Each fall, Michigan Tech’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) partners with the Quincy Mine Hoist Association and Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission to create a haunted experience for all ages. The abandoned infrastructure left behind by the copper mining industry provides the perfect backdrop for Michigan Tech students to create a thrillingly creepy exploration.
“Every year, a new group of students explore the venues and themes to create things that they believe will be the perfect jump-scare for our audiences. As we grow and shift the event, students consider what was done in the past to improve the event for our local audience,” said Kent Cyr, VPA technical director. “The students have worked really hard to make sure there are some good and weird ‘creepy-crawly’ moments. The audience can also expect some good ‘boneville’ vignettes to check out!”
The roughly 25-minute walk-through tours are open tonight, October 23, and Friday, October 24, from 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 25, from 6-10:30 p.m. Tours will start approximately every 15 minutes. Book your tickets now through the Quincy Mine Hoist Association website.
Haunted Smelter: Descent Into Madness — Michigan Tech Theatre
Thursday and Friday, October 23 and 24, from 7-10:30 p.m. | Saturday, October 25, from 6-10:30 p.m.
Quincy Smelting Works — 48991 Maple St., Hancock
Michigan Tech Theatre Series
Get Tickets ]]>
The megaphone, located at the intersection of the Tecumseh and Sure Would trails near the Tech Trails main trailhead, illustrates the kind of cross-campus collaboration typical of Tech. It was created by Lisa Gordillo (VPA/CFRES) and her students along with a whole host of campus and community partners.
“A nature megaphone is an interactive sculpture for the forest,” said Gordillo. “It’s an intersection of so many things: art, acoustic ecology, entertainment design, well-being, community and sustainability. It allows people to experience nature in a different way than they might expect.”
Read about the megaphone and the massive interdisciplinary collaboration that brought it to life on Michigan Tech’s Unscripted Research Blog. ]]>
Friday, the R&D Big Band — directed by legendary Michigan Tech Professor Emeritus Mike Irish — joins JazTec, Michigan Tech’s top small jazz group, for an intimate concert performed backstage at the Rozsa. They will also be joined by the Video Game Music Ensemble, a student-led ensemble dedicated to arranging and performing music from popular video games.
On Saturday, the Workshop Brass Band kicks things off with some high-energy New Orleans brass band music. Then join the Jazz Lab Band, directed by Drew Kilpela, for an exciting night of big band compositions by Michigan-born trumpeter, composer and arranger Thad Jones.
Each evening provides the perfect opportunity for a fall night out. Let the autumn leaves dazzle your eyes by day — then let Michigan Tech Jazz dazzle your ears after dark!
Backstage Jazz: Big Bands and B-Sides — Michigan Tech Jazz
Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Tech Music Series
Get Tickets ]]>
Tarske has played in just about every instrumental ensemble at MTU. He has worn stripes with the Huskies Pep Band and tuxedos with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, and has screamed high notes with the Jazz Lab Band and the Workshop Brass Band.
This past weekend, Tarske made the leap to the professional level after being called to play trumpet with the Chicago-based Four Star Brass Band. The gig? Wrigley Field, playing for the Chicago Cubs.
Fans of the Cubs heard Tarske’s high notes ring through the stadium as part of the band’s performance before and after the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, August 17.
MTU’s Jazz Studies program and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts as a whole would like to congratulate Michael on this milestone! ]]>
Student of Promise Award: Allison Lewis
Allison is a third-year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major with an Art Minor. She enjoys painting and has worked on the McArdle lobby mural, Glass Menagerie, and Sweeney Todd. Allison has also done carpentry and assisted with design for productions during her time at Tech.
She enjoys music, spending time in the sun, and spending time with friends in her free time.
Art Award: Jayden Palarz
Jayden Palarz is a sound design and music composition student at Michigan Tech. With a drive to create and a long list of passions, he is a multi-instrumentalist with a focus on cello and guitar.
