Programs
Lights! Camera! Innovation!
Improvements over the last two years to the Hugh Wilkinson Theatre funded by C.A.S.E. (Communications, Arts, Sciences and Entrepreneurship) and the Bradley Family Foundation are helping Shawnigan take this year’s school musical – Chicago (Teen Edition) – to the McPherson Playhouse stage.
Two years ago, C.A.S.E. funded the purchase of 16 state-of-the-art wireless microphone sets, the same model used by the professionals at the McPherson Playhouse. The mics, which were also used during last year’s musical, Grease, allow the students to sing at the same levels they will be singing in the final production.
Last summer, C.A.S.E. provided funding for a renovation of the production booth at the back of the Wilkinson Theatre. Until last summer, all the equipment was in one end of the booth, and the students working there were virtually on top of one another. Now they can work in a more professional environment, similar to that of the McPherson Playhouse.
“The bigger booth is a better environment to work in,” says Mr. Sal Interlandi, theatre teacher and Chicago director. “It allows the crews to work more comfortably and mimics what they will be doing at McPherson.”
Mr. Interlandi notes that helping to create the tech booth is not something C.A.S.E. would normally do, as the program typically helps with the purchase of equipment rather than infrastructure, but it saw the value in the tech booth and its relevance to C.A.S.E.’s imperative.
The booth has space for the students to operate the lights, and audio equipment, including mics, sound and music gear, as well as video equipment. Mr. Interlandi would like to add streaming capabilities in the near future, which would allow parents around the world to tune into theatrical, dance, and music performances throughout the year.
Shawnigan’s production of Chicago is headed to the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria on February 5-8. Tickets are now available here.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
