By Dillan Ducar ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Working in the theater shop, sweaty and covered in sawdust, is a group of artists who often do not get as much attention as others.
Among these artists is the amateur builder Kieran Martin ’13.
As he releases the pressure from the trigger, a drill stops. He steps back admiring the product of three weeks of hard work and determination.
Martin had just completed his Plywood Project, an assignment that all builders complete when enrolled in Mr. Ron Douglas’ Theater Production class.
The Plywood Project is meant to test the ability of the student to design, prepare and create a piece of furniture with one piece of plywood; Martin chose to make a night stand.
“Martin created a piece that was functional and has pleasing lines. It was at first a challenge to get Martin to build something that would be beautiful as well as functional. His first drawings were little more than a box. He then modified his plans to incorporate more style. He ended up with a beautiful and functional table,” Mr. Douglas said about Martin. “He seemed to get really into the project once his plans were made.”
It is an artistic challenge as well as a time trial to meet the deadline while at the same time cleaning up from the recently-completed Fall play.
“Well my night stand broke and I needed a new one; with the project I thought why not make myself a new one?” Martin said when asked where his inspiration came from. “I wanted to build a box but (Mr. Douglas) wouldn’t let me build a box. This is the closest I could get to a box.”
Martin said he would likely add visual graphics and shelves to the completed night stand.
Martin was a member of Tech Theater for all of his freshmen year and built both the set for “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Guys and Dolls.”
“I think that if one thought of Tech Theater, they would call it an art, but when someone says art to you, you immediately think of sculpting, painting or maybe the play you recently saw, but the people who built the set don’t cross your mind,” Martin said when asked if he thought Tech Theater was not respected as much as other artistic pieces such as paintings.
Martin is also a member of Brophy-Xavier Theater, appearing in his first play “Up the Down Staircase” last October.
