Ben Inniger, Guest Blogger, Broadway Sound Master Classes

Greetings from the tail end of the Broadway Sound Master Classes. It has been a truly astounding week full of inspiration! It is a rare occurrence for one weekend to be such a significant catalyst of ideas. I am about to enter into my thesis year at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and I can't help but think about how many of the ideas and tips will apply directly to my thesis. I never anticipated thinking so much about it, but I am completely confident that the quality of the work will be significantly impacted because of my experiences here in New York. This is certainly not limited to technical tips and tricks involvement wireless management, delay and mix strategies, etc, but more so maintaining a spirit of positive and effective collaboration with the production team. The ladies and gentlemen leading the workshop know how to collaborate and perpetuate positive relationships. I have gained so much inspiration become a more effective collaborator and tuning my process to accommodate those relationships.

It has been a tremendous privilege to learn and talk to the heroes of the industry. I appreciate them taking the time to teach us, to share their experiences, and to make young designers feel worthwhile and encourage us to improve and continue our pursuits. It has also been a privilege to get to know the other student designers as we will all be seeing and working with each other much in the future. There is no doubt that the relationships we are building now will manifest in the future as we work together and help each other grow in the industry. I have met a few these designers through KCACTF and USITT, and it has been a treat to further work with them, and share this common experience.

The presenters and administrators of the festival have my gratitude for such an amazing and inspiring weekend. The great thing about theatre is I am sure we will all get an opportunity to talk and work together again.

—Ben Inniger, student, Minnesota State University