.

14 months ago I and a group of students from my college (Pitt-Johnstown) embarked on a project working with a local Summer Stock theater in our area to commemorate their 80th anniversary. The Mountain Playhouse is local professional equity theatre in Jennerstown, PA that got its start in 1939 being created from an old Gristmill. Other than being shut down during the war, and a fire, this theater has been putting shows on every year.

The key to every good stage manager, is what you have as your arsenal in your bag. You need to be prepared, because you never know what disaster is going to strike (or when). My list is definitely not a complete list, but this is everything that I tend to carry. This is also for anyone who is thinking about becoming a stage manager, most people who stage manage probably know that these are the basics.

The time has come where all of the costumes are cleaned and put away, the set is struck and taken back into storage, and the prompt book is closed one last time. Closing a show that you have prided yourself in is never an easy task, especially when you put your literal blood, sweat, and tears into it (many personal injuries, but we're fine). A Midsummer Night's Dream will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Getting ready to open our production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" has my brain in 40 different directions, which had me stumped on this week's article.

Their day started with an unknown script in a box, 14.5 hours later Stage Right in Greensburg, PA attempted to break a World Record for "Fastest Theatrical Production." Having this short amount of time to complete an almost impossible task, their hard work and efforts were a huge success.

When you are a college student, sometimes you get the opportunity to work professional events that may come through your theatre on campus. I recently got the experience of working my first union gig for a national touring company that came through my town, and working on that type of theatre is much different than working a normal college show. I felt like a small kid learning all kinds of new information - impressed and terrified at the same time.

Trying to figure out what career is right for you can be one of the hardest parts of college. I didn't figure out exactly what I wanted to be doing until my Junior year. Studying and working in theatre can be one of the most versatile careers/degrees out there. So, how do you know it's right for you?