OJAI, CA — The Thacher School has a performing arts program that reflects the creative culture of its surrounding area, including the annual Ojai Musical Festival and the presence of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, just 75 miles to the southeast. Students can take a variety of specialized classes, including a technical theater course that gives them hands-on experience in stage lighting, including lightplots, for the 40 to 50 events held in the school’s Milligan Center for the Performing Arts and elsewhere each year.
Earlier this year, the school added a new tool for students to experiment and learn with: an ETC Ion lighting control console.
As the school began to add more and more moving lights to its inventory, Thacher School staff recognized the need for a console that could easily control a mixed rig. “It’s really easy to teach the Ion, since the board is easy to understand,” said Claire Kendrick, Thacher’s technical director. “We also wanted to give the kids the chance to use a lighting board that they would encounter in college and in future careers.”
All of Thacher’s tech-theater students are given the chance to use the board and have quickly gotten the hang of it. Beginners find the console intuitive enough to program simple shows, while advanced students have a number of features to experiment with to create their own signature lighting looks. “You can mold Ion to do whatever you want,” said Kendrick.
The ability to name cues and reorder them with ease was a particular draw for Kendrick. “I love that you can copy and paste cues, and that turning channels on is so straightforward. You can easily put a cue or channels on a slider with Ion.”
The Thacher School also employs an Ion Universal Fader Wing with the console, adding further functionality to the main board. It also allows the students to store several basic looks on the Wing, so they can access them quickly during shows or lectures in the hall.
The first major performance using their new Ion was in March when Thacher staged Guys and Dolls. Student Wils Dawson designed and programmed the show’s lighting while Kendrick mentored on backup. One of the next big tests the console will take will be in the fall when the school puts on its mid-semester play.
For more information, please visit www.etcconnect.com.
