On January 28-, 2026 at 9 p.m. in the Edwin A. Stevens (EAS) Hall, the Stevens Dramatic Society (SDS) held their third official Tech Talk where they discussed the technical aspect of theater and how those who wanted to participate could get involved with different departments.
To give a brief history, SDS was founded in 1910 by student theater lovers. SDS had distinguished itself early on for making pioneering advances in technical theater, including sound and lighting techniques that were used on Broadway. The sound system for the first 3D movie was also developed by SDS.
The Stevens Dramatic Society is a vibrant student organization that offers two major productions each year, a play and a musical, along with various other social and performance events. The DeBaun Performing Arts Center (PAC) serves as the venue for their shows and events. Recent works include Into the Woods, The Addams Family, Little Women, Radium Girls, and The Prom. Their show last fall semester was And Then There Were None, and their upcoming show this spring semester will be Grease.
The theater production process often begins with designing blueprints for the stage, which will serve as the master technical plan for the rest of the show. The design produced in a CAD software program, or by hand, will include multiple different pieces to create precise 2D and 3D plates that turn initial artistic ideas into physical properties, including the floor plans and different section views that will be utilized. These blueprints will help guide the building phase of the production, where the blueprints will be brought into reality. “Flats” (walls) and “platforms” (floors), used in conjunction with other props, will then be built and set up according to the blueprint plans to bring the scene to life. The construction requires modularity and safety, in order for the scenery to be structurally sound while also light enough for the stage crew to move around.
Other important parts of the stage production include circuitry and light programming, where light “cues” are programmed to dictate the intensity, color, and position of lights in order to create the desired visual effect and transitions for each specific scene. Audio engineering is another important part of production, where the theater’s speakers are “tuned” to the room’s specific acoustics to create better sound quality.
Costumes and makeup also require technical development, where costumes must be developed for durability and speed, while being easily swappable. Simultaneously, makeup also requires technical considerations, ensuring that theatrical makeup products won’t be affected by lighting and using contouring to highlight an actor’s facial expressions even from the back row of seating.
