Purdue alumni develop affordable technology for theaters

Written by: Madelyn Moore

For many theaters, advanced stage effects are out of reach. But as their product came to life during a Purdue production, Trevor Marshall and Shep Dick saw what a more affordable future could look like.

Marshall has been interested in technology for as long as he can remember.

“Theater came a little bit later. I acted in and directed plays in high school and college,” Marshall said. “But at some point, I realized I was better at math than art and that I could combine my loves of theater and invention. That drove me to get my MFA in technical direction at Purdue.”

The two are creating a cost-effective way to integrate physical effects with pre-existing show control systems through their business Show Technologies. Marshall said his experience in automation and controls classes helped encourage the idea.

“It was fun, but I was starting from scratch every time,” Marshall said. “I thought, ‘This is time consuming. Surely somebody else has solved this problem.’ And they had, but their solutions cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.”

The design process led Marshall and Dick to ask what they would have used if such a product were available. That question guided them to the design of a product that balanced performance and cost.

“From there, we did several rounds of iteration on everything until we were satisfied that we had a robust product at a price point that's accessible to educators, hobbyists or summer stock theaters,” Marshall said.

Marshall said that a test run during Purdue's production of Dead Man's Cell Phone, which involved falling paper props timed to sound effects, taught them more than months of design in the office.

“Seeing the videos from Dead Man's Cell Phone made me feel like we had a product that would really work and made me feel like we had something that people were really excited about,” Marshall said.                                          

“The other rewarding part is getting to work so closely with my friends.”

Marshall explained that the product goes live for early adopters on their website May 4.

“Focus on what is most exciting to you about your idea,” Marshall said. “Tackle it one chunk at a time, and if you can, surround yourself with great and equally excited people.