{"id":52305,"date":"2023-08-02T07:34:29","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T11:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=52305"},"modified":"2023-08-30T21:38:42","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T01:38:42","slug":"learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"UTC

UTC theatre major Lio Mercedes Sosa works on the set of the Obvious Dad production “LEAR.” Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s Tuesday, three days before opening night for the stage production \u201cLEAR,\u201d when the power goes out.<\/p>\n

Lio Mercedes Sosa has been designing and building stage sets for the play, to be presented at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts Center, for about a month. He has a few more details to complete, but a mechanical issue involving power lines outside the building has zapped his plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, well, I guess that changes things,\u201d sighed Sosa, a UTC senior theatre major.<\/p>\n

His calm is something he\u2019s learned and practiced in his theater work. It comes in especially handy on \u201cLEAR,\u201d the latest production of local troupe Obvious Dad.<\/p>\n

To be presented in the 90-seat Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre, \u201cLEAR,\u201d by playwright Young Jean Lee, is a combination of absurdist comedy and tragic drama that retells Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cKing Lear\u201d by focusing on his adult daughters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love working with Obvious Dad,\u201d Sosa said. \u201cIt feels almost like a family. Everybody talks to each other; everybody\u2019s super-personal. There\u2019s always a great energy about it, and that\u2019s one of the most important parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the last three summers, UTC students and Obvious Dad have collaborated on several stage productions. Students work both behind the scenes and onstage. Some act; some build sets; some create and sew costumes; some design stage lighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them more experience,\u201d said Steve Ray, associate head of the UTC Department of Performing Arts. \u201cThey get things to put on the resume with an organization that\u2019s not their university. To be able to put Obvious Dad on their resume is really great for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Click here to learn more about the UTC Theatre Program<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Blake Harris, artistic director at Obvious Dad, graduated from UTC in 2011. Using UTC students helps his alma mater, giving those students a chance to explore their career options.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may think your passion lies in acting, but once you\u2019re inside the process, you may find that your passion is in set design or wardrobe or sound or lighting, all of which are crucial parts of the theater,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know how to wrap cable, do wardrobe, run lights, set design, you\u2019ve got a head start on theater students who only think of being onstage, onscreen or on TV,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are lots of jobs in the world of theater. The vast majority are behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n

A graduate of the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, Sosa\u2019s ultimate goal is to work as a set designer in the film industry. He knows that his work on a variety of jobs with Obvious Dad gives him a wide range of opportunities if that plan doesn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of getting into a new environment and not knowing how to do things because it\u2019s more of just the ability to figure it all out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The phrase \u201cbig choices\u201d is familiar in the theater world, Sosa said, and can apply to everything presented on stage, from acting to set building to costume design to lighting ideas. Be daring, be bold, be unafraid, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlake does a really good job of bringing that out of people and encouraging people to make those choices,\u201d Sosa said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that students learn there are many ways to use their creativity in a theater community, Harris said, and that they can do so without first being purposefully subjected to grueling experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people think you have to break them down to find the real artist,\u201d he said. \u201cNo. You already are an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

As evidenced by \u201cLEAR,\u201d Obvious Dad leans toward edgy and somewhat experimental productions. That\u2019s another learning opportunity for students, Ray said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do some progressive and innovative things, but we don\u2019t usually go quite as far as they go,\u201d he said, \u201cso students are doing new pieces that are fun and exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sosa, who also worked on the Obvious Dad production of \u201cSagittarius Ponderosa\u201d in the summer of 2022, said the theater company is a flexible, \u201cgo with the flow\u201d operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we get something beautiful onto the stage and that\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

LEAR<\/h4>\n

When:<\/strong> Friday-Sunday, Aug. 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre<\/p>\n

Location: <\/strong>The UTC Fine Arts Center is at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street.<\/p>\n

Tickets:<\/strong> $15, available at https:\/\/www.simpletix.com\/e\/lear-tickets-129315<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Learn More<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Theatre Program<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Fine Arts Center<\/a><\/p>\n

Obvious Dad<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

\"LEAR

LEAR set designer Lio Mercedes Sosa. left, and 2011 UTC graduate Blake Harris, Obvious Dad theatre company’s artistic director.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1105,"featured_media":52307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12776,70,123864,61,3,122313,7712,661],"tags":[83334,785,123018,123017,119496,12878],"class_list":{"0":"post-52305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","10":"category-community","11":"category-experiential-learning","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-students","14":"category-theatre-speech","15":"tag-blake-harris","16":"tag-fine-arts-center","17":"tag-jim-g-lewis-studio-theatre","18":"tag-lio-mercedes-sosa","19":"tag-obvious-dad","20":"tag-steve-ray","21":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1605\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1926\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Ryan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn Ryan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Shawn Ryan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":838,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blake Harris\",\"Fine Arts Center\",\"Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre\",\"Lio Mercedes Sosa\",\"Obvious Dad\",\"Steve Ray\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"College of Arts and Sciences\",\"Community\",\"Experiential Learning\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"Students\",\"Theatre and Speech\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942\"},\"description\":\"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg\",\"width\":1067,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Liomar Mercedes Sosa works Friday, July 28, 2023 on the set for an Obvious Dad production.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942\",\"name\":\"Shawn Ryan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shawn Ryan\"},\"description\":\"Shawn Ryan is the executive staff writer in the Office of Communications and Marketing at UTC.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/hqv743\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","og_description":"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/","og_site_name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1605,"height":1926,"url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Shawn Ryan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shawn Ryan","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/"},"author":{"name":"Shawn Ryan","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942"},"headline":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company","datePublished":"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/"},"wordCount":838,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","keywords":["Blake Harris","Fine Arts Center","Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre","Lio Mercedes Sosa","Obvious Dad","Steve Ray"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","College of Arts and Sciences","Community","Experiential Learning","Faculty and Staff","Students","Theatre and Speech"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/","name":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","datePublished":"2023-08-02T11:34:29+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-31T01:38:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942"},"description":"Lio Mercedes Sosa and other UTC theatre majors have been designing and building stage sets for the Obvious Dad production of \u201cLEAR,\u201d taking place this month in the UTC Fine Arts Center\u2019s Jim G. Lewis Studio Theatre.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","width":1067,"height":1280,"caption":"Liomar Mercedes Sosa works Friday, July 28, 2023 on the set for an Obvious Dad production."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/learning-the-ropes-utc-students-collaborate-with-professional-theater-company\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018LEAR\u2019ning the ropes: UTC students collaborate with professional theater company"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7c7532013925b3412f8142e378b04942","name":"Shawn Ryan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd3380969898eaf8c8a869d0a88ec19c46f2edd41319a7a40d9c63946c900aa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shawn Ryan"},"description":"Shawn Ryan is the executive staff writer in the Office of Communications and Marketing at UTC.","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/hqv743\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Shawn Ryan","author_link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/hqv743\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Obvious-Dad-23-1605-e1690934733938.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52305"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53380,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52305\/revisions\/53380"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}