Upcoming Events:
CATTE Workshops and General Meeting
This winter we will be offering members TWO workshops that are thought provoking and significant topics for you!
Workshop #1 – Friday, January 21, 10am-12pm –Practical Sound for High School Theatres
In this workshop we will take a look at the various components of the sound system and discover how to best utilize the gear to get consistent sound in your theatre. Topics will include working with monitor mixes, basic eq, apps for sound that you can use on your iPad, compressors, common wireless pitfalls and how to avoid them, how to mic an actor, plus more. Time will be given to help you with specific questions also!
Workshop #2 – Friday, January 21, 1-3pm –
Stage Management: Tips and Effective Leadership
Presented by Claudia Carson
This workshop will empower teachers to effectively use student Stage Managers. Interactive tools and activities will be discussed that will bring the ensemble and crew together to have a fun and focused process while reaching for a high level of product.
Lunch will be provided. Participants will earn a certificate for 4 contact hours for professional development.
Join Today!
CATTE is designed to be an integral component of your theatre curriculum. Our goal is to help you accomplish more by giving you full advantage of a wide range of resources, workshops, safety guidelines and certifications.
Past Events:
The Art of Intimacy and ETC Console Training Tips and Tricks – September 25
After this long hiatus of our students not being able to perform, we will need tools to get our students to gain comfort on stage. This workshop will be an introduction into the best practices of creating meaningful moments of intimacy onstage in an environment that is safe and artistic. We will be discussing specific exercises that help students communicate boundaries as well as techniques that ground any physical touch into the visual story-telling of a play. This work is essential for any artist and educator and by sharing this language and these methods with our students at the youngest of ages, we can enable them to advocate for their needs and pave a route to a safer and more inclusive theatrical industry.
Forgot how to run your lightboard? Does it seem like a mysterious intimidating object sitting in your theatre? Participants in this workshop will get a refresher course for operating their Ion or Element Light Boards. Led by ETC trainers , this informal refresher will cover basic programming, how to perform a software update, and much, much more! You will feel revived and motivated to be back in your theatre and running lights for shows!
Organizational Roundtable and Best Practices for Video Production – January 23, 2021
During this event, we launched our first Organizational Roundtable. Have you re-organized your scene shop? Fixed-up your Front of House location? Created a better make-up station? We would love to learn from each other! Bring photos of your recent organizational change or renovation and be prepared to give and receive some great ideas that you will be able to take back to your theatre space.
This event will included a session where guest presenter Carrie Colton shared best-practices for video production, including advice on the easiest and cheapest ways to use the readily available gear that your school has to record, edit, and distribute videos. Carrie is Program Director and Advanced Acting Teacher at Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kidz/ Actors Academy for the Performing Arts.
Alternatives to Production Roundtable, COVID-19 and Grant Writing – September 12, 2020
Our first topic will be an Alternatives to Production Roundtable.
CATTE membership will get to talk about their plans and see how other theatres are planning their upcoming season.
Our second topic will be a discussion & presentation titled COVID-19.
Safety in Your Space. This is to inform you so you will have the most current procedures to keep you, your cast and crew, and your patrons safe.
Finally, we will have a presentation about How to Write Successful Grants for Theatres.
In this time where your theatre program may be in financial need due to the COVID-19 shutdown, we wanted to give members the opportunity to learn what makes asking for money successful!
EVA Foam and Special Effects Make-up – January 31, 2020
From Cosplay to Your Play: EVA Foam
by Bryan Srtadtherr from TPCCosplay
Special Effects Make-up
by Nikki Harrison
Photos from the event on the right:
Projections – September 7, 2019
Presentation by Gregory Towle
Projection Nuts and Bolts
Presentation by El Armstrong
Photos from the event on the right:
Lighting – January 11, 2019
Lighting 101
Presentation by Carmel Alston
Lighting color, color theory, LED equipment and other modern equipment
Presentation by Vance McKenzie
Photos from the event on the right:
Scenery and Props – September 8, 2018
How to create inexpensive 3D objects for your set design
How to paint wood, stone and brick for your sets
Presented by Amy Campion
Photos from the event on the right:
Sketchup in your Scenic Design and Sound Troubleshooting and Skills – January 27, 2018
Using Sketchup in your Scenic Design
Presentation by Alex Polzin
Sound System Troubleshooting and Sound Production Techniques
Theatre Business & Scenic Rules/Regulations – August 5, 2017
Theatre Business and Promotion
Publicity, marketing, contracts, rules for scripts usage.
Using your Space Safely: Scenic Rules & Regulations – Presentation by Brian Kelley
Safety standards, assumed risks, what you need to know and who you can contact to understand your space.
Photo from the event on the right:

Makeup Essentials & Next Generation Lighting – January 13, 2017
At this meeting workshops were presented by Laura Love and Carmel Alston. Descriptions:
Makeup Essentials by Laura Love
Learn the basics of perfect stage makeup.
Plus what to buy and how to manage it.
Next Generation Lighting by Carmel Alston
How DMX works plus how to evaluate LED & movers for your venue for purchase and rental.
Photos from the event are on the right:
Safe Scenic Construction & Video Projection – August 20, 2016
At this meeting workshops were presented by DCPA’s Topher Blair and Albert “Stub” Allison. Descriptions:
Video Design – Topher Blair
We will be covering both the technical and artistic sides of projection design. We will be exploring some important questions for designers looking to do video on a shoestring budget. When should projections be used? What kind of equipment should you bee looking for? And how should your projections help to tell the story of the play?
Building Stock Scenery – Albert “Stub” Allison
We will be exploring methods of building standard sized flats, platforms, and steps that will allow for almost endless design choices as your stock grows.
Photos from the event are on the right:
Jay O. Glerum Rigging Master Class – June 13-14, 2016
General Meeting – January 15, 2016 – Sound and Shop Safety
At this meeting workshops were presented on Scene Shop Safety (presented by Metro State University), and Wireless Microphones (presented by D.L. Adams Associates and Shure). All handouts from the presenters are available on the CATTE Google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/catte. Photos from the event are on the right: