SUNY Purchase School of Design and Technology Celebrates 50th Anniversary

As the Design/Technology Program at the State University of New York at Purchase College celebrates 50 years, alumni will gather on May 3 in the upper lobby of the campus performing arts center from noon to 3pm. The afternoon will include a special welcome from the new president, Dr. Michael Steiper, as well as student-led tours of the Center for Media Film and Theatre. This complimentary gathering is framed as an opportunity to support the next generation of design/technology students and the program's continued growth.

The program takes a conservatory approach, beginning with a freshman year that is, essentially, an exploratory common set of studies stressing fundamental coursework and assigned tasks on actual productions. Beginning with the second year, concentrations are available in scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design; costume technology; stage management; and technical direction/production management.

The faculty includes many noted theatre/entertainment professionals, including David Grill, a lighting designer/director on numerous Super Bowl Halftime Shows and Olympic events; scenic designer Alexander Dodge (Broadway's Anastasia); scenic/lighting designer Maruti Evans (Romeo and Juliet, this summer at Shakespeare in Central Park); sound designer Sun Hee Kil (Bigfoot! The Musical, Off Broadway); scenic designer Tim Mackabbe (Bigfoot!), costume designer Anita Yavich (Broadway's Yellow Face), and lighting designer Jen Schriever (Broadway's The Lost Boys).

The department's alumni, who have infiltrated every show business sector, including Troy Atkinson (also a faculty member), general manager, scenic technologies operations at PRG; lighting designer Jeff Croiter (Disney Hercules, now in the West End); Kat DeNeve, art director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; opera and television lighting designer Shawn Kaufman; Brian Levin, president of projects at TAIT; Broadway lighting designer and educator Brian MacDevitt; film and television production designer Ina Mayhew; Hannah Osborne, head of props at Off Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors; lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Wicked); Melissa Shakun, art director for Saturday Night Live; Thom Widmann, senior director of production at the Juilliard School; Heather Wolensky, production designer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; and James Youmans, owner of Youmans Designs.

The program is also notable for maintaining the Broadway Technical Theatre History Project, which creates a living history of the shops and technical personnel who have played a role in the realization of Broadway productions. It is responsible for the Backstage Legends and Masters, an annual public presentation spotlighting individuals who have been central to the realization of Broadway productions for many years but are not typically provided recognition through the Tony or Drama Desk awards. This year's honoree, Bonnie L. Becker, has worked on Broadway for 30 years as a stage manager on productions including BOOP! The Musical; Bad Cinderella; Legally Blonde; On the Town; Billy Elliot: The Musical; School of Rock: The Musical; Bombay Dreams; Thoroughly Modern Millie; and The Scarlet Pimpernel, among many others. This event, which includes an interview with Becker, will take place on April 27 at 7pm and can be accessed via Zoom at purchase.zoom.us/j/97971659107#success.

For the 50th anniversary on May 3, the program's students are putting together a slide show of the 50 years of the program. Alumni are urged to send their favorite photos to dt50photos@gmail.com, noting the decade, to assist them in organizing the presentation.

Alumni planning on attending the anniversary event should RSVP at https://shorturl.at/pEog2 ASAP.