Paul Suellentrop
Creating two hours of a dramatic production on stage at Wichita State University’s Wilner Auditorium can take long hours and weeks of work.
WSU students charged with that behind-the-scenes labor now earn more money for their time and expertise, thanks to State of Kansas Applied Learning Funds. Twenty-three students are paid to work in more types of career-focused jobs, such as social media, costumes, fund-raising, lighting and scenes in the School of Performing Arts — all while still earning their degree
The paid applied learning allows the School of Performing Arts to boost its student workforce and increase their pay. Paid positions in this field, said Cheyla Clawson, director, School of Performing Arts said, are usually at a low pay rate and are hard to find outside the university.
“We know the importance of the work, for them to be able to afford college and to prepare for the field,” Clawson said. “That was important – how we’re valuing our students’ work and what we can pay them really, massively, shifted, through these applied learning funds.”
Seven students perform administrative work that includes social media, designing playbills and a monthly newsletter and audience research. Sixteen students work in production – costume, lighting, scene and properties. Their tasks include wardrobe supervision, alterations, maintenance of equipment, carpentry, painting and more.
Mia Dennett, a junior from Salina, is a theater major who is the lead shop assistant in the costume shop.
Alexandra Enmark
“Because it’s a paid position, I’m able to work in the field that I am hoping to go into and I don’t have to divert my attention to other jobs,” she said. “I’m able to focus on my schoolwork and building my career. If it wasn’t a paid position, most students that work in the costume shop would have to forgo working in the costume shop to make enough money to put themselves through college.”
Alexandra Enmark wants to open her own local theater after graduation. She wants to stay in Kansas because she likes the state’s theater community. In her mind, the theater's look is inspired by Roxy’s Downtown, a 152-seat cabaret-style venue originally built as a speakeasy.
“I would definitely picture it open floor, with tables,” she said. “I would have most of the productions performed as theater-in-the-round, for a more intimate setting. I really like getting the audience involved.”
Enmark, a freshman from Yukon, Okla., is majoring in design and technical theater. A paid applied learning position is introducing her to administrative duties such as social media, working with donors, publicity, creating a newsletter and designing playbills.
“Learning the business side of theater is really awesome,” she said. “I’ve gotten better at communicating what I can get done and what needs to get done. I’m better at balancing doing multiple things at once, because a lot of times we have to.”
Dennett works as a stitcher in the costume shop for Music Theatre Wichita in the summers and wants to work in costume design and performance after graduation.
“Being able to get professional experience and build my skills here and transfer those skills into professional environments outside of school is really important,” Dennett said.
Dennett learned sewing from her grandmother, Carol McFadden. Dennett’s crew builds costumes, makes alterations, designing and sewing costumes.
“It’s a great place to learn sewing and altering, those type of skills,” she said.
She worked as the costume, hair and makeup designer for “Spring Awakening.” Moritz Stiefel, one of the characters in the play, wears a cardigan that Dennett learned how to dye the sweater with bleach and create heart and rib-cage designs.
“It was a lot of historical research,” she said. “We built quite a few things. We incorporated punk elements into the show, so it was a fun blend of historical and modern punk aesthetics.”
The applied learning funds, Clawson said, help performing arts students manage college expenses and help the School of Performing Arts improve its productions. She notices a significant difference in social media engagement that helps the department highlight students and tell the story of their work.
“Getting the information out there, to our community, to our alums, to the greater Wichita community, is huge,” she said. “It feels really important and validating that the university recognizes the value and importance the applied learning our students are doing.”
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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