Shed Light & Sound

By Dominique Elias, ENGL 336
http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/theatredance/

A man who only goes to the fullest heights in all that he does is a man that will accomplish great things. Neil James LaDow, but called James by most believes that no one should live by “half measures”, to always seek “to go the full extent of anything they want to accomplish”.

This philosophy is how James has always lived his life especially when it comes to his passion for sound and light design. As a senior at Frostburg State University majoring in theater with a concentration in design and technology, James has truly found what he loves and works hard at it. James is a “behind the scenes” and “back stage kind of guy” with a keen eye for detail. As the assistant lighting designer for To Kill a Mocking Bird and sound designer for the upcoming production on campus called the [title of show], James prides himself in all the experiential learning he can obtain to perfect his craft to make it big in D.C. If James, could change the world the second thing he would do would be to make theater for more than just “rich old people”. Through his craft he wishes to make people excited about theatre again as it was in the Shakespearian age. “Theatre needs to be more assessable to all”, not just exclusive to some because the appreciation for theatre becomes undervalued. However, the first thing he would do would be “to take Donald trump out of the running” for the presidential election.

Just as many when James first started college he thought he wanted to major in wild life and fisheries. He loved wildlife, being outdoors and was a boy scout practically his whole life so it just seemed like a perfect fit. Until he was reintroduced to his love for theatre while playing some improvisational games, his friends who were theatre majors simple just threw the idea out there “hey you should join theatre” and “So [he] did”. Since then he has never looked back and has grown such a commitment. James spends hours listening to music, movies, and video game sound tracks not just because it interests him, because new things excite him. Especially Janelle Monae  sound track called “The Electric Lady”. After becoming intrigued by Janelle Monae’s new sound direction James had “seen the light”. Studying people that are in the field of sound and light design allows James to be able to see where he sees himself in the future. “Shedding light and sound on something that most people would ignore or gloss over” is how James plans to live out the rest of his life.