Engineering students showcase their skills behind the curtain

"Remember remember the 5th of November -- the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

The words drip off the tip of the actor's tongue in a slow, hushed voice. Dressed in black garb, he wears a porcelain mask with a thin mustache and a pointed goatee. A sword is in hand.

In the background, a symphony begins to play, calmly at first, then progressing into a powerful, bold musical statement. The actor waves his sword, conducting the movement. The music gets louder and fuller, anticipating a grand finale.

Here it comes …

Fireworks shoot into the darkness behind the actors. They light up the stage and crackle as they seemingly explode in the air.

The symphony begins to die down, and the actors watch the firework display as the scene comes to a close.

The audience cheers for the performance, and a group of engineering design students stand up to take a bow. This is not Theatre 101; this is "Engineering Design 100H: Entertainment Engineering."

The course, taught by Richard Devon, professor of engineering design and director of the Engineering Design Program, was first offered this for first-year honors students. The class, which was divided into four groups, collaborated with upper-level engineering leadership students, theatre students, a French student intern and students at the National University of Singapore to create special effects for their performances.

"I got the idea from a course taught by Paxton Marshall, an old friend at the University of Virginia," said Devon. "I then spoke to some of my colleagues about doing something similar here at Penn State, and we all concluded that it would be too much fun not to do."

This pilot course tested the project's feasibility and the students' interest, determining whether or not an entertainment engineering program could be developed into a new minor for students in both the School of Theatre and the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs. In the end-of-the-semester surveys, all four groups agreed the project should be continued. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "definitely continue," one group gave a rating of 15.

"Oftentimes, students only research or create a design, but they never actually create a working project," said Katie O'Kelly, a first-year honors student in the class. "We spent hours coming up with our design and hours building our special effect. It was so rewarding to see that, after all that hard work was done, we had created a real special effect that worked – and worked well!"

Upper-level students in ENGR 493 Leadership Experience helped Devon plan and develop the project, choose the effects, outline the design process and coordinate the logistics for the teams. The theatre students and faculty acted as the "customers" of the special effects designs, specifying their needs and providing advice and suggestions for the teams.

"I felt part of my input into this project was helping the engineering students understand what technical theatre was about and how it's related to what they do," said Eric Rouse, technical director of the Penn State School of Theatre.

"I remember a couple of them coming into the theatre and saying, 'This won’t work,'" said Rouse. "It has to work. You have to be able to deviate from your original plan and come up with plan B. My favorite part was seeing the engineering students adapt to the situation."

Despite a few obstacles, the groups successfully completed their projects. Along with the firework display, the student groups also created a tornado, a transparent apparition and an "invisible hand" that disrupted items in a room.

The fireworks were created by shining spotlights onto Mylar pompoms. The pompoms were attached to strings on a pulley system, which were then raised to the top of a wooden frame.

Another group had the task of designing a weather effect. These students created a tornado by attaching a long piece of tulle fabric to a motorized fan. Sound effects and a strobe light enhanced the design.

The third group created a transparent ghost for their performance. This apparition was created by casting the reflection of a hidden person onto a piece of Plexiglas that was invisible to the audience.

The fourth group developed an "invisible hand" effect that disrupted many items in a living room. This invisible entity knocked books off a bookshelf, spun the hands on a clock, rocked in a rocking chair and closed the door. These four components were created using a variety of designs, including a pulley system, fishing line and Bungee cords.

"We never thought that engineering was such a large part of theatrical effects -- this really opened our eyes," commented one group. "Now, we really appreciate the amount of technical work that goes into creating a real-life theatrical experience."

Devon will continue the entertainment engineering course for fall but has decided to change the way the course is taught. He plans to include more hands-on skills and more applied technologies, including control systems and hydraulics.

Rouse plans to strengthen the collaboration by involving more theatre students. He hopes that the course will eventually result in a program that prepares students to work at entertainment engineering companies.

"If Penn State gets an academic unit where we have people specialized to teach these things, I think that would put our program in a separate league," said Rouse.

Devon added, "With industry collaboration, we think it will create a pipeline into the entertainment industry. Penn State's entertainment engineering program will be appealing to both students and industry."