oops
I just realized I never posted about my interview.
It went well. I thought I was way ahead of time as I was going down the interstate, but I lost a bunch on the two-lane highway going over to DeKalb (home of barbed wire and Cindy Crawford). I got there right on time (a change for me recently), and first met with the Search Committee, a mix of students and Profs, Theatre and Dance. 5 or 6 in all. Then I got to sit in on the Master Electrician class (one that I won't be 'officially' teaching, but will certainly be assisting in instructing for). Then lunch with the committee, then a meeting with the head of the department, then a tour of the building (a total of 3 performing spaces, the smallest being the "Performers corner", a kind of lecture hall space that's used for minimal theater pieces at least weekly). Then a group meeting with any interested faculty or student. There were about 6 or 8 grad and undergrad students, and two or three professors. That was the more grueling questioning session (though one question was if that was my usual wardrobe, or was I more of a jeans and T-shirt guy? I admitted that, no, the suit and tie were extraordinary.) The last event was a tour of a (semi-)local production company that the Theatre works closely with, UpStaging Inc. They're becoming one of the biggest two or three production companies in the US, and they're situated just up the road in Sycamore. They let the theatre use, free of charge, many state-of-the-art lighting toys, just so the kids get experience with them. The upside for them is that they then get a chance to hire the grad students for their company (what's happened to recent people in my position). They build and tour rock shows for international bands (one of the two shows that I saw them working on was Barbara Streisand's Europe Tour!). But they do not just rock, but also convention or expo displays. They had a bunch of Evinrude motors they were making display stands and tanks for. So they go to whatever city, set up the display, and then light it to be the most attention-grabbing. Big business. In the winter, they usually have 150 trucks out, in the summer, double that. So I'll have the chance to work with these guys, but for me, more in a co-operative way, I'm long past when I'll be touring with a show. But the chance to see, use, and train on, the latest in lighting technology is exciting.
They mentioned that there were three candidates that they were interviewing and that I was the first, so I have to wait the longest to hear news. (however, B, the lighting prof, let slip that one of the candidates, from Nebraska, by the way, had cancelled.) So I feel really good about this. I'll be supervising the grad students who are supervising the freshmen. And yes, there is potential for me to work for my MFA while I'm there. Alex (dept. chair) thought that a full load was a bit much with my regular duties, but if I was willing to take my time, it could be done slowly. I get to take two classes a year free of charge, one per semester. So the profs were really cool. The building is old and needing major renovations, but there's a $19.2 Million plan in the works, probably a few years down the road. So now I'm back to waiting, but I feel good about it. Wish me luck.
It went well. I thought I was way ahead of time as I was going down the interstate, but I lost a bunch on the two-lane highway going over to DeKalb (home of barbed wire and Cindy Crawford). I got there right on time (a change for me recently), and first met with the Search Committee, a mix of students and Profs, Theatre and Dance. 5 or 6 in all. Then I got to sit in on the Master Electrician class (one that I won't be 'officially' teaching, but will certainly be assisting in instructing for). Then lunch with the committee, then a meeting with the head of the department, then a tour of the building (a total of 3 performing spaces, the smallest being the "Performers corner", a kind of lecture hall space that's used for minimal theater pieces at least weekly). Then a group meeting with any interested faculty or student. There were about 6 or 8 grad and undergrad students, and two or three professors. That was the more grueling questioning session (though one question was if that was my usual wardrobe, or was I more of a jeans and T-shirt guy? I admitted that, no, the suit and tie were extraordinary.) The last event was a tour of a (semi-)local production company that the Theatre works closely with, UpStaging Inc. They're becoming one of the biggest two or three production companies in the US, and they're situated just up the road in Sycamore. They let the theatre use, free of charge, many state-of-the-art lighting toys, just so the kids get experience with them. The upside for them is that they then get a chance to hire the grad students for their company (what's happened to recent people in my position). They build and tour rock shows for international bands (one of the two shows that I saw them working on was Barbara Streisand's Europe Tour!). But they do not just rock, but also convention or expo displays. They had a bunch of Evinrude motors they were making display stands and tanks for. So they go to whatever city, set up the display, and then light it to be the most attention-grabbing. Big business. In the winter, they usually have 150 trucks out, in the summer, double that. So I'll have the chance to work with these guys, but for me, more in a co-operative way, I'm long past when I'll be touring with a show. But the chance to see, use, and train on, the latest in lighting technology is exciting.
They mentioned that there were three candidates that they were interviewing and that I was the first, so I have to wait the longest to hear news. (however, B, the lighting prof, let slip that one of the candidates, from Nebraska, by the way, had cancelled.) So I feel really good about this. I'll be supervising the grad students who are supervising the freshmen. And yes, there is potential for me to work for my MFA while I'm there. Alex (dept. chair) thought that a full load was a bit much with my regular duties, but if I was willing to take my time, it could be done slowly. I get to take two classes a year free of charge, one per semester. So the profs were really cool. The building is old and needing major renovations, but there's a $19.2 Million plan in the works, probably a few years down the road. So now I'm back to waiting, but I feel good about it. Wish me luck.
posted by Intothelight4now at 7:32 AM
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