Equipment/Facilities Improvement

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2018 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
FungusAmongus Players
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
April 2018
End Date
June 2019
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Meeker
McLeod
Wright
Meeker
McLeod
Wright
Project Overview

Equipment/Facilities Improvement

Project Details

Theatrical Lighting Project.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

John White: writer, photographer, retired journalist; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor, director, teacher; Marilee Strom: musician, former art teacher, business owner; Kathy Fransen: musician, theatre, Rhythm of the River coordinator; Janet Olney: visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Pam Blake: retired art educator, visual artist, Tyler Arts Council, Lincoln County Art Fair, Southwest Minnesota Weaver's Guild; Michele Knife Sterner: theatre actor, SMSU Associate director for Access Opportunity Success program; Tom Wirt: artist, owner Clay Coyote Gallery, Hutchinson Center for the Arts, past member Hutchinson Public Arts Commission; Joyce Aakre: visual arts, writing, Discover Dassel committee, Board member for Litchfield Community Education, Exhibit committee for Dassel Area Historical Society; Emily Petersen: visual artist, art teacher; David KelseyBassett: visual artist, musician; Anne O'Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Cindy Reverts: visual artist, Rock County Fine Arts Association treasurer, Council for Arts in Humanities in Rock County; Brett Lehman: Worthington International Festival, Worthington City Band, Worthington Concert Association; Erica Volkir: performing arts, Director of Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB; Claire Swanson: visual arts, arts teacher, Meander Art Crawl Committee.

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Mark Brodin: theatre; Maureen Keimig: theatre; Brett Lehman: music, SMAC Board; Janet Olney: visual art, arts admin, SMAC Board; Erica Volkir: theatre, dance, arts admin, SMAC Board; Mark Wilmes: theatre, music.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2017 Regular Session, chapter 91, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2018 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$10,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$3,490
Direct expenses
$13,490
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Goals of the FungusAmongus Theatrical Lighting Project are: To provide artistic directors a flexible LED lighting system allowing greater creativity than the current aging incandescent fixtures. To provide the lighting master and crew a portable LED lighting and modern control system improving setup, reducing electrical power usage and addressing safety concerns. To support the actors with vibrant stage lighting to enhancing their performance experience. To heighten the audience experience with lighting that permits a more creative lighting design. An audience survey form will be included with the playbill measuring opinions on the new lighting and its effectiveness in adding to the mood and clarity of the production. A survey will be conducted with the actors measuring their satisfaction level performing under the LED system. An energy usage audit of the new lighting system will be conducted and compared against the energy usage of the old incandescent system. There will be a discussion group made up of the lighting master, lighting crew and project director at the conclusion of the run of each of the shows. The discussion will evaluate ease or difficulty of the system setup, how the system affected safety, performance of the system and what changes need to be addressed for the next show. The director will be asked to write a summation following the close of the show addressing his/her experience of the LED lighting systems effectiveness in supporting the creativity of their lighting design.

Measurable Outcome(s)

A random survey was conducted of audience members. There was limited response, however, those that completed the survey were very positive. On the questions of the lighting adding to the mood and themes of the work, enhancing the productions clarity and working with other design elements scored 5 on a scale of 1 - 5 as strongly agreeing. The question of the new LED lighting adding to the overall enjoyment as compared to the lighting of previous productions was 5+ on the scale of 1 - 5. Comments included appreciation of the seamless scene transition and the more comfortable temperature of the space. On the actor survey, the question of the new lighting offering less of a distraction scored an average of 3.5 on the 1 - 5 scale. On the comment section there was some issue of the intense white lighting from a couple of actors in the first production. There was a learning curve on the color wheel and intensity settings. On the questions of the lighting elevating the actor-audience relationship, supporting the style of the work and making the production a memorable experience the score was a 5. General comments included the smooth transition of colors and mood with the new lighting system. The three directors involved were thrilled with the versatility of the new system. Each had occasion to utilize the wireless control system to place special lighting effects in areas that would have previously been either difficult or not even possible. They were able to experiment with colors without being limited by gels which may have had on hand or had to purchase. They all look forward to the opportunity to explore what more the system has to offer. The tech crew was the most enthused. The set-up time is a fraction of the old incandescent system. They no longer have to search for circuits to run power for the previous large power draw. They no longer need to run power cords throughout the building. When a director asked for a fixture to be relocated it could be done without a huge time commitment. There was a lot to learn about the new light board but once they dug into it, they were like kids with a new toy. The most time-consuming part of the process is programming the scene changes. They loved the ease of running the show once everything was programmed. Energy use and heat generated by the lights were drastically reduced.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes.
Source of Additional Funds

Other,local or private

Recipient Board Members
Elizabeth Nelson, John Ryan, Jon Benson, Becky Hungerford, David Metcalf, Betty Cronk, Barry Mielke, Steve Nelson, Kurt Schulz, Dawn Schaefer
Project Manager
First Name
David
Last Name
Metcalf
Organization Name
FungusAmongus Players
Street Address
PO Box D
City
Dassel
State
MN
Zip Code
55325
Phone
(320) 286-5630
Email
dmetcalf88@yahoo.com
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency
Location

509 W Main St, PO Box 55
Marshall, Minnesota 56258 

Phone
Phone Manager: Nicole DeBoer
(507) 537-1471
Email the Agency