Growing Beyond the Stage

It begins with patterns of light—reds and blues, greens, pinks, and purples that pool on the floor and play across the stage of Alumni Auditorium as soft piano music begins to fill the air. The music builds, layers of orchestral strings join in, and the white curtain along the back of the stage fills with shifting waves of color. Music and light pulse together in patterns that silence the crowd. There are no dancers, no musicians, no actors on the empty stage, but the display of light and sound is captivating enough and oddly moving in its progression.

The show, crafted by Josue Hernandez ‘25, was just one of the many projects to come out of two new courses in Lyndon Institute’s theater program offered last year under the direction of Crenshaw Lindholm ‘15. While Lindholm’s performance-based Theater Now and Advanced Acting courses have become staples in the LI Art Department, last year’s additions—Theater Tech and Directing and Producing expanded opportunities for students interested in approaching stagecraft from different directions.

“I pitched these new courses partly because I wanted to get kids who wouldn’t or couldn’t be on stage into theater,” said Lindholm. “Not everyone wants to be acting in front of an audience, but these classes allow them to still be part of the theater world.”

The first is Theater Tech, a project-based course which offers an in-depth exploration of technical theater, focusing on the key areas of lighting, sound, set construction, prop building, and stage design. 

“I was really excited to get this course off the ground. We have been running low in recent years on kids who know how to run the auditorium’s light, sound, and stage systems, so this is helping train a whole new generation to help out,” said Lindholm.

Lindholm was excited for another reason—a chance to develop his own skills. “I wanted a new experience for me, as well. In a few areas of our study, such as with some of the sound and lighting equipment, I’m learning on the go. The class and I are discovering together!”

Part of the challenge came from navigating the school’s new lighting system—equipment that makes the kind of show Hernandez crafted possible. 

“Summer before last, we had Jody Fried ‘90 from Catamount Arts and Tim Mikovitz from Vermont State University evaluate our set-up and put together a proposal for a whole new system.”

Head of School Dr. Brian Bloomfield, who facilitated the upgrade, noted that the school’s previous lighting system was woefully antiquated. “It used to take Catamount Arts an extra day to prepare for shows that we hosted just to change out lighting and set up the necessary equipment.”

The new system offered state-of-the-art lighting with more options in terms of color palettes, speed changes, zones, and transitions, with a highly programmable control board that can enhance performances in powerful ways.

“The system has really got kids interested,” said Lindholm. “It’s new and exciting. They are essentially programming light and have embraced the challenge of mastering the language of the board—it really is like learning a whole new language.”

The class’s initial year focused on four major projects, the first being “Song Lighting.” The project involves programming the board, using music and light together to create a performance. It is challenging and arduous, with a single song requiring the artist to program hundreds of commands into the light board’s software.

The second unit is the “Foley Artist” challenge. “Foley artists create sound effects out of everyday objects,” Lindholm explained. “The students took existing videos and substituted in their own home-brewed sound effects made from whatever they chose. Very fun!”

The Foley artist challenge is followed by a “Storyboarding and Film Editing” project, in which students select an ordinary, everyday object and develop a story around it, creating storyboards before filming and editing the final product. “One group used a coffee mug,” Lindholm said, “telling the story of its life—from the day it was made, to its long wait in storage, to finally being used. It was really funny!”

As part of this process, and throughout the year, the class works on drama analysis. “The students learn how to read a script, particularly the stage directions. We create a stage manager’s script, focusing on how to stage scenes to create a particular mood and design around a theme.”

The final project is a “Props Competition” that focuses on having students craft their own props for peers in Lindholm’s acting classes. The competition adds an element of fun and helps students outside the class.

“Our ultimate goal is to get students who take this class to help support the theater program in a variety of ways,” said Lindholm. There is a focus on practical application for everything the students learn so they can contribute to the school community and beyond. “Each student is required to help out with at least two events over the course of the year. Concerts, the talent show, air band, weekly assemblies—there are lots of opportunities to get involved. And there are always opportunities beyond LI, whether it’s studying theater tech in college or even eventually working for a production company.”

For Hernandez, who graduated last spring, the course was a pleasant surprise. When his former high school—the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, New Hampshire—closed abruptly in June of 2024, the incoming senior was late to enroll at LI last fall. 

“Most electives were full by the time I registered,” Hernandez said. “Originally, I just took it to get some needed credits. But I’ve always been quick with technology and have had a relationship with the arts and theater in the past, so I thought it might be fun.”

