New faculty members are in action behind the scenes and in the classroom and students are just as excited to work with the new faculty as the teachers as Norman is working lighting.
The Lion' Roar/Tiffany Nesbit
The theater program has welcomed three new faculty members this semester.
Jennifer LeBlanc, Benjamin Norman and Nicole Watts have all joined staff which is housed under the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.
Benjamin Norman is the university’s lighting and sound designer entertainment technician. He received his M.F.A. in lighting design and technology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He worked with well-known production groups around the country such as “The Flea Theater,” “Inside the Actors Studio” and “Blue Man Group.” Although he is well traveled, his home is here in Louisiana. He first fell in love with theater light and design at Southeastern where he earned his undergraduate degree.
“Music therapy was my first initial choice at Southeastern,” said Norman. “During high school, music was a big deal for me but as I continued my education, musicology wasn’t my jam. My friend told me I should check out the improve department and the rest was history.”
Norman has also been a part of many recent local performances “High and Mighty” and the upcoming show “Distracted.”
“At the time, I was working as an entertainment technician for Disney at Animal Kingdom,” said Norman. “The reason I heard about ‘High and Mighty’ was because they needed someone to work the lighting for the show and that if I could do it, Steven Schepker may have a job opening for me here at Southeastern as a teacher. During a class exercise I had done in the past, we wrote what kind of an artist we want to be and I wanted to be a part of something that needs me and that could use my talent, so of course I accepted the teaching job.”
Norman teaching at the university has been a huge success.
“I am currently only teaching one light and design class this semester, but the students are incredible and as amped to learn as I am to teach,” said Norman. “It is really invigorating. I understand the students here, the students in the arts here embrace everything and it influences their art greatly.”
Watts’ will be the university’s new costume design and construction teacher. This semester she will be offering three sections of intro to theatre. Watts earned her undergrad in 2009 and graduated this past May with her M.S.A. from Tulane University.
“I found out about Southeastern’s job opening through faculty at Tulane when I finished my masters,” said Watts. “It kind of fell in my lap at the right time and I got hired at the end of this past July.”
Watts way of teaching consists of hands on learning and the appreciation of the arts.
“I prefer to teach hands on, in design and construction although it’s hard to do that in a lecture class,” said Watts. “I like my students to research and be able to tell the story they are designing. The way you learn is trial and error.”
Watts wishes for her students to become well rounded and well rehearsed in all parts of theater.
“We travel a lot in theater so it is important to know what to expect in other theater cultures,” said Watts. “I want students to leave my classes with a better understanding and appreciation of the arts especially in theater, internationally and American Theater.”
To see more of Norman’s work, see his website at benjamin-norman.com LeBlanc was unavailable for an interview before the time of print.
New faculty members are in action behind the scenes and in the classroom and students are just as excited to work with the new faculty as the teachers as Watts is working in costume design.
The Lion's Roar/Tiffany Nesbit