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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ocala Civic Theatre challenges Marion County students to design complicated prop

The Ocala Civic Theatre has invited Marion County high school students to complete in a contest to design a complicated prop for an upcoming musical production.

OCT’s 2020-21 season opens Aug. 27 with the musical “Beauty and the Beast,” which features an enchanted rose as an essential prop. In the story, the Beast – a prince transformed by a curse – must find true love before the last petal falls from the iconic rose, or he and his household are doomed to remain under the spell forever.

In the stage production, the rose must glow and appear to float within a bell jar. Petals must fall individually from the rose at specific times throughout the show – in full view of the audience – with no visible assistance from actors or technicians.

OCT Technical Director William Spratt thought the creation of this special effect would be an ideal challenge for Marion County high school students, as it brings together all five elements of the STEAM program: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

“As a child I believed that anything was possible,” Spratt said. “Anything could be accomplished. Anything could be built. I had wild and fantastic ideas of how things could function and fit together.”

Spratt said he hopes the contest, titled “The Petal Drop Design Challenge,” will help students imagine and innovate new and interesting ways of making things happen.

“I hope we help them understand that there is always a clever or creative way to accomplish their goals,” he said.

For the competition, students are given design specifications with a precise range of dimensions and parameters to follow. Their submitted design must include a scale drawing and a description of the engineering required, their research and the operation process.

July 3 is the deadline for students to submit their entry to the competition. Adjudication will take place July 5-16. A panel of judges will be selected from the community, primarily from areas of expertise in the STEAM fields. The winning student will be announced on July 17.

The winner will receive a package featuring a top prize of $500. Additional honors include recognition among the designers on the title page of the “Beauty and the Beast” program, a program bio and story on the student’s design, complimentary tickets to the opening night of “Beauty and the Beast” for the student and his or her immediate family, recognition and introduction to the audience on opening night and tuition for the winning student and his or her their immediate family to OCT’s Education & Enrichment classes for the 2020-2021 school year, valued at up to $400.

From July 18 through the opening of the show on Aug. 27, the winning student will work with the theater’s technical staff to create the design. The student also will attend all tech rehearsals in the week leading up to opening night.

The Petal Drop Design Challenge was met with the enthusiastic support from Marion County Public Schools, which e-mailed the packet to high school students. Any students interested in participating also can download the packet at www.ocalacivictheatre.com.

“Creating an exciting special effect for the stage is much more than a practical task,” said Katrina Ploof, OCT’s artistic director, who also is serving as the show’s director. “It is the place where skill and art meet, and OCT is delighted to offer this opportunity for our local student makers. We can’t wait to see what they contribute.”