COOPER NICKELS
Theater Technician
I am a craftsperson who specializes in carpentry, puppetry, and special effects props. I am a third year student at Carnegie Mellon studying technical direction. I have been working in scene shops and prop shops for several years, and pride myself on my ability to work efficiently and with great care on every project I put my hands on.
SPECIALTY PROPS
Here are some examples of the types of props that I have built for shows in the past few years. I enjoy building special effects props most of all. I also have experience building hand props and larger pieces such as the ping pong table and pendant lights.
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CARPENTRY
Carpentry has always been my passion, and it is something that I strive to improve upon and work on as much as I can. I love working with wood and making beautiful pieces come to life onstage and off. Hand joinery is one of my favorite things to do, and I try to incorporate those ideas and skills into as much theater work as I can.
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SET DRESSING
I have always enjoyed set dressing, and I would like to do more of it in the future.
This was for a new play workshop that I prop mastered at Chautauqua. The set dressing consisted of signs, posters, lights, beer cans, and other odds and ends.
Airness was set in a bar and had pictures, stickers, and signs hung all over the walls.
PUPPETRY
I have always loved puppets and their ability to capture an audience and bring life to inanimate objects in a way that is difficult to do well.
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WELDING
I have been trained in MIG and TIG welding and have been getting more and more experience welding at Carnegie Mellon.
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MASKS
I have always enjoyed mask work and getting to build them, and this is something that I would like to work more on in the future to further my skills.
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HAND BLOWN GLASS
I have been taking Hot Glass as an elective for two years now. While glass itself is not very applicable to theater, working with this material and learning how to use a glass studio has been invaluable in improving my shop skills and my ability to work with my hands.
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