My name is Sydney Thiessen. I like solving problems, reorganization, and technical theatre.
From the time I was a little kid, until I was a junior in high school, I wanted to be an engineer or an architect. I watched This Old House as a preschooler, and carried around my little plastic tools wherever I went. That's when I became interested in pursuing technical theatre.
Currently, I work at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon as their Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator, and Technical Director. I manage the auditorium and arts building. We have multiple plays a year, concerts at all levels of our district, festivals, assemblies, events, classes, and rentals in our space. I also design lights and sets for our plays, and work with dozens of students to build, paint, hang, focus, rig, and mic the productions.
During the summer of 2019, I worked at PLA Designs in Hillsboro, Oregon as a design intern. I started learning the tricks of the theatrical consulting trade, and have brought my own theatre management and design skills to the table. They have inspired me to visit LDI this year!
I have two bachelors of arts, one in Theatre Design/Technology, and one in Cinema Media Communications, from George Fox University. I did 11 productions and numerous short films during my time there, becoming a generalist that could work across departments and bring them together to create innovative solutions.