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30 <br /> 1 Access to high-quality theater environment allowed him to develop his creative talents in lighting <br /> 2 design and set design in ways that we never dreamed were possible. This isn't just access to <br /> 3 the facility and its equipment, but also learning to use the software products that control the <br /> 4 lights and sound equipment. Theater production is a very high-tech industry, and one that <br /> 5 brings revenue into the Triangle area. Aidan has been a key participants in EVERY production <br /> 6 staged in the Carrboro High School Arts Wing. He has grown enormously in his professional <br /> 7 skills in theater production as a result of your decision, five years ago, to fund the Arts Wing at <br /> 8 Carrboro High School. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Aidan is a senior at Carrboro High School. In the fall, he will go to the UNC School of Arts in <br /> 11 Winston-Salem to pursue his Bachelors in Fine Arts degree, with a concentration in Lighting <br /> 12 Design. He choose UNC School of Arts over very competitive funding packages from arts <br /> 13 conservatories at Shenandoah University and Ithaca College, in part because another theater <br /> 14 production major from Carrboro High School is thriving at UNC School of Arts. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 My son's goal is a professional career in on Broadway in NY. When he gets there, he (and <br /> 17 others like him) will be well-prepared and ahead of the competition, thanks in no small part to <br /> 18 your decision. So THANK YOU for building the Carrboro High School Arts Wing. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 I also have a request. When we parents asked you to fund the Arts Wing, we had no idea how <br /> 21 important it was to have a fulltime theater manager on staff. It is not clear to everyone that the <br /> 22 theater manager position is absolutely critical. This staff position ensures that the facility is well- <br /> 23 maintained, that all student production work is conducted in a safe manner (students work at <br /> 24 heights and using power tools in theater production), and that the Arts Wing is in good condition <br /> 25 for the many rentals that use it. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 To my surprise, between rentals and school use, the Arts Wing is fully booked throughout the <br /> 28 school year. Rentals are helpful not only because they bring revenue into the county, but <br /> 29 because they provide mentored training experiences for students like my son. Although the <br /> 30 theater managers are not teachers, they do serve as supervisors for students who have <br /> 31 internships in theater production. Basically, this spring my son learned first-hand how to be a <br /> 32 production manager in a professional theater. He could not do this if there was no theater <br /> 33 manager to teach him these skills in a revenue-generating Arts Wing. <br /> 34 <br /> 35 The theater managers are one of the things we will lose if the Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools are <br /> 36 not fully funded. For this reason, as well as many others, I am asking you to fully fund the <br /> 37 requested budget for the Chapel Hill / Carrboro and Orange County schools. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Thank you for your time and your service to our community. And thank you for the Carrboro <br /> 40 High School Arts Wing, which changed the course of my son's life, in an enormously beneficial <br /> 41 way. <br /> 42 <br /> 43 -- Steve Marshall <br /> 44 <br /> 45 <br /> 46 From: David Denuo <br /> 47 Phone Number: 919-265-3305 <br /> 48 Message: <br /> 49 <br /> 50 Two minutes of your time, please: <br /> 51 <br />