We’re interested in getting to know the faculty of the Division of Theatre and Dance a little better, so we asked them a few questions. Here’s what we learned from Professor Ethan Krupp who teaches Lighting, Scenic, and Sound Design and Technology classes
as well as some Theatre Appreciation sections.
What first got you interested in
or involved in theatre?
Took a drama class in 8th grade. I did some scenes from some Neil
Simon plays, as well as a Thornton Wilder one act play, among other things.
Really enjoyed doing the scenes and wanted to continue. That lead
to more drama classes and plays in 9th grade with the same teacher.
What made you want to teach theatre?
By the time I was trying to figure out what the plan was after college,
I had worked with a few teachers who had really nurtured my creativity and
shown me how powerful theatre could be. There's a long history of teaching in
my family, so that, combined with the impression these folks had made on me,
made exploring teaching as a career a logical plan.
What has been your favorite or most
exciting or most memorable theatre experience?
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| Professor Krupp's lighting design in Dance Concert 2016 |
One of my favorite experiences was one of my first professional design
jobs. I was hired to serve as the lighting designer for a new play called
The Last Hanging in Pike County that looked at the final hanging during the
feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. It was produced at Theatre at
Lime Kiln in Lexington, VA. The main performance space theatre was an
outdoor space built in and around a cluster old limestone kilns. The
scenic designer was my undergraduate design mentor and we worked really well
together, creating some beautiful moments on stage. My grandmother,
Margaret Rector, who was a playwright and producer earlier in her life was able
to come out and see my first professional show. It was pretty special.
I hadn't really been aware of my grandmother's theatre work before
getting more into theatre in college, but had been reading some her old plays
and pumping her for stories when I would go back home on breaks. The
intersection of my beginning professional design career, a typical crazy,
wonderful, busy summer stock experience, and my family history was quite
magical.
What's one show you would love to
work on?
I've always wanted to revisit Neil Simon's play The Prisoner of 2nd
Avenue. I did a scene from it in 8th grade that is etched in my brain. Before
coming to Bloomsburg, I had a chance to work on Plaza Suite, also by Simon, and
design the lights (as well as the Act III rain effect) for another play I did a
scene from in junior high school and I loved revisiting with an "old
friend."
Where would you love to work on
theatre?
Theatre at Lime Kiln will be a special place for me. The space
was just so amazing and unique. Working in outdoor summer theatre in
Virginia wasn't always the most pleasant in terms of weather and temperature.
Throw in the fact that you can only set light levels in an outdoor
theatre during overnight tech slots and you've got an experience custom built for
creating great memories! While I was in Houston, TX, I saw many shows at the
Alley Theatre but never had a chance to work for them. They are another
company I would love to work with.
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| Professor Krupp |
Who would you love to work with?
Thanks to my sabbatical during the Fall 2015 semester, I actually got
to work with two dear friends and colleagues, Tom Anderson and Will
Ingham...Tom was undergraduate mentor and Will was the scene shop manager (and
one of my bosses) during graduate school. I would love to work with Mark
Dean, my graduate school mentor again, as well as some of the folks I spent
time with in various summer stock companies over the years. Barbara
Masters was my high school drama teacher...I would give my left arm to work
with her again.
Some years ago I had the chance to hear Jules Fisher and Peggy
Eisenhower speak about their lighting design work. I would love to work
with them and pick their brains. Robert Edmond Jones (although deceased) is
another designer I would have given anything to work with again. The two
most bittersweet names, in terms of people I would love to work with, are both
people who clearly put me on the path to where I am now who died far too early,
Ron Masters and Mike Gorman. In part, I think some of why I do what I do
is to honor them and carry the small part of their legacy that lives inside of
me forward.
Ethan H. Krupp teaches design and technology classes as well as some of the general education classes. He serves as the Director of the Theatre and Dance Division and as the Division's Technical
Director. He's also a lighting, scenic, properties and sound designer for the BU Players and other theatre companies.