You can find him in the recording studio capturing local music, or wherever the music lives.
Music Award: Samuel Kalkman
Sam Kalkman is a Computer Science and Statistics major who graduates this Spring.
He has played vibraphone and keys in the Tech jazz program starting in his first year in 2021 in ensembles such as the Jazz Lab Band, Jaztec, and the VGM Ensemble.
Since 2022, he has helped to lead the VGM Ensemble through leading rehearsals, creating arrangements, and planning events, but he now hands the reins of the band off to the next up-and-coming musicians.
Heading back to his home in Minnesota, he hopes to apply the skills he learned at MTU to his work and personal life.
Outside of academics and music, he enjoys collaborative storytelling and thinks that birds are pretty neat.
Sound Award: Amelia Creamer
Amelia is a fourth year majoring in Audio Production and Technology, and is set to graduate in December of 2025. She has spent her last three years at the university working within the Media Technology Services Department, along with taking on the Lead Student Broadcast Engineer role for all athletic events that take place at the Student Development Complex on campus.
She has prioritized spending her summers in Houghton, considering the rich music life that is ever present here in the Keweenaw such as Bridgefest, Bash at the Bay, Summer Slam, and Farm Block. It has allowed her to grow not only as an individual who loves to participate in the art, but also as a professional live mixer for these events that take place around the area.
Amelia has learned an incredible amount from the VPA department. She is forever grateful for receiving this award, considering she could not have done it without her peers and professors. She wishes everyone she has had the opportunity to work with the very best in their next endeavors.
Theatre Award: Anne-Marie Latourette
Anne-Marie Latourette is a senior at Michigan Technological University graduating this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Entertainment Technology. While there, she has worked as a Light Board Programmer and Operator for Sweeney Todd, Light Board Operator for Anatomy of Gray, Master Electrician/Light Board Operator for Purple Hearts, Spotlight Operator for Chess, and Wardrobe Supervisor for The Glass Menagerie. She has aspirations to become a Light Board Programmer in the future.
She would like to thank her family, friends, and professors for supporting her on her journey in theatre.
All Arts Award : Jos Olson
Jos just finished his third year at Tech as an Audio Production and Technology Major. He is honored to receive both the All Arts Award and the Departmental Scholar Award. This year, he held many different roles, ranging from Production Manager on the Haunted Hoist House and Threading Empathy, to Carpenter for Sweeney Todd, and of course, Sound System Designer for The Glass Menagerie.
Jos is an an active member of SoundGirls, as he served as Vice President this past year, and will be serving as President next year.
Jos is also an advocate for mental health awareness, hoping that his openness inspires others to not feel ashamed for their pasts and what they have gone through.
Irish Award for Environmental Art: Paige McKean
Paige McKean is an environmental engineering student with a minor in art graduating Spring 2025.
They are an environmental activist. Some of the organizations they participate in across campus include Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action (KYCA) and Green Campus Enterprise.
Milt Olsson Music Award: Katherine Rauscher
Katherine Rauscher is a third year Mechanical Engineering student who has been constantly involved in music throughout her time at Michigan Tech by singing in conScience, playing her French Horn with the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, stepping in as a vocal soloist with the Superior Wind Symphony, and dutifully taking private voice lessons.
You may also recognize her from her most recent performance as Johanna in Michigan Tech Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd.
When not singing, playing, or studying, Katherine enjoys participating in the Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise (MINE), chairing the Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Committee, and working as a Resident Assistant.
These students all showed leadership, dedication, and excellence, this year. We are grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years.
Nico is a second year mechanical engineering major. He has been playing instruments since he was very young and has played drums for over a decade now. He got into the Lab Band at Michigan Tech as a first year and continues to play in this group as well as a few groups with other Tech students.
Ethan Deur is a fifth year Human Factors major and has spent all five of those years as a part of the Workshop Brass Band. He’s been playing trombone for almost 14 years, and would love to play more in the future. Outside of music, his hobbies include playing video games and spending time with his friends.
