Melinda Cook (senior)
Head of Tech for Redbird Productions
Do you prefer watching musicals or plays?
I prefer to watch musicals.
What is your favorite thing to do in the lights booth?
My favorite thing to do in the booth is designing, especially with special effects. My favorite scenes are the ones where we get to be creative and don’t have to keep the lighting realistic. The Greased Lightning sequence in Grease is a great example of this – it’s a bit of a fantasy sequence, where the greasers are dreaming about what the car could be, so we get to pull all the stops. It’s a lot of fun!
What is one tradition you have (school production wise)?
We dress up for the Saturday night of the show. It’s a tradition that Masen Lambrecht, the Head of Lights before me, started. I usually just wear a nicer black shirt, but he was known to pull out his tuxedo on occasion for the Saturday show.
How did you hear about being a part of the tech crew?
I was a part of tech crew at the middle school, so I was looking for a chance to get involved here. I saw a notice in the announcements, went to the meeting, and got involved from there.
When did you join?
Freshman year of high school, for The Little Mermaid. Since then, I’ve been a part of all but two shows (Winter One Acts my junior year, and The Element of Murder this summer), excluding the competitive one-act team.
What do you wear on show days?
Black jeans, a black t-shirt or tank top, black boots, and a black zip-up sweatshirt. I wear the same sweatshirt for every show – it’s my little tradition. It’s also a convenient show hoodie because it has a lot of pockets.
How many people do you have up in the booth with you?
That depends on the show. For Grease, I have four crew members plus myself, and Sound Crew has a handful of people as well. It gets pretty crowded!
Who is your biggest fan/support?
My parents! They both work in the theatre industry, so they’ve encouraged me to be involved since I was very young.
What is your “why” for tech head?
I learned so much from Masen and Christen, the former crew heads, as well as the other crew members over the years. I also learned a lot from non-lighting crew heads. People like Emily Huebner, Rachael Grimes, and Sophie Pan taught me a lot of what I know about being a part of a theatre group. I want to pass down their knowledge and mine to the next group of students.
Do you plan on continuing tech outside of high school?
Yes, absolutely! I’m not planning on being a theatre major, but I want to be involved with the theatre department at whatever college I go to, and I hope to stay involved through community theatres after I graduate.
What are your future plans?
I’m going to a four-year college next year. I submitted my application to Lawrence University in Appleton a few weeks ago, so I’m waiting to hear back from them. Fingers crossed!
What is your greatest accomplishment?
I was very proud of being made Head of Lights as a junior. There were two seniors who had also been involved with lights who could have been chosen, so I was proud that Raquel and Mr. Mohar thought I was responsible enough to handle it.
What are you most excited for about senior year?
I’m excited to spend one more year with my friends before we all go our separate ways post high school. I’m also excited to take more elective classes, like British Literature, that are only or primarily open to seniors.
Favorite subject?
My favorite school subject is Spanish. I really like learning about other languages. It’s something I’m hoping to continue doing in college.
Favorite vacation you’ve ever been on?
I was lucky enough to get to go to Athens, Greece, with my family in my freshman year of high school. Visiting the Parthenon is an experience I’ll never forget.
Do you have any pets?
Yes, my family has a black lab/newfoundland mix named Mystery. He’s very sweet and furry.
