Courtney Swank
BFA Drama: Design and Technical Production
“Things aren’t going to go perfectly every time. I am very much a perfectionist so that’s been a hard lesson for me to learn,” muses Courtney Swank. “Things are going to throw you for a loop and that’s OK. You just have to roll with the punches as chaotic as it may seem. In the end, as long as the work gets done and no one gets hurt then it’s OK and you know better for next time. It’s live theatre and it’s life.”
For Swank, life and live theatre have been intertwined since her first show at her high school in Hickory, North Carolina. She started out doing lighting and loved it so much that she pursued theatre at Catawba Valley Community College. While there, she found she also had a knack for stage management. Swank got her associate’s degree and decided to continue her education in the arts:
“I started researching colleges and universities. I looked at UNC School of the Arts and Western Carolina University, but I really liked what I saw at UNCG’s School of Theatre. There was a level of professionalism that impressed me.”
At UNCG Swank still did some lighting assignments, but it was her passion and skill for stage management that really shone:
“I like seeing the big picture and watching everything come together. The directors and professors I worked with told me I was good at stage management, so they kept giving me positions in that area.”
And with each show, Swank felt more prepared for what’s to come after graduation:
“Everything is done so professionally that we get a taste of that before we hit the real world. Here, there is a great safely net that you can fall back on when things get hard, and you need help. Everyone is very supportive, and it’s a caring environment.”
Swank says she’s made some connections at UNCG that will go a long way in helping her toward her career goal of being a production stage manager in New York:
“The professor for my stage management course is Julie DeVore (’12 BFA Theatre Design and Production) who’s a Broadway production stage manager. She’s been my mentor and has helped me apply for some internships and helped me make connections with other stage managers in New York. And our costume professor, Clare Parker, is helping me stay in the know about SETC (Southeastern Theatre Conference) and other networking possibilities.
“I feel comfortable about leaving UNCG because I don’t feel like it’s here’s your degree, now ’bye. I feel like I’ve gained so much experience and made connections that will be resources for me as I go forward. I feel prepared to do the things I need to do to look for a job.”
Swank’s favorite UNCG Theatre moment was stage managing Carrie: The Musical this fall. She will also remember the relationships she has made:
“The School of Theatre, at least for us in the design tech track, is like a little family. We’re all in many of the same classes together, then we are in the scene shop together and rehearsals, so we’ve formed close-knit relationships. My roommates are also in the School of Theatre, and we all do shows together:
“It’s nice to have people that you can go to if you’re struggling with something, because they understand and they may be able to help, and if they can’t help, they almost always know someone who can.”
And so often, says Swank, that person is School of Theatre Technical Director Chip Haas:
“I know Chip hates attention, but I’ve got to give hm a shout-out. When we’re in show mode we do weekly check-ins, and after we go through the nuts and bolts of the show, he always asks us how we are doing and how we are holding up. He says he’s just a text away, and I believe him. He’s just incredible.”
Story by Terri W Relos
Photo credit: Avery Daniels