Aidan Conrade is a graduating Sound Design major with a minor in Music Composition. They have been participating in the MTU Jazz department and working on projects with the Visual and Performing Arts department for five years now. Since joining music at Tech, they have played in every ensemble in the Jazz department and have helped run the Video Game Music Ensemble, a fully student-led group of musicians who get together weekly in campus to arrange their own favorite game music to play together. In their free time, if they’re not doing something music related they are exploring the outdoors or working on creative projects!
According to its website, USITT was founded in 1960 as an organization to promote dialogue, research, and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology. Today it has grown to include members at all levels of their careers and has embraced the new technologies being used in entertainment. USITT is now the leader in life-long learning opportunities for the entertainment design and technology industry.
As a member of the Board of Directors, Professor Sherwood is charged with the responsibility to advise, govern, oversee policy and direction, and assist with the leadership and general promotion of the Institute so as to support its mission and needs, according to the Institute Bylaws. His three year term will begin July 1, 2025.
This year the USITT 65th Annual Conference and Stage Expo held March 5-8, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, hosted over 6,300 professionals, students, and educators, and offered more than 400 presentations, demonstrations, and celebrations of work by top artists and experts in the field.
At the Annual Conference, Professor Sherwood served on the USITT National Conference Committee as the Main Stage Sound Coordinator of the 2,000-seat ballroom keynote space which involved planning and supervising the design and installation of the sound system, and mentoring over 50 conference assistants (early career professionals and students from institutions across the country) in sound engineering and operation of the six conference-wide Main Stage events.
Each year, Michigan Tech students are led by VPA faculty to the USITT conference through the study away professional development career course. This year’s trip included 25 students across the Sound Design, Audio Production and Technology, and Theatre and Entertainment Technology degree programs, half of which participated in portfolio presentations and review sessions. The students were led by VPA faculty Kent Cyr, Mary Cyr, Terry Dana Jachimiak II, and Christopher Plummer. Professor Plummer oversees mentorship for the USITT Sound Commission.
For the third year in a row, Michigan Tech students were invited to a special meeting with recruiters and representatives from Disney Live Entertainment who recognize the strength of our program and have been impressed with the work of Michigan Tech Visual and Performing Arts alum who now work at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and other areas of the greater Walt Disney Company.
Congratulations to Professor Sherwood and all of our Visual and Performing arts students, alum, faculty, and staff who continue to build Michigan Technological University’s high reputation.
VPA Sound Design and Audio Production & Technology students, along with their faculty mentor Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood, received the Don Childs DTM Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award for demonstrating an exceptional level of collaboration on the recent Michigan Tech Theatre production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Assistant Teaching Professor Nich Radcliffe. These students include Madison Brown, Ronan Higgins, Sam Matlak, Katelyn Roblee, Evan Meyer, and Aidan Sanders, who were members of the sound design and music composition team for the production.
In addition to presenting in the DTM Expo, VPA students also competed in the Tech Olympics competition. VPA Theatre and Entertainment Technology student Isaiah Hilkemann received the Fastest Knot Tying Award, and set the new all-time KCACTF Region 3 record at 20 seconds.
As part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel courses, students have an opportunity to attend and present at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 3 Conference led by VPA faculty. As part of the curated study away experience this year, Associate Professor Kent Cyr and Assistant Professor Terry Jachimiak also arranged facility tours, site visits, and industry professional meetups in the area.
Our VPA students also worked as Conference Student Assistants, and our VPA faculty participated in the planning and execution of the conference. Associate Professor Kent Cyr, serving as Festival Technical Director for the past seven years, provides support to the invited theatre productions from colleges within the region who attend and perform on the festival stages. Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood currently serves as Co-Vice Chair of Design, Technology, and Management of KCACTF Region 3 and assists with the preparation and organization of the DTM program areas. Assistant Professor Terry Jachimiak currently serves as the Region 3 Webmaster. Professors Cyr, Jachimiak, and Sherwood also presented several workshops at the conference to numerous students from Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio.
