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Spotlight
Shay Rucker
Senior's talent shines behind curtains
Hannah
Vogel
Journalism 1 contributor
Sonny
had ugly sweaters, Cher is plain crazy. Vanilla ice cream has icy
refreshingness, chocolate has rich goodness. Two things you might
not have thought to put together, yet they are so great when you do.
That’s what one gets with senior Shay Rucker.
Notorious among friends for his random, offbeat sense of humor, love
of naps, and no-holds-barred enthusiasm for P.E., Rucker is now
trying his hand at technical theatre, thus creating the perfect
Nerd/Athlete.
Unlike most, Rucker has no touching childhood stories about his
first time in front of the dimmer switches. He has no tales of the
grueling steps he has taken to get where he is today in the
technical theatre world.
“It
was kind of an accident…” Rucker says. “Last fall, I had been
waiting for my mom to pick me up at the library, but she was late.
I walked back to school to use the payphones. Well, apparently the
lights guy for Family Secrets had just quit. My friend
Sebastian McAdoo [junior] caught me, and he asked if I would be
willing to take the guy’s place. So, here I am.”
As
lighting board operator for Grease, it will only be Rucker’s
second time working the booth. No, Rucker has no childhood stories
– he’s one of those people who are naturally good at what they try.
When asked what he enjoys most about the working tech, Rucker
replies, “I can’t be seen.”
According to his friend’s and co-workers, that’s exactly the sort of
fun, tongue-in-cheek retort you can expect from Rucker.
“I
love Shay!” Alana Anderson, senior and Assistant Director of
Grease, said. “He’s very eccentric, very fun and quirky.
Everyday in the light booth, we are cracking up. Once, during
rehearsal, we had pulled the lights up, but there were still no
actors on stage. That’s…bad. But, Shay just jumps up, and is
nearly down to the aisle when I called him back. I asked him what
he thought he was doing, and he said he was going to dance on stage,
since it wasn’t being used.”
Although it is his first time really in charge, Jeannie Hunter, head
of the drama department, has found him extremely reliable.
“He’s brilliant. He taught himself a lot of things, he didn’t
require a lot of assistance, he just taught himself alone. He’s
really surprised us with some of his good ideas for the lights and
sound board.”
Anderson, who has assistant directed the last ****** plays, is
equally impressed. “When it comes to drama and the play, he is
always on the ball. He is really with it,” Anderson said. “With
Grease, I really notice and appreciate how much he is putting
into it. Up in the booth, I barely have to do anything, he’s so on
it for all the cues.”
With a large, musical production like Grease, there are a lot
of cues. All lighting changes, all curtains, not to mention a huge
ensemble cast sporting microphones that need to be switched on or
off with every song, there is a lot to keep on top of.
Those who excel in technical theatre are set up to pursue jobs on
movie sets, or nearly any concert, from the Festival at Sandpoint to
Kanye West.
“Once he finds his niche, where he really feels like
he’s making a difference, he really works his butt off. No matter
what he does, he'll be doing something he loves, and he will give it
his all, “ Anderson said. |
