I trained as a lighting designer in theatre. I studied it at Otterbein, designed shows there and at Boise State, and taught technical theatre at my old high school.
Then I moved into corporate events, and I found out something nobody told me in school. A general session is just a play with a CEO in the lead role.
Here's what translated.
You never open without a tech rehearsal
In theatre, nobody would dream of opening a show without tech week. Every cue is run, every transition is practiced and every problem gets found before an audience sees it.
Corporate shows don't always get that time, but they should get some version of it. Even a short cue to cue for the opening, the walk ups and the videos changes the whole day. Rehearsal is where a good show becomes a calm one.
Calling a show is a craft
In theatre, the stage manager calls the show. Standby, go. Every department moves together on one voice.
A general session works the same way. A good show caller keeps lights, audio, video, playback and cameras in sync, so walk ups land on time, videos roll clean and transitions feel effortless. When it's done well, the audience never notices. When it's missing, everyone does.
Light the faces
Lighting design taught me that the most important thing on stage is the human face. In a corporate setting that matters even more, because your presenter is also on camera, on the IMAG screens and in the recording.
A big LED wall is nice. A presenter who looks great, can see the audience and isn't squinting is what actually sells the message.
Every event has a story arc
Theatre is storytelling, and so is a good general session. There's an opening that sets the tone, a middle that builds, transitions that keep energy up and an ending that sends people out with purpose.
Walk in music, the opening video, the reveal, the last slide. When you think of those moments as scenes in a story, the whole program gets stronger.
The show must go on
Theatre teaches you to solve problems in real time without the audience seeing it. A prop breaks, an actor misses an entrance, a cue goes early. You adapt and keep going.
That instinct is exactly what live corporate events need. Things will change. The job is to stay calm, make a call and keep the show moving.
The stage changed. The craft didn't.
I still use everything theatre taught me on every show I work: preparation, rehearsal, a clear calling structure, lighting that serves people and a sense of story.
If you want your next meeting to feel less like a meeting and more like a show, let's talk.
