Please don’t break a leg

Students adapt to new tech theatre teacher

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Brandon Baltis, Reporter

This year Guilford welcomes a new technical theatre teacher, Mrs. Mikayla Miracle. She graduated in 2013 from Guilford and proceeded to Elmhurste College in search of a degree as a Theatre Technician. The previous teacher, Mr. Jon Sleger, retired after 36 years of teaching mostly in Rockford schools.

“Mr. Sleger’s teaching helped me to learn how to do construction in college,” said Mrs. Miracle. “Even though they may have a different way of building things, the basics are the same.”

Many of the tech theatre students were surprised the first day to meet the new teacher. They got to know her and learned about her opinions on theatre and why she decided to come back to teach at Guilford.

“She is much more understanding than Mr. Sleger when it comes to showing up for crew calls,” said Christopher Chapman-Jones, senior and assistant technical director.

Some students decided last year that when Mr. Sleger retired, they would be leaving the technical theatre program. Nevertheless, the theatre program still is a big set of classes in Guilford. Mrs. Miracle hopes to keep it that way by showing her students new ways to do things such as designing sets and plots. She is also assisting them in taking the steps needed to pursue a career in the theatre industry.

“She is trying to go off of what Sleger was doing but also putting her own twist on it,” said Celestino Dominguez, senior, and sound designer for tech theatre. “She is trying to give more power to the crew heads letting them decide their crews and their positions.”

Mrs. Miracle is making students write an essay explaining why students want to be on certain crews for theatre; such as lighting, sound, props, etc. This gives students the experience of writing a proposal for college theatre. She hopes to increase the safety in the theatre by buying harnesses for the catwalk and making all her students take a safety test using tools required to build the sets. Students and directors are now preparing for the fall play. Tech students this year are ready for crew calls to start and to see how everything will work out with a new teacher leading the class.

“I love working with the students, and I’m very confident in the advanced students,” said Mrs. Miracle. “I think it’s going to be an amazing year for the theatre department.”