Know some stir-crazy kids? STEM the sillies with the Charleston Gaillard Center tech team.

https://www.postandcourier.com/charleston_scene/know-some-stir-crazy-kids-stem-the-sillies-with-thecharleston-gaillard-center-tech-team/article_ c - f- ebe- b c c.html

Know some stir-crazy kids? STEM the sillies with the Charleston Gaillard Center tech team. ,

Maura Hogan is the arts critic at The Post and Courier. She has previously wri en about arts, culture and lifestyle for The New York Times, Gourmet, Garden & Gun, among other publications.

The technical team at the Charleston Gaillard Center takes the stage to teach science through the lens of theatrical product Charleston Gaillard Center/Provided

After Charleston’s recent biblical stretch of rain, it is safe to say anyone teaching or raising a kid (myself included) can use help to stem the stir-craziness.

Never fear, team tech is here.

In the fall, the technical team of the Charleston Gaillard Center hatched a plan that is sure to STEM out those “sillies,” in the parlance of the education eld. Whether they’re taking place in classrooms, a distance learning space or any kitchen table throughout South Carolina’s tri-county area or beyond, a new program o ers a solution.

Launched last month as part of the Gaillard’s Education and Community program, “Setting the Stage” is an eightpart series providing students with a spirited peek behind the Gaillard’s plush burgundy curtain, all in the name of The Charleston Gaillard Center technical team used production equipment to teach science with plans that meet South Carolina state standards. Charleston Gaillard Center/Provided

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The series is one of the o erings at the Gaillard. There is also “Raising the

Volume,” a streaming series on music, race, art, activism and community curated by artists-in-residence Marcus Amaker and Charlton Singleton, and a virtual performance of “Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.” A dance program geared to early childhood education is in the works, too.

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Add it up: It’s a STEM-solid approach to learning. Plus, it comes with lesson plans and kitchen cabinet-friendly experiments that meet South Carolina education standards. Plus, it’s meant to lighten the load of overburdened educators and parents. Plus, it’s available free online.

Oh, and in the bonus points category: Did I mention there’s an utterly charming dog involved?

The ‘Eureka!’ moment Sterling deVries, director of education at Charleston Gaillard Center, said the idea sprung from the wings. With a COVID-

emptied concert hall, members of a technical team

hatched a plan to keep themselves busy: Share their love of theatrical arts with the kids who can’t presently make an in-person curtain.

“We’ve always cherished the opportunity to share our craft with the young people that attend our summer camps and educational shows,” said Colin Skinner, the Gaillard’s master carpenter.

It’s also meant to lighten the load of educators.

Stage lights are used to teach science lessons in Charleston Gaillard Center’s “Se ing the Stage” video series. Charleston Gaillard Center/Provided

“It’s tough out there,” said deVries, a former educator who frequently hears reports from the eld of the daunting challenges.

“Most of the teachers are having to teach in person and virtual simultaneously — and writing two completely di erent sets of lesson plans because it’s two di erent approaches to teaching and learning.”

The Gaillard’s leaders started talking about the program in May, according to deVries, in an e ort to gure out how to serve patrons without being able to host them.

“We’re used to hosting about

,

kids a year, and we’re used to teaching hundreds of in

school workshops, and that was no longer an option for us,” she said.

The aim was to provide teachers, parents, caregivers and patrons with something attractive and interesting involving the theater, while not adding extra work.

Colin Skinner, head carpenter at Charleston Gaillard Center, hosts a new education video series that teaches science to tricounty students. Charleston Gaillard Center/Provided

“No one needs more on their plate,” she said. “It’s all about making the lives of our educators easier, but still supporting them, because we have now created this expectation that the Gaillard is there and we’re able to provide these amazing experiences for students.”

The idea for “Setting the Stage” came about when the technical team was brainstorming ways to provide content for its educational outreach during the pandemic, Skinner said.

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The team then worked together to perform, lm and edit each episode. Set on the Gaillard’s grand, gleaming stage, the series features Skinner as host. He also wrote the scripts, tapping into the expertise of each team member.

