There’s a nosebleed by the entrance of the Art Center doors which leads to the mitochondria of GA’s Belfry, or theater programs, shows. There’s work that goes on “behind the curtain” that remains hidden from the audience: the reason the back row can hear the stage just as well as the front row; the background music which captivates the audience, and the multicolored lights which brighten and dim throughout the show building suspense behind the plays and musicals. All of this is contributed by the tech theater crew hosted by Mr. Paul Moffit, director of “backstage.”
Mr. Moffit is responsible for the teaching of carpentry, painting, architectural designing, technological lighting, and the production of soundtracks.
Mr. Moffit became interested in theater when he was introduced to theater in high school. He was active in the acting program itself, but was also responsible for the design, lighting and more behind the stage. A turning point for his interest in technical theater started when he designed nearly the entire set, and worked both on and off the stage.
“By the time I was a senior, I was lighting and designing the shows that I was in and I was also the lead in the show,” Mr. Moffitt said. “I joked that the spotlight should just be put on me,”
After high school, Mr. Moffit continued his passion for theater. He was offered both a scholarship at Loyola in New Orleans for acting and a technical theater scholarship at Carnegie Mellon for their conservatory program.
“It was a hard decision, but I decided that my love for theater really lay in the technical aspects of it,” Mr. Moffitt said. “I majored in technical theater and earned a BFA with emphasis in lighting design.”
After graduation, Mr. Moffitt furthered his career traveling both nationally and internationally. He traveled to about 30 different cities in Europe and worked with a variety of groups from modern dance to entire theater productions. Some of these include Pig Iron Theater Company, Farber Foundry from South Africa, the Wilma Theater, Philadelphia Theater, Company Celtic Dance from Ireland and World Inferno Friendship Society, a punk rock band located in New York City.
“Modern dance is really my home,” Mr. Moffitt said. Doing lighting design for modern dance has always been one of my favorite things to do.”
Mr. Moffitt started teaching earlier as a side job but settled at GA in 2016. Over his time at GA, he has met and inspired many students who have taken their technical theater education further past the academy.
Underclassmen and upperclassmen alike are involved collectively as the tech theater “crew.” Students can choose this course as an art class their freshman year, or pick it up in their following years. The course description emphasizes its ability to supply life-long lessons and skills that could apply far past GA.
“I joined my freshman year as I was attracted to the idea of learning skills I was completely naive to before,” Maya Salerno ‘27 said. “Carpentry, welding and set designs in general are few to name. I have found myself especially proud of mine and Mr. Moffitt’s friendship and his undeniable support through my progress, and the connections I have gotten out of peers in tech crew are worthy to mention.”
As young as freshman students can enroll in theater, these students might move on and graduate carrying those skills in oblique ways: renovating their first home, rediscovering their love for painting, or may even choose to carry on with technical theater itself far into the future, like Moffitt at the ripe age of 18.