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Health & Fitness

Blast 24: American Bandstand

Blast 24: American Bandstand opens this Friday, December 7. Here is the next installment of our series, "meet the seniors."

With opening night almost upon us, Tech Week is in full swing.  The singers, dancers, and musicians participating in Blast 24: American Bandstand are rehearsing very hard to bring Carlos Barillo's remarkable tribute to Dick Clark to life.

But another group of students, the Blast 24 tech crew, is working just as hard. This talented group of Churchill kids is led by a tremendously gifted senior, Evan Cook.

As sound crew chief and student tech director, Evan has a hand in every aspect of how the show will look and sound.  As he contemplates his final Blast, Evan recalls the "fond memories of all the work I've done leading up to putting me in this year's leadership position."  Under the guidance of Blast's innovative and indefatigable Production Designer and Technical Director Scott Selman, Evan has truly grown into the job.  As he says, "in the past, I've been given concepts to implement.  Now, I'm able to give concepts to others to implement.  It's very rewarding to see something I drew on a napkin become reality in a matter of weeks."

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Evan is almost philosophical when he talks about tech.  "The nature of technical theater is change," he says.  "You have an idea, you get into the space and build. It might not work, and you have to improvise from there."

Evan is especially proud to implement a cutting edge sound strategy in this year's show.  Inspired by a lecture by Tony Meola, the sound designer for Lion King and Wicked, Evan is modifying the traditional stereo sound system of left and right speakers with the addition of a center cluster.  As Evan notes, "this directionalizes the sound from the singer on stage, and makes it sound like the vocals are emanating right from the singer's face, which is much more natural."

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Evan's obvious affinity for technical direction has landed him admission next year to the Sound Design program at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. 

To see and hear the fruits of Evan's hard work, and enjoy the talents of 200 Churchill students, Patch readers are encouraged to buy their tickets today!  Blast 24:  American Bandstand will be performed December 7-9 and 14-15.  

Buy your tickets online at www.wchsarts.com.

 

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