Hernandez excelled in the class, creating several strong projects, including the Song Lighting project that was shared in assembly. 

“The project is built on the song ‘Move Forth’ by Secession Studios. It’s a song I use for a set of breathing exercises I like to do, so I crafted the light show to connect to the exercises, using different colors to correspond with the breathing—blue for inhaling, red for exhaling.” 

Hernandez estimated it took him around twenty hours to program the performance. Other favorite projects include their props creation work and the storyboarding project. “Our group designed and shot a short film around the storyboards we designed. We had so much fun, we’re doing a sequel to it for our final project.”

Hernandez enjoyed his work with Lindholm. “He’s a great teacher, the type who if you don’t understand something he’ll keep working with you until you do. He makes it feel fun! He gives us a lot of time to work on these projects, and lets us branch off in directions we’re interested in. I hope to keep doing more work in this field after high school.”

Lindholm’s other new course, Directing and Producing, focuses on the other side of bringing a staged performance to life, with an emphasis on practical application, creative thinking, and leadership skills.

Lindholm—who in addition to teaching acting courses at LI also directs the school’s annual musical theater production and directs the teen musical in the summer at Vermont Children’s Theater—was especially excited to introduce this class into the curriculum.

“I just love to talk about directing, and this seemed to be a great way to get kids who don’t want to be on stage involved in the process. And for the kids who do love to be on stage, it gives them a chance to see and think about what the other half of the process is like.”

A big part of the course is studying films—different genres, different directors, different styles. “In some ways, it’s easier to show the idea of direction through film. We can watch movies and scenes and analyze the approach filmmakers take. How are they choosing to tell the story? How would you tell it if you were the director?”

While the directing side of the course focuses on the front end of a production working directly with performers, the producing side of the class gives students a chance to explore more of the behind-the-scenes aspects of putting a show together.

Maida Stahler ‘25, a four-year veteran of LI’s musical productions who took both of Lindholm’s acting classes, was excited for the opportunity to expand her theater education. 

“It was great immersing myself in another area of theater that I haven’t had a chance to interact with before,” Stahler said. “There are so many more aspects of what goes into a production than I anticipated. You sort of know about it in the abstract, but until you do it you don’t have a good appreciation for it.”

While Stahler, an actor, found the directing side of the course a little more compelling, she enjoyed the other side, as well. “I didn’t really know what producers do. It was interesting to learn the process they go through and the role they serve in bringing a show to life.

“We got to focus not just on live stage acting but also learn about film. We studied different directors. A lot of the work for our final project is taking place outside of class, so we screened movies in class to study different approaches. For example, we watched two different takes on the traditional Cinderella story—Ever After and Ella Enchanted—and compared their approaches.”

For the class’s final project, students each choose a show—either a TV series, a movie, or a musical—to produce and direct a few scenes from. It starts with an exercise in dramaturgy.

“We studied the history of the show, especially if there have been multiple productions. Then we got our scripts and started creating design elements—costumes, sets, color palettes,” Stahler explained. “We analyzed the show and discussed its themes, annotated scripts, and put together a director’s binder.”

After laying the groundwork, the real fun began. “Once we got our scenes figured out, we had to find actors, hold rehearsals, direct and produce the scenes. It’s a lot of work!”

Stahler—who is now pursuing a BFA in musical theater at Dean College in Massachusetts—chose the musical Cabaret. “It’s a musical I've been getting into lately. Cabaret is well-known for being revived many different times, so I thought it would be fun to put my own twist on it.”

Her cast included herself and seven other students. “My take was heavily inspired by the 1998 revival. I thought it would be really interesting to adapt it to a high school setting. It’s a pretty adult show, so there is a challenge in keeping it appropriate. The choreography was the biggest but also the most fun challenge. I’m happy with how it turned out!” 

Stahler’s cast performed the scenes live at a theater senior showcase at the end of the school year, a fitting cap to her work with Lindholm over her four years.

Working with Lindholm was one of the highlights of her time at LI. “He’s really good at connecting with his students. He’s funny and kind and so much fun to work with. In fact, he helped inspire me to want to pursue a career in the performing arts!”

Lindholm looks forward to continuing to grow the program’s four courses and beyond. “I’m hoping to start a film club this year—getting students into cinematography and camera use. Hopefully, we can turn it into a full-fledged film-making class in the coming years.”