Skinner thus o ers details on stage directions and explains other terms. Head Audio Technician John Barry sounds in on, well, sound — how it travels, how it ampli es and so forth. Master Electrician David Kerr sheds light on light, explaining everything from a household bulb to theatrical ellipsoidal lights. Exhibition Hall Technical Director Hunter

Laird dives deep into projection, showing a slick projector to demonstrate how rays of light are transmitted for movie screens and other uses and covering components like the concave mirror and convex lens.

The nuts and bolts With the help of deVries, the technical team developed STEM-focused episodes, which are accompanied by lesson plans and experiments provided by deVries.

For the production design, the team drew inspiration from Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” building a “stage lab” to showcase the equipment used in their craft. It consists of four areas: Rigging World, Lighting World, Video World and Audio World.

It must be said that they all go the extra mile to engage viewers, hopping on lifts, hamming it up, you name it — generally geeking out on their chosen vocations. Such ardor may even spur some aspiring technical theater careers. In fact, deVries mentioned that one educator is using the series in higher grades to shine light on these professions.

Les Turner, school counselor at Military Magnet Academy in North Charleston, is enthusiastic about the videos.

“These will keep the kids’ attention and teach them the basics,” he said. “Very well done.”

Pet project The tech team does have a secret weapon of engagement.

Her name is Riley the tech dog, an impressively agreeable backstage mascot who is game for just about anything. Skinner started bringing Riley to work during the pandemic, and she served as a de facto “comfort animal” for the few technical sta .

Riley the tech dog gets a starring role in Charleston Gaillard Center’s “Se ing the Stage,” an eight-part video series that teaches about science. Charleston Gaillard Center/Provided

“Because of her natural talent for tricks being an Australian Cattle dog mix, it was easy to nd ways for her to ‘help’ us explain the science behind stage craft,” he said.

He kids you not. Riley can high- ve, gesture with her nose, and seems un appable in the face of y systems and other apparatuses.

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Lesson plans As a former educator, deVries understands how to create lesson plans that meet South Carolina standards, while lessening the work for teachers and parents rather than adding more.

Each video is accompanied by a detailed plan supplied by deVries. Students can do any of the included experiments from home or school using commonplace household products.

Speci c grade-level science standards are covered in these lessons. Plans also provide assessments and rubrics.

Kids, do try this at home I decided to try it out at home with my second-grade daughter, Beatrice.

Since she is a karaoke enthusiast, we opted to focus on Episode , “Can You Hear Me Now? How Microphones Work,” which was sure to resonate with her Taylor Swiftian inclinations.

Sitting in front of a tricked-out audio mixing board that’s sure re catnip for any gadgethappy kid, Barry uses the microphone to amplify all manner of phenomena related to sound. He pursues questions. How exactly does sound travel from one place to be played through a TV, speaker or phone?

But rst, he has to nd his microphone, and thankfully one crew member has been paying attention. That would be Riley the tech dog, who graciously employs her snout to point it out.

From there, Barry explains how a microphone converts sound waves into electrical energy, talks through the components of a dynamic microphone — its diaphragm, coil and magnet — and how it creates electrical energy until you hear it coming out of a speaker. After a high- ve from Riley, end scene.

We then engaged in some gloriously achievable experiments using household items. Yes, I can nd a glass in which to place my iPhone to hear how a song is ampli ed. And, yes, we have plenty of extra TP tubes and a couple of cups. Sure, we can cut them out to make our own speaker. And, yes, it actually works! We can also place varying levels of water in a set of glasses to make di erent pitches, too.

No fuss, no muss, just some good, clean science — and guilt-free, interactive screen time to boot. By the end, both second-grader and parental lab technicians felt empowered. Yes, we can do this pandemic without ruining the kitchen or turning to mental mush.

We weren’t the only ones who had fun, which is clear throughout the series.

“We hope our viewers, of all ages, enjoy watching ‘Setting the Stage’ as much as we enjoyed creating it,” Skinner said.

Given the reception in my own household, I’d say the scienti c results are promising.

All videos and lesson plans are available for free at gaillardcenter.org.

Follow Maura Hogan on Twitter at @msmaurahogan.

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