Will Lowry
Freelance scenographer and design professor
“My
experience at Furman with the Theatre Arts Department absolutely shaped
my life. I am in a career in theatre now, both as a freelance designer
and as an educator. At Furman, I learned how to be a storyteller, how to
solve problems, how to plan ahead, how to collaborate with others, how
to research questions, how to lead a team, how to convey my ideas, how
to push myself to the next level, how to investigate space, how to
manage a budget, how to focus on what’s necessary, how to work
materials—wood, cloth, light, paint, bodies—into art, how to read a
play, how to infuse art-making with joy, how to create an inviting
atmosphere, how to remember the past, how to aim for the future, how to
inspire by teaching, how to lift the dreams of others, and how to
achieve all of these things when all you are given is a ‘temporary
building’ that’s decades old. I am so thankful that I am who I am today
because of my time in the Playhouse.”
“Dozens
and dozens of memories come to mind that it’s so hard to narrow it
down—especially considering the Playhouse is home to the countless hours
with those that would become my best friends for life and the discovery
of my career path. But I’ll pick one that at the time would not have
been a favorite personal memory: completing paint samples for
Stagecraft. I’m not going to suggest that all Stagecraft classes would
agree with this, and I’m also not going to try to rewrite history and
say it was all glitter and happiness at the time. However, the
complexity of feelings of this memory speaks to me.
There were a
dozen of us there, late at night (1am? 3am? Later?) trying to finish the
collection of techniques for the project’s due date the next morning.
Yes, there was exhaustion, there was stress, and there was anguish. But
the sharing of these feelings among those there that night had a way of
mitigating them as well. And within that sharing of the difficult
experience—perhaps BECAUSE of the sharing—there was also joy. And there
was creativity. There was discovery and invention. There was guidance,
there was trust, and there was accomplishment. There was growth. Was it
always pleasant? Of course not. But my memory of that night is one of
experimentation, rigor, and creative expression, surrounded by friends
pursuing the same. What more could we ask of theatre-making?
That said, I’m pretty sure I got a B-.”
