New idea on the Horizon for OU Fine Arts

Ground Lighting waiting to be connected in the Weitzenhoffer Theatre

The University of Oklahoma's Master Electrician Eric Stehl says members of the School of Drama are in the creation stages of an idea to create a School of Design and Production. The school would consist of theatre lighting, sound, staging and production.

"We are hoping to get a program that integrates all of the technical and design aspects for all the (fine arts) schools under one program, under one college," Stehl explained. "It would be a full college of design and production."

Stehl knows the idea is a long way from coming to fruition, but he believes it is an idea that would truly put OU's fine arts program over the top. "It's kind of a dream program, because there isn't really a model for that anywhere in the country," Stehl said.

OU would be the only University in the nation with that specific type of degree program, and Stehl thinks that would be an incredible opportunity for students who want to specialize in the technical aspect of theatre and fine arts.

This idea needs money to have a chance. Stehl understands that and has ideas of his own on how that could work.

"There's a major steel rigging company called Clancy... and they're based in Tulsa and it would be great if they could give us a million or a large amount of money and we could have a Clancy Rigging department, or Clancy Rigging school or program or workshop. And we could use their products and use them to teach students how to do theatre rigging."

While this is just an idea, expect to hear more about this news more in the next calendar year. With the school would come more teachers, and possibly an addition to some of the buildings on campus, so the idea would take more than a couple of years to become a reality. But what a good idea it is.
Eric Stehl looks out on the stage of the Weitzenhoffer Theatre