TPACF Winter 2020 Newsletter ❄

TPAC COVID-19 Update

First of all, we miss you at the TPAC, and hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy during this unprecedented and challenging time. We are anxious to welcome you back to performances at the TPAC, once it is safe to do so, but we anticipate that to be several months away.

Our organizations and venues were among the first to close when the pandemic was declared in March, and we will be among the last businesses to re-open as the pandemic fades and it is safe to gather for live events again. Like the TPAC, all these organizations rely on event-related earned income for the majority of their budget, income which has been non-existent since March, and will be for the foreseeable future. This situation has caused extreme hardship for many performance venues and arts organizations throughout the country.

The loss of these organizations and venues would be devastating for their communities, most importantly in terms of quality of life, but economically as well. Nationally, the arts and live entertainment industry employs over 12 million people and contributes over $1 trillion annually to the U.S. economy.

Theatre DNA has provided a great plan to complete the lighting upgrades in the TPAC to provide our users with state-of-the-art equipment and capabilities. The lighting equipment in the TPAC currently is 17 years old. In the past, some of our users had to rent additional lighting equipment to light their performance; once our plan is complete, they won't need to do that anymore. We are able to move forward with this plan by a combination of funding efforts. From consistent rental of the TPAC, the Templeton Unified School District has been able to save money for facility upgrade. In addition, there have been successful fundraising efforts by the TPAC Foundation, and an endowment donation from the THS Band program. We've already begun the project, and hopefully, when we're back in the theatre for perforrnances, we'll have at least the first two phases of a five-part plan complete.

Below is the itemization of specific lighting upgrades scheduled for installation in the TPAC. The work will be done in phases, with phases 1 and 2 tentatively beginning in late 2020 and continuing into 2021.

Phase 1: Console
o Console
o Theatre Cable
Phase 2: Lighting Network/DMX
o To stage area/catwalks
o Network infrastructure
Phase 3: Fixtures
o 3a: Cyclorama fixtures and cables
o 3b: Wash fixtures and cables
o 3c: LED Caps for ellipsoidals, with network cables (to be completed after
Phase 4)
Phase 4: Houselights
o Replace 12 fixtures, reuse existing power/dimming
o Installation
Phase 5: Dimmer Fix
o Dimmer modules/electronics

To complete all phases of the lighting plan, further fundraising and grant writing will be needed. There is currently an opening on the Foundation's board for a grant writer, so interested parties should contact Vicki van den Eikhof at templetonPACFoundation@gmail.com.

In addition, the board has a need for someone with experience in publicity and fundraising. Again, interested parties should contact Vicki van den Eikhof at templetonPACFoundation@gmail.com. Both positions are needed to help the board maintain this Templeton treasure, our Performing Arts Center.

TPAC Moves Online...For Now

The recent streaming of THS Drama's fall play, 'Pride and Prejudice,' indicates that the venue is adapting to a new reality with COVID-19

Elizabeth Bennet (Avery Jones, right) is startled by a chance meeting with Mr. Darcy (Clayton Wicka, left) in the garden at his grand estate of Pemberley.

Elizabeth Bennet converses with her best friend, Charlotte Lucas (Stella Lutz, right), as Mr. Darcy and Miss Anne de Bourgh (Sophia Mackle, left) look on.

Presenting live theatre during a pandemic presents unique challenges. For its recent fall show, Pride and Prejudice, which streamed November 12-21, THS Drama rehearsed on Zoom from early September through October 18. They then began masked and distanced live rehearsals in pod groups on the western edge of the THS campus near the TPAC and Highway 101, where traffic noise from the highway and Vineyard Drive added another layer of distraction. Students were then recorded one scene at a time. Yet despite these challenges, the students persevered to present a stunning show online for their lucky viewers.

Ryan Flores, TISHS '16, is lighting designer for the TPAC. He's worked on nearly every show starting with "Guys and Dolls," 2015's spring musical, and has traveled to Edinburgh's Fringe Festival twice with Templeton High drama teacher and TPAC manager Catherine Kingsbury.

