In reflecting upon my four years at Juilliard, it is pretty remarkable to see how much I have learned. Not only have I gained the ability to captivate an audience by breaking through an imaginary wall, and gained strength by pretending I’m a crazy fish (a torturous hamstring exercise that involves a somewhat fish out of the water like movement), I have had the magical experience of learning about the entire field from the inside out. To be honest, Juilliard might as well be called Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry of Dance. Hogwarts has a course for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Juilliard's equivalent would be Senior Seminar in which we learn how to function in a harsh world filled with scary challenges that could drown someone who wasn't prepared to support and defend themselves… not to be dramatic. Hogwarts course Herbology, is defined by the school as the study of magical plants and how to take care of, utilize and combat them. Juilliard's equivalent might as well be the study of the magical human body and how to take care of it, utilize it and fight combat with it. I could continue with more similarities between these two fascinating schools but that’s not my main point, and I’m having too much fun. The things a dancer learns in one year at school is extremely diverse and helpful in shaping a long career in the field. The school makes the impossible possible with its amazingly experienced and passionate artistic team, and manages to cover the bases of dance from every angle. I could go on listing the dance divisions incredible courses but Juilliard has it’s own website for that. So here I want to zoom in on one specific woman and her role in Senior Production each year as it is conjured into being.
Susan Hamburger is the Stage Craft teacher for the third year dance students. It is in this course that each dancer learns what it means to take on the role of a lighting designer, stage manager, technical assistant, costume designer, set designer, music operator and every other possible “behind the scenes” position. In their second semester of third year, the dancers take on the responsibility of acting in each of these positions for Senior Production, they basically run the whole show! Here is an interview between Susan and I to help you learn about how she found herself in this position at Juilliard.
Susan: I was born in a log cabin…..
(joking)
When I was in college I was a dance major. As a choreographer I would talk with my designers as part of the process for putting on our shows and I became more interested in the design side of dance. In my senior year at college I worked with the department heads to create a lighting design independent study course that is still part of the program today. After that I was the Technical Director at a fantastic experimental theater in New York City called The Kitchen, where I got a tremendous amount of practical experience in many elements of production. After a few years of working in New York City I applied to Yale School of Drama where I got my MFA in Theatrical Design.
Because of my previous experience as a dancer and choreographer, I gravitated towards designing for dance. I think dance is the most fun! I have been fortunate enough to tour with some amazing companies - Urban Bush Women, Troika Ranch, Mark Morris, Lucinda Childs among others.
Eventually I became interested in commercial / residential lighting design as well as in teaching. I started teaching at New York University in 2005 in the dance division and then started teaching at Juilliard in 2010 in the dance division.
Taylor: What is your role as teacher of Stage Craft for the third year dance class? What do you cover throughout the school year?
Susan: My role as the Stagecraft teacher is to guide the 3rd year dance students as they learn about the “backstage” elements of putting on a show. We focus mostly on lighting, since that is a large part of their final project - Senior Production, but I include the other elements of design as well. We have guest lecturers talk about costume design, set design, sound design and even a guest lecturer to talk about contracts. I also try to get one fun trip in there. In past years we had a backstage tour of the Met Opera. This year we got to look at designs from the special archives of the Library for the Performing Arts.
By the end of the second semester the class has learned how to hang all the equipment, focus all the lighting, write the lighting cues and program the sound board and light board. This is an excellent way to prepare everyone for what they will find when they work professionally in the field. They will be able to express themselves with clarity and expertise having already designed the lighting and worked collaboratively with a set and costume designer on a dance concert.
Taylor: What is your favorite part of the Senior production each year?
Susan: My favorite part of Senior Production is watching everyone get excited and have fun putting the show on together. One group was actually singing on the gantry! It really becomes a party in the Willson Theatre, even though it is serious work.
The other part I love is watching the students take real artistic risks and just going for it. This is the place to do it. Juilliard has the unique situation of being an educational environment with an extensive support system to help realize one's ideas. You want the moon? We can get you the moon. Just give us a day to help you get it….
As you can tell, the class is always a ton of fun and an exciting part of a dancers training at Juilliard. Susan really does help each artist create the world they imagine for their choreography and with her skills at the lighting control board, magic is created and moons exist in the Willson theatre. As a choreographer this year, I look forward to working with a team of third years who will help my piece come alive with their lighting design. But of course, I am most excited about watching our production from the audience this year once all the work has been put in. What a joy it will be to see the work of our long hours spent at Juilliard culminated into this final production. How lucky are we to share our ideas and artistry with a supportive community as the third years test their knowledge as Stage Crew members! Best of luck third years!!