Keeping Up With Kelly – Visual Arts Student Spotlight

I ventured into the Theatre building for the first time ever this week and was extremely impressed with both the building itself and the staff. Almost immediately upon entering the stage area I was met by Brian Ballif, an assistant professor of Theatre and Entertainment Technologies. He quickly introduced me to Kelly Kirkland, an Entertainment Technologies major here at Gulf Coast State College. Quickly approaching the end of her 2 year associates degree, Kelly only has a few more months until she will be eligible for graduation in the Fall.

Photo of Kelly Kirkland property of Chelsea Spiers and Gulf Coast State College, 2019.

During her first semester Kelly only had one Entertainment Technologies class, and she did not think she had the skills to excel in it. It has been a journey of self-discovery for Kelly, in which she has learned skills that she had never thought she was capable of before.

After getting to know the professors in this degree program during her second semester, Kelly officially joined the theatre program by changing her major. “These people are really cool…It’s crazy to see how much I learned in such a small gap of time. If you had talked to me 2 years ago I didn’t even know what a power tool was, and now I’m out here building stuff, which I never thought I’d be able to do.” This major, which includes a large variety of classes surrounding technical theatre skills, includes painting, carpentry, and other shop work.

There are also several technology-based classes, such as learning how to manage lighting and sound equipment. I asked Kelly what kind of jobs were available for people doing this type of degree program, because being outside of the theatre realm I had never even stopped to consider those things. She stated that there is a plethora of jobs, even outside of theatre. “Stuff you learn here you can apply to any live entertainment… stuff like concerts, game shows, and museums.” It really opened my eyes at just how much this degree program helps to equip you for a job, whether it be directly related to the entertainment field or not. Not only will these skills help Kelly and the many other Entertainment Tech students in the working world, but it has already helped here at the school.

The Theatre department just finished helping to build a new stage for the Studio in the Advanced Technology Center building at Gulf Coast. I have seen and worked on different production events with this stage, and I can say for certain that these students really know what they are doing. Their level of craftsmanship has really been shown to me in such a short amount of time, and I know they are a huge asset to the college. Last October, after Hurricane Michael swept through the panhandle, many buildings at the college were significantly damaged. One of these buildings was the theatre building. Even now construction is still being done in the theatre, and as such the theatre department has only about 10 feet of available stage space to use in their set building. Brian Ballif echoed these thoughts. He said that things were a bit messy right now, but that he knows they will take this entire situation as a learning experience. Kelly also stated that this is good for all of them. “We’re being really challenged with building [the set], which is neat.”

Graphic is property of Gulf Coast State College, 2019.

This set will be for the Musical Recital on Sunday March 10^th at 2:30 pm. The theatre department is working as diligently as they can to keep their spirits alive, as well as helping to keep the spirits of the students and faculty alive with this show. It is important that we have events like this recital to look forward to, even in the aftermath of such a devastating storm.  Just as the old saying goes, “the show must go on!” This saying is very evident in the minds of Kelly, Brian, and the rest of these students.

Kelly Kirkland also stated that times like this, where you must be on your toes, is one of here favorite parts of live theatre. “There is all the time you spend building your show, and then when it goes to open anything can happen.” She posed several scenarios that I had never even considered, such as “what if a storm comes by, or the power goes out…what if a crazy person busts in?” You always need to be prepared for things that might go wrong, and if you ignore them then you might not be cut out for this line of work.

Kelly stated that these would be the times to jump into action, and the times that she and her entire theatre department had been planning for. You don’t ever want your show to face any difficulties, but it is better to be prepared than to be surprised. The theatre program had just returned from a job fair whenever I arrived at the theatre building, and Kelly shared with me that she was offered a job there. It is wonderful to see that her hard work is paying off, and that it is noticeable from others who are already in the professional side of theatre.

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