Long ago, not so far away, I decided to study theater arts at Miami Dade Community College. I took three semesters of courses ranging from acting, directing, stage production, lighting, and stage design.
Paris at Night
I took to stage design right away because of an artistic bend and sensibility. Power tools became my tools of mass creation. One of my biggest projects included a stage scene for “The Madwoman of Chaillot.” The scene depicted Paris at night. It had a backdrop cutout of the Eiffel Tower and surrounding buildings and trees in plywood. My professor kept the Eiffel tower part on show in the workshop for future students to get inspired by.
Tools of the trade
I learned to use many power tools. I had never had the opportunity to work with them before. Then, I discovered I had sawdust in my blood. After the Paris backdrop, I created life-size animal cutouts for our second-semester production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
The Night Queen
For The Magic Flute, I also tried out for the part of the night queen and got two callbacks. In the end, my voice was good. But they wanted me to read music because it was an opera. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
Lighting the Night
My third semester was spent in the lighting booth, hanging ellipsoidal reflector lamps high above the theater. I usually did not care to be at heights because of my fear. But there I was, hanging on the edge, getting the job done. I was driven by passion for the work.
I have a funny story from my lighting days. I had to work the lighting booth with a fellow student. This student probably never bathed. You have to understand this is an enclosed space reached only through a crawl space. It was not the space you can just step outside for fresh air. I was trapped!
A champion of multi-tasking, I juggled a full-time job, full-time college semesters, and many extra hours building production sets. I didn’t get enough proper sleep. Still, I felt energized. My passion for what I was doing fueled me.
Whatever your dreams are, you can achieve whatever you set your heart and energy to. Just follow what you are passionate about.
I have no regrets. The time was well spent. The experiences were priceless. All of these led to enormous personal growth.
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