The Unsung Hero of Fine Arts Week

Fine Arts Week just took place at Oregon High School for the first time in four years. The lineup consisted of headliner The Beth Kille Band, solo and ensemble performances, orchestra, band, improv, a teacher recital, and so much more to celebrate the arts. 

The week would not have been possible without the tech team, specifically the 2023 outstanding lighting design Jerry nominee, Eve Garty. Garty has done the lighting for every show since her junior year. She got her start freshman year when she was initially on stage. Standing in front of the lights was not her forte, but that changed one day when Nate Medle, the performing arts center director, asked for her help and she fell in love with theater tech. When Garty discovered lighting she felt as if she was “painting with light.”  

Previous to Fine Arts Week was the spring musical, Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.” The musical achieved a total of 22 Jerry nominations for individual performances, ensemble, orchestra, direction, design, stage crew, and more! From the Overture Center, “Educators and industry professionals review productions at more than 85 high schools in 30 counties around the state providing valuable feedback. The program elevates the importance of musical theater within high schools…School and student achievements are honored and featured in an awards show held at Overture Center in June and two outstanding performers are selected to represent the program at The National High School Musical Theater Awards (The Jimmys) competition in New York City.”

For Fine Arts Week she would get to the school at 8 o’clock to set up lights and make sure everything was ready for the first performance of the day. Her day would end most of the time past 3:50 pm when all the rest of the students were done for the day.

Her biggest moment to shine was during the headliner; it was her first time busking a live show. Busking is the theater art of doing something raw and live. For Garty this meant not preprogramming lights, but deciding the right colors to use on the spot, figuring out which gobos (patterns) she wanted for each group, and when they would move she would have to correct the lighting to make sure it was balanced and captivating. All of Fine Arts Week was done this way and she plans to master this skill next. 

Garty’s next adventure will take her to Webster Grove, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lighting Design. 

By: Abigail Wanta 4/28/23