Students have gone on to tour as professional techs with the EAGLES, ALANIS MORISSETTE, COAL CHAMBER, and countless Broadway tours such as CHICAGO and FOSSE.

Cal Arts, UCI, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles and UCLA are just some of the schools that Production and Design students have enrolled in to continue their education.

OCHSA students are required to take four years of Production and Design classes, including:

Beginning Audio - In this course, students first observe sound as a part of everyday life in order to increase awareness of discernment, a principal foundation of working in all fields of sound. Students learn to become familiar with the physics of sound and the tools we use in working with sound, including the Pro Tools software. Each student has the opportunity to observe and handle these tools. This course incorporates the recording studio as well as live sound environments. Beginning Costume - Fall semester students will learn the basics of costume design including how costume directly relates, impacts and contributes to production and design.  The students are introduced to design and color theory, costume history with emphasis on the characteristics of each period. Spring semester students explore the process of designing a show from start to finish and how to present designs in a professional layout.  Student projects include: script paperwork, designing a concept, writing a concept paper, research and a presentation of their work to the class. Drawing 1 - This class is designed to give students a hands-on drawing and design experience.  Students will learn the skills in drawing as well as composition and design in all areas related to production work.  They will work with a variety of drawing techniques in order to provide a broad overview of the concepts that can be used in creating finished drawings, layouts, and rendering. Theatre History - This course is designed to give students an overview of the development and elements of theatre.  Students will learn terms, vocabulary, and the development of theatre from the Greeks to the present day. Beginning Make-up - This class is designed to give the students an introduction and basic overview of stage make-up for theatre, film and television.  Class binders will be created serving as a record of their course work and for their own future production references. Beginning Scenic Design - This class introduces the basic principles of scene design, construction and painting.  It also includes basic scene shop procedures that will prepare the students for crew assignments. Production Lab 9 - This is a hands-on class that is designed to prepare students for upcoming performances.  They build, paint, hang light, set up audio equipment, block props, and various other tasks that are included in theatre production. This class teaches skills in teamwork, problem solving, and applies what students have learned in their other classes to practical use.  This class is graded on attendance, attitude, performance and class participation.  Ninth grade students receive the crew work assignments for the year.  The class also provides an opportunity for students to receive quality, personalized instruction time from instructors on their projects. Beginning Lighting - This class is the first step into the world of theatre lighting.  Students learn what light is, where it comes from, and most importantly, how to use it in theatre.  They learn terms, build light plots, and establish the basic skills needed to hang and focus lighting.  This is the first of two classes required in lighting. Acting for Non-Majors - This course is designed to give the Production and Design students a chance to learn about acting.  Through theatre games and exercises, students will learn the about the craft, vocabulary, and terms used in acting and directing. This course is designed to be fun, but at the same time give the students an appreciation for the actors/artists for whom they design.

10th Grade

Intermediate Audio - This course allows students to begin using the tools previously learned about in introductory classes. Instruction includes recording various instruments, use of microphone techniques, observation of the effects of various environments on recording and sound reinforcement, and the exploration of sound design and its application in recording and live sound. The students begin to assist in productions to become familiar with application in the "real world" as opposed to a controlled atmosphere. Intermediate Scenic Design - Continued study of scene design and construction utilizing advanced methodology with both traditional and nontraditional materials. This class also covers basic theatre safety procedures. Drafting - This course provides an introduction to and development of drafting skills for the creation of construction drawings.  Lettering, scale, orthographic projection, and dimensioning are some of the many skills that are developed. Intermediate Stage Make-up - This course continues to develop students’ skills taken from beginning make-up class to a more in-depth overview of the world of stage make-up for theatre, film, and TV.  Class binders introduced in the 9th grade class are added to provide a final resource book/portfolio for each student. Scenic Painting - Introduction of scenic painting studies the use of color, mixing techniques, texture, highlight and shadow, and application techniques.  Students work independently and in groups.  This class is a key class for all scenic design courses. Intermediate Light Design - This course is a continuation of the 9th grade course.  This course is more intensive in the concept of designing lighting for productions, patching the lighting board, and trouble shooting all lighting needs.  This class is hands-on and deeply explores the importance of light design. Production Lab 10 - This is a theatre prep class for productions at an advanced level.  The students further expand their knowledge in production and confidence in their ability and skills learned in lecture classes.