Congratulations to our Huskies and their well-deserved recognition of excellence.
Imagine smart textiles and 3D-printed couture that embrace inclusivity and sustainability, or wearable tech that connects us to the world in meaningful ways. Threading Empathy is where these possibilities come to life.
“How do you feel about robots and fashion?”
This competition began with a simple question: “How do you feel about robots and fashion?” One afternoon, Jason Archer, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Technologies, sparked an exciting idea—integrating fashion, technology, and empathy as the central theme for our next fashion show. This led to a dynamic collaboration with IPEC and the Colleges of Computing, Humanities, and Visual and Performing Arts, bringing together a diverse community of creative minds.
Experience the Future of Fashion: February 13-15
Threading Empathy will feature a dynamic runway show and gallery exhibition that redefines the boundaries of artistry and technology. February 13-15, audience members will witness the power of creative expression in the digital age as designers, engineers, artists, and innovators unite.
To attend, reserve your tickets at events.mtu.edu/event/mtt-fashionshow
The Competition: Showcase Your Creativity, Innovation, and Empathy
At the heart of Threading Empathy lies an exciting competition. Each creation in the fashion show will be judged for their ingenuity, craftsmanship, and ability to embody the spirit of empathy through the lens of technology and fashion.
Cash prizes:
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $250
3rd Place: $100
Honorable mentions will be awarded for innovative approaches and exceptional creativity.
Participation and Design Guidelines
Threading Empathy invites participants of all skill levels to bring their unique visions to life. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or a curious novice, this is your chance to explore uncharted territory.
Ways to participate:
Empathy Through Design: Create a garment or accessory that captures the essence of empathy as it relates to human connection, inclusivity, or shared experience.
Innovative Textiles and Technologies: Experiment with smart fabrics, conductive threads, or 3D printing to merge craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies.
Robotic Fashion: Design garments or accessories for robots, combining futuristic aesthetics with functional innovation.
And here’s the best part: No prior experience in sewing, coding, or designing is required. The only limits are your creativity and imagination.
Complete this form to participate.
Join the Movement
Threading Empathy is more than a fashion show—it’s a conversation about the future of fashion and its power to inspire connection. By participating, you become part of a visionary community redefining style, sustainability, and technology.
Whether you’re showcasing your design on the runway or cheering from the audience, you’re contributing to a collective celebration of empathy, artistry, and limitless possibility.
Mark your calendars and prepare to witness fashion reimagined. Let’s thread empathy into the future—one design at a time.
What: Fashion Show: Threading Empathy
Where: McArdle Theatre
When: February 13-15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Get tickets to attend or sign up to participate by visiting events.mtu.edu/event/mtt-fashionshow
As part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel courses, students have an opportunity to attend and present at the international Audio Engineering Society convention in New York City led by Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood, Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
This opportunity is well suited for students interested in studio recording and music production, video game design, live sound, theatre, and AV or acoustics consulting. The week-long study away experience includes networking with Grammy-winning and Academy-winning professionals at the convention and a curated experience including private meetups with AV consulting and acoustics firms, facility tours, backstage tours and shadow opportunities, Broadway and other live productions, sightseeing, and Michigan Tech VPA alumni meetups for our students to form industry connections as they launch their careers.
This year VPA students presented in the AES Student Recording Competition, Student Mix Critiques sessions, and participated in career fairs hosted by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the co-located National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference.
As part of the curated study away experience, Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood (VPA) also arranged visits of international concert touring production company Clair Global, Broadway audio rental shops PRG and Masque Sound, backstage tours of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Little Island, and talkbacks with sound designers from Stereophonic (Broadway) and Bad Kreyol (Off-Broadway) after seeing both productions as a group.
Congratulations to Nate Lyons and Department of Visual and Performing Arts sound design and audio production and technology students in their presentations at the 2024 AES New York convention.
