BLACKSBURG, VA – Ryan Kirk, cofounder of New York-based Tinc Design & Productions, returned to his alma mater, Virginia Tech's Department of Theatre & Cinema, to serve as guest artist. While there, he stage-managed a production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth and taught a stage management class. The Skin of Our Teeth was "a big undertaking, their main stage show of the year," Kirk said. "I was able to bring the perspective of a professional stage manager to the production, although all the design, lighting and projection was done by the students. The play featured a lot of video and projection with many projection surfaces being set pieces."
The Advanced Stage Management class, meanwhile, gave Kirk an opportunity to give students a new perspective on the profession to which they were aspiring.
"I stage managed theater all through college but have been primarily handling production management for events since we opened Tinc," said Kirk. "So it was very cool to bring a lot of things to the students from the events world that they normally wouldn't have access to. At the same time, it served as an introduction for them to other avenues – opera, dance, event and production management – that use the same skill sets they're developing. They learned that there are a lot of different ways to use their theater skills."
Kirk explored many practical areas with the students: what to expect when leaving college, the life of a freelancer, how to market yourself, how to handle referrals. He also had them make up business cards and invoices.
"The project culminated in a more in-depth look at production management," Kirk said. "I had them do preproduction on a mock event with everything from budgeting to booking and scheduling. The students had fun and learned a great deal in the process. It was a class that was truly unique to the school."
Greg Justice, a professor in the department who served as director of The Skin of Our Teeth, called Kirk's involvement a "win/win," citing benefits to students who were involved in the production and the stage management class.
Patricia Raun, director of the School of Performing Arts and cinema head of the Department of Theatre & Cinema, noted that "the students and faculty here at Virginia Tech have been so impressed with the approaches and tools that Ryan has introduced in his capacity as Guest Artist. He has us thinking about stage management in a whole new way."
The creative team for The Skin Of Our Teeth also included Dylan Amick as assistant director, Bill Barksdale as technical director, Donnie Brooks on projectors, Kate Burnham as prop designer, Jessica Carson as lighting designer, Amanda Cox as dramaturg, Shaozhou Cui as photographer, Carly Erickson as assistant stage manager, Kevin Frazier as assistant lighting designer, Theresa Harmon as costumer designer, C.J. Mellides as sound designer and head electrician, Jackie Mullen as assistant stage manager, Cara Rawlings as first choreographer and acting coach, Adam Ressa as scenographer and Jane Stein as dinosaur designer.
For more information, please visit www.tincproductions.com .
