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One of a Kind
For seven summers, eager high school student technicians have been inspired and empowered by our staff and the unforgettable experiences they create. At SSTI TECH, our students thrive in an environment filled with like-minded peers and adults. Our tech students are celebrated for their incredible skills and are challenged to be ready for the next steps in their careers. SSTI Tech creates a home, a support network, and a foundation from which to launch a career. SSTI Tech changes lives.
SSTI TECH:
Technical Theatre Summer Intensive
SSTI: Your Summer Home
Every summer at SSTI Tech, students arrive from a variety of backgrounds: Some are the only tech students in their schools. Some are the leaders in a large tech program at home. And some are just starting out, hungry for a broad base of knowledge and skills to take back home.
They all have one thing in common: at SSTI Tech, they are home.
For the first time in their lives, our SSTI Tech students are surrounded by professionals in a work environment where they aren't treated as 'interns' but rather co-collaborators and artists.
In our staff (comprised of professional designers from the regional and Broadway realm), our students see the careers that they hope to achieve. In our college grad and upperclass staffers, our students see themselves in just a few short years.
Read on to see how our students are also being prepared in the classroom for life after high school, and SSTI...
Professional Productions
Forget what you know about 'camp shows'.
During the first three weeks of SSTI Tech, our students are building, designing, engineering, and lighting a giant musical. The students will work in an array of fields before settling into their crew assignment in week three. This assignment is an opportunity to dive into their field of interest, or discover parallel educational opportunities, based on experience levels. Hundreds of cues, thousands of screws, and immeasurable memories lead up to a giant opening night, even reviewed by local press!
Interview Ready
Every Fall, we witness our alums head off to some of the most prestigious technical theatre programs in the nation. This is not only a direct result of their incredible talent and skills honed at SSTI and at home, but also the highly specific interview training that takes place at SSTI Tech every summer. Our students are not only able to complete a mock collegiate interview, but also the process of a group interview and presentation of one's work. We know that speaking in front of a group might not always be a technician's favorite thing, we're here to help you practice.
Diverse Training
We know that you have one specific area of tech theatre that you love more than others. (Shout out lighting kids). But at SSTI Tech, our professionals understand that you will have the most successful career if you're able to be a 'Swiss Army knife.' That's the core of SSTI Tech. Everyone spends the first two weeks working in all areas of tech. This improves the educational experience (and your portfolio) while also serving to strengthen the entire team, as everyone understands and appreciates the challenges presented by all areas of technical theatre.
Hands-on Work
SSTI Tech trains students to be smart, safe, and empowered in their work. After completing thorough tool and safety training, our students are mentored through the complete build and execution of a professional design, in a variety of departments. Students can elect to focus on Carpentry/Design, Lighting, Audio, Wardrobe, Wigs and Makeup, or Props. Tech students will even teach intro tech classes to the actors in the final week!
Portfolio Prepped
At SSTI Tech, we work with our students to insure they are not only skillfully documenting their diverse work during the summer, but also properly organizing any photos and supporting documents from their other works prior to coming to SSTI. With a professional portfolio, combined with our interview prep program, our students are ready to both show and tell colleges and potential employers who they are and the many skills they have to offer.
Beautiful Locale
During the (admittedly few) non-tech theatre hours of the typical SSTI Tech day, our technicians embrace being surrounded by one of the most beautiful parts of our country, the South Carolina coast. Whether enjoying the beaches of Hilton Head Island, or the charm of downtown Beaufort, students will be able to embrace the opportunity to explore a new part of the country. Beach trips and field trips are scheduled weekly!
College Ready
Education at SSTI TECH takes many forms:
We learn on stage. We learn in the classroom.
We learn through collaborative design and decision making.
Every student leaves SSTI TECH prepared to:
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Professionally contribute in all areas of tech theatre.
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Successfully navigate a college/job interview process, both in a group and individual setting.
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Artistically document his or her past and future work for a portfolio and digital presentation.
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Clearly present his or her portfolio, describing both the work and the process.
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Adhere to the standards set by USITT for design.
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Use our introductory lessons to delve further into the software most frequently used in technical theatre: AutoCad, Vectorworks, and Qlab.
Life at SSTI
The word family is used often by staff and students alike.
Every summer at SSTI, we do our part to positively affect the tone of the next generation of young artists. Often, our students come from school or community theatre environments where there is division or 'drama', for lack of a less-cliched word. Not at SSTI.
At SSTI, every student is here for a reason: to grow. We work very hard to insure that our musical theatre and technical theatre students, not only frequently interact, but also get clear depiction of the work happening on each side of the curtain every day.
At SSTI, we operate under the mantra 'Gratitude is the Attitude', and we truly believe that in our industry 'nice people work'. We want to work with and cultivate nice, generous, respectful and thoughtful young people. If through our lessons in the theatre or the 'graduated independence' afforded to our students living in housing, we can instill and encourage those qualities in the young people of SSTI, we feel that we've already succeeded.
We're shaping outstanding humans at SSTI.
The SessionS
Directed by
Tony Award Nominee
JANE LANIER
June 4 - June 30, 2024
*June 3rd Arrival/Travel Day
SSTI Hilton Head Campus
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Directed by
Broadway's
JACOB BRENT
July 9 - August 4, 2024
*July 8th Arrival/Travel Day
SSTI Hilton Head Campus
TuitioN
Tuition for SSTI 2024 includes:
Four week SSTI Technical Theatre experience
Private bedroom in SSTI's new apartment style living
Chef's dinner nightly, with a weekly grocery delivery
Tuition for SSTI 2023 is $6475.
Tips: We are able to break payments up into payment plans. Additionally, there are limited sponsorships donated for students every summer. These 4-6 sponsorships are distributed on a verified needs basis and those qualifications are found within the GetAcceptd application process.
Deadlines
Ages: SSTI TECH is for current 8th grade through Seniors
Important Deadlines for SSTI 2024:
Regular Admission: 3/3/24
Tip: Wait lists will form for all programs.
Due to demand, and with an intention to provide the most equitable process, there will not be Early Admission enrollment for 2024. Student with multi-session availability are highly encouraged to check any alternate sessions of interest when completing your application.
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