[by Harrison Bralower '11]

I distinctly remember that question when I interviewed to be the Sound Designer for the Musical Theater Guild's (MTG) spring production of The Full Monty. It's a great question when you really think about it-—how does one attach a microphone to a stripper without it looking too conspicuous? When you're not wearing anything in front of an audience of 200 they shouldn't be looking at a black box on the small of your back, if you know what I mean.

MTG (and MIT's other student theater groups) makes questions like these (and the mental images that inevitably follow) possible. It's only one of the many memories I took away from the show, memories that include chatting with the awesome new people I met and overcoming the frustration that comes with learning something new (I had never sound designed on my own before).

But the production process isn't as easy as answering a few disarming questions and joking around with the case. It takes more than two months to put a show together around here and the payoff is six days of raw, naked glory (let me assure you that carefully lighted full-frontal nudity is neither commonplace nor a prominent feature of most of the shows done at MIT). It's a long, difficult road-—from the first production meeting to the first rehearsal to load-in to the first tech to the last night. Just ask anyone associated with a show here or anywhere—-there's always the worry that all the components won't come together (and they usually don't until the night the show opens). But it's truly rewarding to start with 120 pieces of paper and infuse them with the unique visions of many individuals—-to give life to words on a page.

This is my experience from only one show but I've got countless more that date back to my freshman year of high school. Theater is a wonderful experience in which you meet all kinds of people and experience all kinds of crazy stuff. And by working with the immensely talented and diverse people here at MIT I guarantee a wealth of memorable quotes and events from your days doing theater or any other artistic endeavor here. Have any questions about MIT (artistic or otherwise)? Or do you have an artistic experience you'd like to share? Post it in the comments and strike up a discussion! Who knows—-maybe you'll remember it years from now.