Technically Art Workshop Series: Event Production & Tech

SAVE THE DATES: August 12–16, 2025 

The Technically Art Workshop Series: Event Production & Tech is a multi-day, hands-on training program designed to build technical capacity in Southeast Alaska’s arts, culture, and event sectors. This August 2025 installment offers topic-specific workshops for emerging and experienced event technicians, producers, and community organizers and creates networking opportunities for those interested in and already working in the field.

Participants will engage in focused, skill-building sessions including: Show/Stage Management, Introduction to Event Lighting, and Introduction to Live Sound Reinforcement. To complement the technical training, the event includes some behind-the-scenes venue tours (JACC, Centennial Hall, schools, and theaters), offering participants a unique opportunity to learn directly from local organizations and event bookers who host live performances across Juneau.

​​​​​​​Venue Tours: 

• August 13: JACC & Centennial Hall
• August 14: JDHS Auditorium

Venue tours will focus on what the venue has to offer in terms of equipment available, what groups use the venue, what sort backstage/tech help those groups need, if the positions are volunteer or paid opportunities and how they go about recruiting those positions.

Stage Management Class and Networking - Friday, August 15, 6pm (2-3hrs) 

Instructor: Kathleen Harper

So many groups in our town don't understand what a stage manager is or what they can do for them, leaving the burden of trying to figure out how to run a show or make cues happen to last minute tech volunteers and staff.  For this class we would want to go over what a traditional stage manager is, how that might be applied in Juneau and have a place for folks who do this work for their various orgs or are interested in breaking in an opportunity to get to know each other and create a support network in town.

​​​​​​​Introduction to Event Lighting - Saturday, August 16, 10am - 5pm (6-7 hrs)

Instructor: Kathleen Harper

This class will give interested parties a grounding in event lighting, so that they can help arts organizations and events with lighting set-up and operation and possibly look to move on to lighting design in the future.  Just like baking a cake, knowing what your ingredients are and how they work together is an important first step for good event lighting. Participants will learn about:

• Basic design concepts and stage directions,
• what the various types of equipment and cabling are,
• How most dimming systems work
• How to read a light plot and paperwork,
• Gels and gobos as well as other ways we shape the light
• Hands on hanging & focus work.

Introduction to Live Sound Reinforcement - Saturday, August 16, 10am - 5pm (6-7 hrs)

Instructor: Zac Pease

Sound 101 will cover the basics of analog sound reinforcement. How PA's work, the different parts of a live sound rig and how they go together, how to use an analog audio console/mixer/board, how to protect your equipment from damage, what type of sound reinforcement you need for different types of events, and what gear is best to invest in to gig and work in live audio - Most of the class will be hands-on. Participants will learn about:

• Basic design concepts of live sound
• The various types of equipment
• Cables, adapters, and why we use them
• EQ
• *Fantom Power*
• Left and Right, Stereo, Mono
• Speakers, frequency ranges, feedback and how sound moves in a space
• What issues you will run into at different gigs
• Setup and strike

Have an idea for a class? We'd love to hear from you - let us know!