Wybron Extends A Helping Hand To Student Theater In Need

In February 2007, Buffalo, NY based Trinity Catholic Academy's main water pipes broke and flooded the entire school. Everything in this Pre-K through 8 grade school had to be thrown out.

Trinity's insurance policy covered almost everything in the school but nothing in its performance space. Following the disaster, the dean’s only request of the school’s volunteer lighting director, Jim Missall, was "Get me lights for our kids!"

Briefly thereafter, Missall was working on Trinity's stage to clean things up when he heard the student choir performing acapella. "These kids really inspired me to do the best I could to help them get the school's theater back up and running," said Missall.

Faced with such overwhelming damage, he decided to reach out to the lighting community. "I put out emails to all sorts of equipment manufacturers."

Wybron, ETC and Silvania responded to his outreach.

Wybron donated five Nexera 25 by 40 profiles, five 4-inch Forerunners, five 7-inch Forerunners, gel strings plus all the cable necessary to hook everything together.

"These manufacturers helped us out far more than we ever expected," added Missall.

Ever since Missall started volunteering at the school, he has had to borrow or rent lights.

"You can just imagine the "WOW!" factor these donations had on us all," said Missall. "Even the Lancaster Opera House, a professional theater here in Buffalo, doesn't have as many first-rate new fixtures as our school has now," he added.

Trinity is a unique school in Western NY. The school promotes academic excellence while nurturing its students' artistic interests. Its curriculum prepares students to go on to performing arts high-schools and colleges, as well as careers in the theater. To secure acceptance at the local performing arts high school, students pursuing this path must maintain an A average, test well in music performance and writing, as well as learn how to install theater fixtures, create costumes and scenery and perform in Trinity's productions.

Missall has been volunteering for the school for about five years now. "I started working with Trinity right after I attended one of my own kid's performances. During that production, I noticed the students had created a spotlight out of a porch light covered by cellophane paper. Well, of course, the plastic started to melt and the room got pretty smoky. Since I took a lot of technical theater courses in college, I knew I could jump in to help the students learn how to rig and operate real entertainment lights for their productions and improve the performance space."

Trinity teaches its students that the best way to learn about the performing arts is to participate in all aspects of the theater. The school puts the students in charge of their productions and encourages them to create their own set designs, lighting and sound.

"We are trying to prepare them for the performing arts academy in Buffalo and beyond," added Missall. "The principal is extremely involved and expectations are quite high for our students."

Following the disaster, Trinity partnered with St. Bonaventure University of Olean, NY, a liberal arts college with a strong performing arts program. Graduate students from St. Bonaventure are working with Missall and the students to install all of the new lighting fixtures donated from Wybron, ETC and Sylvania.

The St. Bonaventure students will install the equipment in the high places, such as the Nexeras, and they will handle all of the wiring. The younger students will handle the lower hanging positions, installing the Source Four Pars and Forerunners.

In late May 2007, the school will hold its annual Spring student run production, AMERIKIDS, a patriotic children’s extravaganza of singing and dancing. AMERIKIDS marks the first production with the school’s new professional lighting.

"The beautiful thing about having the new Nexera's lighting the stage is that the students can learn to transition the colors in the scene. They can start out with Red, White and Blue and then change the mood and feel of the production by changing colors as the show progresses," added Missall.

Before every production, Missall checks the students' work to make sure the lights are hung property and focused. He helps them sequence music and lighting filters. Missall patches everything to a lighting board and helps the students save the submasters.

"I don't want the kids to panic during an actual performance so I am there in the background just to add emotional support. Even our little ones get involved. They learn to make their own costumes and their parents help them out with stage and set design."

"It's so heartwarming to see our community rally in support of these kids and their dreams of a life in the theater," added Missall.

Larry Turner, CEO of Wybron says, "Trinity is turning out future lighting designers and customers. We wanted to make sure the students know that they can count on us to help them in the future as they learn their craft. We just happened to be uniquely able to respond to Jim's request and were glad we could help."