The Show Must Go On! – Visual Arts Student Spotlight

Between working, going to school full time, and working on building a stage set, Brandon Shows finds keeping time for his social life to be somewhat difficult. With the Entertainment Technologies degree, he is en route to gain this Fall, he has learned a great number of skills necessary for stage production.

This graphic is property of Chelsea Spiers and Gulf Coast State College, 2019

With certificates for basic stage craft, video production, and even sound production, Brandon is well on his way to becoming an expert in his field. Each one of these production areas are extremely important to the realm of theatre, and without people who are knowledgeable about them the theatre would lose the polish it has earned over the years.

While it may look effortless to the patrons, theatre productions must be like a well-oiled machine. If one thing goes wrong, then the entire team must work together twice as hard in order to keep things running smoothly. It is easy to see that the theatre department at Gulf Coast State College holds teamwork at the highest level. Despite his busy schedule, Brandon must make room for at least 10 production events for a class that we are both taking together.

These events cover a wide range of topics, such as Military Hour, Coach’s Corner, Visual Arts productions, as well as sports events such as basketball or baseball. Being a theatre major you might think that Brandon would shy away from sports, but that isn’t the case. “I used to play baseball when I was younger…I enjoy all sports,” said Shows. It is so nice to see students with such a wide array of interests. In fact, before this major Brandon didn’t have an interest in theatre at all. “I had never seen a play in my life…I had no idea that I would like [theatre] so much, now I’m watching plays and reading scripts.”

Brandon goes on to mention that this department has helped him open his eyes to a whole new world of entertainment. Without the theatre program at GCSC, Brandon would have never begun to find interest in plays.

This graphic is property of Gulf Coast State College, 2019

Right now the theatre department is still working on rebuilding the stage inside the Amelia Center for the Arts. On top of making repairs each week they are also working on the set for their upcoming show, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” This play, which is showing April 5^th-7^th, and the 12^th-14^th, will be at 7:30pm on the weekends, and at 2:30pm on Sunday afternoons for a matinee.Tickets can be found online at www.gulfcoast.edu/arts.

For this particular set, the biggest hurdle right now are the 4 enormous towers.

They are so massive that they must be put together in 2 pieces. Once assembled they use the “Genie” scissor lift to hoist it up high enough to attach them to each other. “We have to get all the way up there while somebody was holding it and screw them together,” said Brandon. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a lot of trust and teamwork to me! As well as the 4 towers at the front of the stage, the production team is also working on building a large house for the background, which should fill much of the stage. Having to operate heavy machinery is all in a day’s work on the theatre production team.

You must show that you can be trusted to use it, and that you know what you are doing. A team cannot function without trust, and it is obvious to me that each person plays an important role here. There are a few things in the stage area that are still having a few problems, such at the curtain system. But situations like this give the students ample opportunity to learn how to think on their feet. Having to think under pressure is all part of theatre, and there is no better way to learn this than having to experience it firsthand.

Brandon has already shown that he is ready to start making connections that will last him past his schooling days. Having just returned from the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, he is up to his limit in the business side of theatre. The conference takes place over 3 large hotels and conference centers, and it is full of different schools looking to recruit the next big name in theatre and production tech. This conference does come with hard work, as “you are constantly on your feet, and you’re constantly learning something.”

However, it was a wonderful experience that he wouldn’t trade for anything. He began to make several connections with different people and businesses, such as a few local Panama City Beach companies, 3 cruise lines, a company based in North Carolina, and a show that travels all over the United States. Brandon shared with me that traveling is something that has really been a strong urge inside of him for the past several years, so knowing that he could have the opportunity to work for a nomadic production team is incredibly exciting. Coming from not knowing anything at all about the theatrical world to where he is now, Brandon Shows has opened his horizons even wider than he ever could have expected.

This entire experience began because he felt that this degree program would be the most fun he could ever have in college, and he will be leaving having found a new passion in his life. “This compliments the creative side as well as the technical,” says Shows. Brandon’s admiration for both actors and stage technician has grown to new heights over these past couple of years, which is easily understandable. All of these students work extremely hard in order to learn and become something great in the world of theatre, and I know that we will be hearing great things about Brandon Shows.

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