If you’ve ever sat in an assembly, attended a KO theater event, or checked out a video on the KO Youtube account, you might not have realized that Technical Director of Theater Mark Kravetz had a hand in creating the final product seen before you. While tech crew and filmmaking students have been lucky enough to get to know him best, Mr. Kravetz has touched all those in the KO community through his hard work in the arts department.
“I’ve been trying to graduate for 31 years, and I finally made it,” Mr. Kravetz joked. Sitting in the booth with Mr. Kravetz, playbills from seemingly every performance he’s had a hand in cover nearly every bit of wall space as a testament to the many hours he has dedicated to KO theater and production. Mr. Kravetz can’t choose a single favorite KO memory, but stories of theater mishaps are high on his list. “Probably sitting in the audience and then having some student tapping me on the shoulder and telling me about some terrible things that have happened backstage,” he said when thinking fondly on memories of his time spent at KO.
Not only has Mr. Kravetz been vital in ensuring individual performances are the best that they can be, but he has also been a huge force behind the upgrading of Roberts Theater. “[My most meaningful experience is] having the school trust me to keep rehabbing the theater and making it state of the art,” he said.
Prior to coming to KO, Mr. Kravetz performed in an Off-Broadway show and some Off-Off-Broadway shows. After working as the artistic director of the Thomaston Opera House, Mr. Kravetz turned to teaching. “KO was the kind of place that let you really develop your own programs,” he said, “so I could put together exactly what I wanted to do in theater.” Mr. Kravetz has also taught freshman history classes, Intro to Computers, Stagecraft, and Digital Filmmaking, which is his favorite class to teach. “I think what I found was that [students] brought their imagination to the class, and didn’t necessarily know how to achieve all of that,” Mr. Kravetz said. “And that was my job – to help them bring their vision to the screen. So that was really my favorite thing.”
Above all, Mr. Kravetz said that working with students is what makes KO special. “I think the relationship that the students have with their teachers, that’s a really big thing,” he said.
Mr. Kravetz plans on unwinding during his retirement. “I plan to see what Cape Cod looks like in October,” he said, “and just take it easy for a while until I get bored and want to do something.”
As for his parting advice, Mr. Kravetz wants KO students to know that you don’t have to be the star of the play to be important. “I would say to those students who are shy, who don’t want to be in the limelight: don’t feel like you have no worth because you’re afraid to step up,” he said. “What you do behind the scenes is just as important.”
Thank you Mr. Kravetz for everything you’ve done for KO theater and students; we will miss you!
