Jeffrey Gress

Associate Professor

Department

• Communication

Contact Information

• jgress@capital.edu
• Huber Spielman Hall 214

Biography

Professor Gress began working at Capital in 2006. He teaches, researches, and creates unique live events. He designs lighting, scenery, staging, architecture, and effects for all of Capital's production areas, as well as for local, regional, and national professional companies. He is an active historian in event production as well as an award-winning writer on production topics. His research includes stints at Harvard, Yale, Penn State, and the Ohio State University. For several years he was the Vice-Commissioner for Architecture for USITT nationally and provided articles chronicling international theatrical venue design.

Professor Gress created the Performance Technology program to add value to the work of his students. It is unique nationally. Traditional programs center on theatre. Performance Technology encompasses all the many ways we as humans create spectacle. From theater and the performing arts it connects with marketing, public relations, worship, sports events, retail design, political events- anytime we gather and use technology to share our stories- individual or collectively.

He has completed a diverse set of projects- touring music to all forms of dance, opera, and traditional theater. His collaborations span a wide variety of artists: Jimmy Buffett and Cirque du Soleil to David Copperfield and the Cincinnati and American Festival Ballet Companies. His work was included on Broadway at City Centre's Dance in America program. Locally, he has worked with BalletMet, Player's Theater, CATCO, Columbus Children's Theater, all local colleges and universities, as well as consulting on the design and construction for historic restoration projects, public school auditoria, and the new COSI.

In addition to his creative and teaching work, he began coaching sports with U4 soccer and continued through collegiate club lacrosse with consulting work at all levels, including professional. His coaching broadens his teaching into developmental, transition support, and professional preparation for all of his students.