Students interested in entertainment industry careers can train on the latest in technology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Theatre.

The UAB Department of Theatre, in the College of Arts and Sciences, is known for the professional quality of its productions, which have won the highest honors in college theater. Each season, Theatre UAB presents five main-stage productions, and behind the scenes, students are trained to master design and production skills in scenery, costumes, props, lighting, sound and stage management.

The program for the Bachelor of Arts degree in theater with a concentration in design/technology provides training for students seeking careers as designers, stage managers, technical directors and other production-related professions. Students who have interest and ability in any of the theater design fields are encouraged to specialize in their field of interest, but also to experience and learn about the other fields with which their work must coordinate. One example is lighting designers, who will study scenic design and costume design so that they may understand the crucial interactions of color, texture and movement.

Another reason to choose UAB: Because of its location in a metropolitan area, students can work with professional theaters as undergraduates, which helps them make the transition into their professional career. Students get the chance to work with Red Mountain Theater both on- and offstage, including for the upcoming second annual collaboration April 4-19 of “Freaky Friday.” Buy tickets.

On a tour of the department’s performing spaces at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, Assistant Professor Therrin J. Eber pointed out the latest tools the department has installed.

Junior Devin Towery grinds metal for scenic construction in the Scene Shop.“I would say that we have easily one of the most technology-fluent programs in the state, if not the region,” said Eber, who is head of Design and Technology for Theatre UAB. “We offer a ton of opportunities to learn with us in design and technology and to use the state-of-the-art technology within our department.”

Design technology is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) discipline uniquely rooted in the arts, making it a true embodiment of STEAM. This “gem” of a program in the heart of Alabama introduces students to the same cutting-edge tools and techniques found in professional theater, ensuring they are prepared for industry-level work, Eber says.

“We are getting our students ready to go out and do these jobs,” he said. “We are training industry leaders in the technical fields. We have room for growth in our department, and we are looking to grow the design/tech major as well.”

Students who want to pursue a career in theater often realize while studying performance that design/tech is a viable career path where they can work regionally and commercially. The skills they learn are not just for theater: Other performing arts and entertainment fields require these skills as well.

“In today’s digital world, the skills gained in this program are highly transferable,” Eber said. “It is far more than just a theater degree. Some may assume job opportunities are limited, but entertainment is not disappearing — it is evolving and expanding into new markets in unexpected ways. Storytellers on platforms like TikTok are a great example, and I think more people have come to realize this in the post-pandemic era.”

Theatre UAB just added 24 new top-of-the-line moving lights and increased their LED and intelligent light inventory to compete with most professional theaters. Even the older lighting the department uses is the best available and used widely in the industry, from Broadway to community theaters. Theme parks and cruise ship entertainment, the trade show industry, and large-scale event design and production are additional career paths for graduates.

“Those lights are used by every theme park and cruise ship in the world,” Eber said.

Senior Cade McCall renders a costume design for a class project.UAB additionally boasts 12 Colorado Batten LED strip lights, 10 German Lighting Products moving stage lights and 30 Color Source spotlights. The Alys Stephens Center converted most of the Sirote Theatre to LED so Theatre UAB could convert its old instrumentation with new. The department could be completely LED but prefers to have a mixture of conventional and LED fixtures so students can learn to use everything they will encounter when they leave UAB.

When people say the word “art,” most people think of paint and clay; but art has become very digital. The department offers digital rendering on iPads and has a 12-computer Mac lab for student use.

Theatre UAB was an early adopter of the self-tape studio. Students can choose their own lighting and setups to practice recording, reviewing and critiquing their video submissions for professional auditions. The department’s first dedicated self-tape studio was installed in the UAB Hulsey Center for the Arts this fall. Virtual auditions using digital submissions have become ubiquitous in the industry. Instead of auditioning in person, casting directors and theaters will take video submissions first and then call actors back if they want to see them in person or virtually.

The UAB Scene Shop is equipped with a state-of-the-art computer numerical control machine, a tool that uses a computer to cut out intricate designs based on computer drawings. CNC machines are used in many industries to create parts from materials like metals, wood, aluminum and plastics. 

“And the use of this machine is not just theater-related,” Eber said. “If you learn how to use this thing, it opens you up to an entire woodworking and machining industry.”

Theatre UAB’s sound technology features digital sound consoles, Dante audio interface, in-ear monitors for orchestra musicians, a 12,000-lumen laser projector, full licenses of QLab software and access to the Adobe Creative suites for sound editing through UAB Technology. Guest artists from all around the country come to teach and work with students on running the department’s completely digital sound system.

With a large-format 60-inch printer, the department prints show posters and scenery backdrops in-house. The Theatre UAB Costume Studio uses the flat patterning software Wild Ginger for drawing and altering patterns that they can then print in actual size. Costume Technology faculty and staff work with fashion design digital software programs like CLO, which helps users visualize the fit, fabric and silhouette of their designs. Many of the department’s costumes each year are built or altered in-house in the studio using these tools.

"Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," fall 2024. Directed by Santiago Sosa, with scenic design by Alan Schwanke; costume design by Kimberly Schnormeier; lighting design by Kelly Allison. Photo by Alan Schwanke.The department’s Acting Studio is a classroom by day and performance venue by night, where students produce up to eight shows every year.

“But what is awesome about the Acting Studio is that it has a full LED lighting system and the capability for surround sound,” Eber said. “While students are learning directing and acting and the performance side of things, we can also bring design tech students in here, or student actors who are interested in dipping their feet in the design/tech end of the pool, and they have the chance to design a student project or really explore in this space.”

The person who is a good fit for theater design/technology is someone eager to learn, who is looking to make art in new and innovative ways, while building on a standard foundation. A student “who is always ready for the next shiny technological advancement — artists who want to continue to grow and see where the industry is going,” Eber said.

“With the technology we can offer, we are an extremely hands-on program that offers opportunities left and right to students who want to pursue their art,” he said. “We are looking for artists who want to really explore what’s next.”