When audience members talk about a show they’ve seen, they might recall the acting, costumes, sets, or choreography. What often gets left out are the technical aspects of the show: the lighting, sound, projection, orchestration, and other effects that go into making a quality experience for the viewers. One person who knows just how important such effects are is Ryan Flores. Ryan, who graduated from the Templeton Independent Study High School program in 2016, has been the lighting designer for many plays and musicals directed by Templeton High School drama teacher Catherine Kingsbury and performed in the TPAC.

Ryan’s first show in the TPAC was “Guys and Dolls” in 2015, where he operated the spotlight, but his fascination with lighting as an integral part of any stage show began much earlier. When Ryan was five, he watched Sarah Brightman’s “The Harem World Tour: Live from Las Vegas” concert on VHS and was immediately captivated by the lights and colors and the various moods they produced. Later, at the age of 12, Ryan began his own computer business, offering such services as tech support, file management, virus removal, and network setup. Lighting as a theatrical element didn’t come back into his life, though, until that 2015 production of “Guys and Dolls.” Working the spotlight brought back to Ryan all the mystery and enchantment of “Harem” and cemented his interest in lighting and other technical elements of theatre.

These days Ryan is an event supervisor for the Templeton Unified School District, and within that capacity he works for Templeton High School Drama as lighting designer for the TPAC. He also works for Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation (PRYAF) as operations technician, and teaches theatrical lighting in addition to serving as technical director and lighting designer for PRYAF’s revues, plays, and fundraising shows. He's also in demand for shows for Cuesta College and North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation. Ryan understands first-hand the challenges of online teaching during the coronavirus because he manages all the virtual classrooms at PRYAF, but, as he says, “I’m grateful to have a job in this pandemic.”

Looking back, Ryan reflects with pleasure on his long and continuing association with the TPAC, but perhaps his favorite memories are the trips to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016 and 2019. Up until 2016, Ryan had never been out of the country, “or even the state!” he adds. In 2016, just after his high school graduation, Ryan went to the festival as a student, serving as light designer and tech director for “Little Shop of Horrors.” In 2019, Ryan went as a chaperone in addition to his lighting and technical duties for “The Addams Family.” His experience with “The Addams Family” trip was especially memorable because “I was able to program [the show] offline before we went to Scotland,” and then he could fine-tune the light cues once in Edinburgh.

Ryan is a huge fan of the TPAC and of its manager, Catherine Kingsbury. “I love working with her,” he says, and it’s clear that he gives 100 percent to each show he’s involved with. Once the TPAC is reopened (and plans are currently underway for that), look for Ryan, not on stage, but behind the lights—where he shines.

A simple way you can help the TPAC while you shop for your holiday gifts is to sign up for Amazon Smile and choose the Templeton PAC Foundation.

Our unique charity link for Amazon is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/82-4891901. Click on this link to go to the Amazon Smile website, and 0.5% of your eligible purchases will automatically be sent to the TPAC Foundation.

We appreciate your generosity, and we wish you the happiest of holidays from all of us at the TPAC Foundation!

Donating Just Got Easier!

The TPAC Foundation is officially recognized as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service code. This means that your donations may be tax-deductible.

The TPAC is a hub for cultural events serving the North County and provides an institution for career and vocational technical education for Templeton High School students. Each of the 330 seats in this small intimate setting has an unobstructed view of the stage. Its design makes it ideal for presentations by musical, dance, and theatrical groups, and for assemblies, lectures, and forums.

The Templeton Performing Arts Center Foundation is a non-profit organization created to support the operation and upkeep of the Templeton Performing Arts Center (TPAC). The TPAC was built through a combined effort of the Templeton Unified School District (TUSD) and the community. The basic structure was finished in 2003; community donors then raised funds to construct the interior of the theatre, furnishing the auditorium with seating and outfitting it with sound and lighting systems.

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