The School of Design & Production offers continuing education classes each summer. Each class is held in our state-of-the-art production facilities and theatres. Continuing education classes are available to anyone but space is limited and is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The classes are geared toward theatre educators and professionals who are looking to acquire new skills or brush up on the latest theatre technology.

Digital Theatre Sound Design
June 10 - 12
Cost: $750

Theatrical Rigging
June 10 - 12
Cost: $750

Special F/X Makeup
June 10 - 12
Cost: $750

Dennis Gill Booth, Theatrical Rigging

Jason Romney, Digital Theatre Sound Design

Michael Meyer, Special Effects Makeup

Registration

To register for a class, download and complete the sign-up form and
mail it to the address below.

Sign-up form

Method of Payment
Please mail a check payable to “North Carolina School of the Arts”
to the address below. $325 is required in advance to reserve your
seat. The remainder is payable upon arrival at the workshop.

Jason Romney
Design and Production
1533 South Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27127

Phone: (336) 770-3232 ext. 149
Fax: (336) 770-3213
Email: romneyj@ncarts.edu

• Is a CD player your idea of digital sound playback for theatre?
• When you edit your sound cues, do you still use a razor blade?
• Do you consider a ten second fade a great ending to a sound cue?
• Would you like to learn the latest digital technology for theatre sound?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, the Digital Theatre Sound Design Workshop is for you!

Whether you’re a high school drama teacher, a lighting design professor who teaches a sound class, a technical director for a theatre who doesn’t have an in-house sound designer, or a seasoned pro that needs a brush up, we’ll teach you how you can afford the latest digital sound technology for your organization and use it to create professional quality sound designs.

Each participant will be awarded 2 Continuing Education Units from North Carolina School of the Arts. Each participant will also be sent home with training materials to help you teach these skills to your own students and co-workers.

Classes will consist of instruction and hands-on experience in some of NCSA's six theatres and in our pre-production sound lab with seven complete digital audio workstations. Each workstation includes a Mac Pro computer, M-Audio Ozonic audio interface and MIDI keyboard, and Event 20/20 studio monitors. Software includes Pro Tools, Logic Studio, Reason, Waves Diamond, SFX(tm), QLab, LARA, and more. Each station has access to our sound effects server with over 13,000 effects and growing!

This workshop is not simply a demonstration of new technology or an opportunity to rub elbows with important people. Each participant will be given exclusive access to a digital audio workstation and will learn to use these tools through practical application.

Day 1 – Producing Digital Sound Content
This day will be spent learning Pro Tools and Reason. You’ll learn how to create sound effects, music, and complex sequences with these powerful software applications. Topics to include:

• ProTools Editing
• Creating a Sound Effect
• Combining Sound & Music
• MIDI Sequencing

• Simplifying sound operation to a GO button
• Non-linear playback
• Musical vamping
• External triggers

• The case against Point Source
• The case against Stereo
• Panning vs. Revealing
• Dramatic Shape
• Surrounding with loudspeakers vs. Surrounding with sound
• Underscoring dialog

Participants from last year had the following to say about their experience:

“This workshop is well worth the time and money I invested in it. I look forward to being able to take advantage of the skills and experience of the [NCSA] staff at future workshops.” --Tom Schultz

“Jason is smart, energetic, creative, and enthusiastic. There wasn't a moment of wasted time in the workshop. I can't imagine how more information could have been crammed into the three days. One thing that makes the workshop particularly interesting is the fact that Jason doesn't just use trumped-up classroom assignments -- he uses examples and exercises that are drawn from his own work in the theatre. He takes you the whole way from the "problem" (a scene in a play) to the conception of a design to the implementation of this design, and finally to listening to your composed sound in the theatre. You get your hands on the software and hardware and learn how to use it.” --Jennifer Burg

“Information was well prepared and presented and the tutorials were easy to follow. The in-theatre session was very illuminating. I also was glad to go through the shopping list at the end. Very handy.” --Rob Eastman-Mullins

“The hands-on was special for me. You can talk all day, however, once one physically does the work . . . it all sinks in. Also, the choice of design examples that were used in the tutorials were excellent.” --Cheryl J. Williams

• Concerned about the safe operation of theatrical counterweight systems?
• Unfamiliar with common rigging hardware and their correct application?
• Concerned about scheduling regular inspections of your theatre’s rigging systems?
• Mystified about how to recognize unsafe rigging situations?

Three days of intensive classes will consist of instruction and hands-on experience with theatrical rigging hardware and systems at NCSA’s theatre and shop facilities. You will be introduced to an array of literature and web sites that have reliable information about rigging hardware and components, how to select reliable hardware, and where to buy it.

Starting with basic instruction in the safe operation of counterweight systems, topics covered will include:

• Recognizing unsafe situations and assessing risk
• Safe working loads of basic components
• Hardware inspection and selection
• Counterweight system basic operation
• Counterweight system basic inspection
• Basic methods of attaching rigging to scenery
• Basic rope and wire rope techniques

Day 1— Fundamentals of Rigging
Assessing the risks. Using rope and wire rope, calculating safe working loads, basic hardware components, learning some basic knots, equipment care and inspection. How and where to shop for, select and purchase reliable hardware and supplies.

Day 2— Shop Work
How to build basic components for rigging scenery. Hands-on techniques for installing, using and hanging various types of components. Learn some more knots, and inspect, handle and use real hardware and components. Learn what types of rigging hardware to stock up on, and how it is safely used.

Day 3— In the Theatre
Do a basic inspection of a theatre’s counterweight system, identifying components and learning basic operating techniques. Remember, this is hands-on, so bring your work gloves! Learn to do basic operations safely, like transferring soft goods and hanging basic scenery components.

An intense hands-on and practical experience in demistifying the process of special effects makeup for theatre and film. The workshops will not be limited to latex materials but will use other quick and easy out of the box solutions. By the end of the workshop you will have constructed usable latex, foam urethane, and gelatin prosthetics. You will use these materials in aging techniques, realistic nose changes, and simple cut wounds.

Special F/X Makeup

Day 1 — Introduction and Face
-Casting
-Introduction to Special F/X Make-up
-Slide show Presentation
-Material introduction Latex, Foamed Urethane, Gelatin -Safety -Face Casting in Alginate -Ending with a plaster positive of the face -Beginning of sculpting

Day 2 — Working with the Materials
-Sculpting and Texturing of desired prosthetics -Mold making -Start running of Materials

Day 3 — Practical Applications
-Running of Materials
-Application techniques
-Practical application and coloring
-Q&A