11th & 12th Grade

Advanced Scenic Design - Advanced study of scenic design where students utilize design skills learned from previous mandatory courses. Expanding on existing drafting and painting skills to assist in the design, building, and painting of school productions.  Students work on their own designs and create problem-solving alternatives to design problems that arise. Stage Management - This course was created to give the upper-classmen a work period to develop their skills in organization, troubleshooting, and prep time for the production “crew head” positions they are required to undertake.  Responsible for stage managing three to six shows a year, all students learn techniques to become team leaders and followers. This is a pre-professional course. Production Lab 11/12 - This class provides an intensive production experience in live production and also provides experience that demands theatre discipline as it applies to an ensemble effort.  Production assignments are distributed throughout the course, and these tasks assist in the building, loading, and technical support of the OCHSA productions. This class is a hands-on, work intensive course that is graded by attitude, attendance, and over all work habits. Advanced Costume Design - Students in this course begin by assisting the designer on the design and production of costumes for shows at OCHSA.  Assignments include research, script paperwork, design work, shopping, building, crafts, organizational techniques, fittings, alterations, dress rehearsal supervision and strike.  Based on ability and teacher recommendation, some students (or a team of students) are offered the opportunity to design shows on their own for an OCHSA production with teacher supervision. Advanced Light Design - This class is where all the years of lighting classes really come to fruition.  Students learn the intricacies of light design by designing dance pieces, plays and concerts for OCHSA. Each student (or team of students) in this course works with the directors and choreographers under the supervision of the instructor. The students assist one another on load–ins and trouble shoot together with their peers. This will build the student’s resume, increase confidence in design, and create a bond between the design students and the performers they aid during performance. Advanced Audio - Students begin by choosing a semester project. A production team is then assigned so that each project has an artist, producer, engineer and assistant engineer. By the end, everyone has a chance to act in these various capacities. Students are also directly responsible to help sound design various production on stage and in the recording studio.

Cook spent nineteen years as resident lighting and sound designer for Saddleback College, where he managed the research, design, purchase and installation of a $1.4 million state-of-the-art lighting, audio and rigging system, and provided direction for a variety of productions, including Romeo and Juliet, Chicago, and 42nd Street, as well as special guest artist events featuring Susan Egan, North Carolina Dance Theatre, New York Harp Ensemble, and more.

He has also served as an associate faculty member at Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College and Santa Ana College, teaching technical theatre / design classes, stage lighting, theatre production and stagecraft, and supervising student technical crews. Cook has also worked as a freelance designer and production manager for a variety of professional theatre groups, including Utah Shakespeare Festival, Santa Fe Opera Company, Center Theatre Group, and more. He holds a master of fine arts degree in technical theatre / design and a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from California State University, Fullerton.

Carin Jacobs
Carin graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a bachelor of arts in art history and went on to earn an master in fine arts  from California State University, Long Beach in costume design.  For the last eight years, Carin has designed costumes for many theatrical productions around Los Angeles and Orange counties.  Jacobs worked as the assistant costume designer on Disney’s The Lion King at the Pantages Theatre.  Carin also teaches costume design at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and history of fashion at Brooks College.

Vivian Haworth
Vivian attended Fullerton Community College and California State College in Fullerton, and also has a certificate from the Studio Makeup Academy in Hollywood.  She has been working as a professional artist for over 30 years doing a variety of jobs from commercial art to fine art to makeup artistry.  For fifteen years, she worked as a designer and illustrator in the textile industry. Vivian designed and painted needlepoint canvases, tablecloths, kitchen towels, bathroom towels, place mats, rugs, and cross stitch artwork for companies such as Cecil Saydah, Candamar Designs and Nettie's Designs in Beverly Hills.  She also has worked as a window display designer and painter for large stores and car dealerships. Vivian has years of experience painting wall murals in residential homes and commercial buildings, and doing set and backdrop painting for theater productions.  Vivian teaches beginning to advanced makeup classes at OCHSA as well as production and design overview, drawing and stagecraft.  She has served on the faculty of OTIS for the past three years.

Kim Jones
On staff at OCHSA for over five years, Kim studied theatre at California State University, Long Beach. As an assistant to the designer, Kim has been involved in two Super Bowl Halftime shows, the Winter Special Olympics, TV, commercials and industrials, corporate shows and shows for theme parks.  As a designer, coordinator and supervisor, she has overseen more than 50 theatrical productions for such companies as the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, McCoy/Rigby Entertainment, New York Harlem Productions and Redondo Beach CLO working with such celebrities as Carol Burnett, Dom Deluise, Dixie Carter, Tommy Tune, Kaye Ballard, Lee Merriweather, George Burns, Cathy Rigby and Barbara Eden. Additionally, Jones is herself a singer/actress, actively pursuing careers on both sides of the stage and screen.