Late last month, The Theatre School at DePaul University kicked off their year-long 100th anniversary celebration. Originally known as Goodman School of Drama, the program joined DePaul University in 1978, and is the oldest theater program in the Midwest. The Theatre School boasts an impressive list of alumni, but we’re even more impressed with the many DePaul connections here at Flyhouse.
The entire Flyhouse team congratulates The Theatre School at DePaul on their centennial! Flyhouse is so proud to have played a small role along the way.
In honor of this centennial, a few of members of the Flyhouse family share their own DePaul history below.
Mark:
I went to DePaul for Theatre Technology and was very fortunate to learn hand drafting from the incredibly detail-oriented and knowledgeable John Culbert. The Theatre School was in old buildings that the Nuns used to use—they had some history to them. One of the most challenging and most educational lessons that John had us do was to draft the stairwell and a window in the old building. Learning how to get every shape, offset, and detail correct taught me all the reasons for architectural design decisions.
My most potent takeaway, which I still say often, is “if you can’t hide it flaunt it.” This is the fundamental concept in all woodwork detailing and joining, and it was a mind blowing hidden secret to this 19-year-old architecture and engineering nerd.
While we were learning in repurposed buildings, I also learned how to build scenery in a tiny space that had no loading door. This tiny shop is where we built scenery for Depaul’s Historic Merle Reskin Theatre (originally the Blackstone). Learning to build in a tiny space for a gigantic space taught me how to survive the beginnings of Flyhouse.
In the early days, I was fabricating: in a borrowed shop, a room in my apartment, a back storage room of a pool hall, and then finally our own space, but one that was only 1,100 sq ft of shop. When we built large trusses or battens, we would have to drill one side, then open the door walk them out into the street, turn them around then back inside to drill the other. All of this was made easier by the lessons I learned in that tiny shop at Depaul. I often get to work on state of the art perfect spaces for Universities and High Schools and I can’t help but think back on my old and imperfect setup at DePaul and I realize I am lucky for it.
Benjamin:
As a freshman at DePaul University's The Theatre School, I got a job working in the theatre, often assigned to projects in the rigging grid. It was there that I realized that my passion for entertainment rigging was stronger than lighting, which is what I thought I was going to school to learn. Each year, I spent more and more time in the grid, learning as much as I could. Having the opportunity to work on outside productions for Chicago Opera Theatre in TTS’s historic Reskin gave me the connection to my first full time job at a professional rigging company after graduation. Things would come full circle when I took a job with my alma mater as a staff member in the theatre department for several years before transitioning back to professional rigging as a sales manager. Eventually, I landed at Flyhouse where I work with a number of people I went to school with as a student as well as others who work or have worked as adjunct faculty.
Ed:
I have been an adjunct professor at DePaul since 2011, primarily teaching a scenery building and technical management course: the first in six course series devoted to scenery, rigging, and technical direction.
Over the years, I have taught roughly 90 students, many of whom have gone on to careers in the entertainment industry. One has even become a significant force in the field of entertainment on cruise ships. I have deeply enjoyed watching his career develop and working with him to carry out the work we do on ships. Another spent time working at Chicago Flyhouse before moving on to work at a local scene shop. Still another is currently working as a representative for Actor's Equity, helping to ensure safer working environments on sets around the Midwest. (He also worked at Flyhouse for a time.) I have also covered other DePaul classes over the years and acted as an advisor on a few TTS shows.
I have always enjoyed this work, especially after I moved to Flyhouse in 2015 because it lets me revisit my years as a technical director, before I chose to focus so completely on rigging and safety. The class is a chance to lay a solid foundation of knowledge and good habits for these students to build on as they grow at DePaul and in their careers beyond school. It also provides a means of developing relationships with folks who may have an interest in working with Chicago Flyhouse later on, or even just contracting our services or referring us to their employers to do so.
Beyond my own DePaul connections, my wife is a graduate and 19-year staff member, currently serving as theater technical director. My son has grown up playing around on their sets and his first show was a children's show in their Playworks series. One of my best friends and grad school roommate is the head of the stage technology program. Several of my best assistants and most trusted employees during my time at Chicago Shakespeare were graduates as well, and many are still close friends. This to say nothing of my friendships with Mark and Benajmin and other folks at Flyhouse who are connected to DePaul.
