Loren joined the faculty in 1994, after more than 10 years as Technical Director for The Old Globe Theatre. Highlights of his career in regional theatre include the original technical direction for Sondheim's Into the Woods, Neil Simon's Rumors and Jake's Women, the 1993 revival of Damn Yankees, the off-Broadway production of A. R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour, and the national touring show of James Lapine's Falsettos. He also served as the technical liaison for the Maly Drama Theatre of Leningrad and the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre of Soviet Georgia during the San Diego International Arts Festival and the technical liaison for the Maxim Gorky Theatre of Vladivostok for their production of Chekhov’s Ivanov at San Diego State University. Loren’s area of special interest and research is stage automation. He manages the San Diego Theatre Arts Research Laboratory (STAR Lab), a facility dedicated to the development of special effects and specialized machinery for theatre. Recent STAR projects include the scenery automation for the Dallas Opera and San Diego Opera co-production of the Magic Flute, and the San Diego Opera’s production of Wozzeck. He has also consulted on automation projects for the La Jolla Playhouse, the South Coast Repertory Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre, the Old Globe Theatre and other theatres and rigging companies nationwide. Loren is an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, having served as Vice Commissioner for Scenery Automation and Vice Commissioner for International Projects as part of the Technical Production Commission. He has also won numerous Tech Expo awards and now heads the USITT Tech Expo Committee. Loren is a founding member of the Long Reach Long Riders, a group of theatre technicians and motorcycle riders who raise money for ESTA’s “Behind the Scenes” and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. When time allows, he enjoys flying experimental and aerobatic airplanes, and working as a guest wrangler on a dude ranch in New Mexico. His education includes a BA in German Literature and an MA in Theatre History and Criticism from Louisiana State University, and an MFA in Scenery Design from San Diego State University. For more information you may visit his web site.
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