Kingswood Oxford excitedly welcomes Technical Director Paul Merchant to the KO community! Mr. Merchant’s expertise and passion for stage craft and technology are already making strong impacts on students, and we cannot wait to see what else he brings to the school.
Mr. Merchant has a rich technical background and abundant experience in construction, cooking, and theatre. He has been around sound boards and lighting for most of his childhood, helping his father run the lights at a club in England, where he grew up.
When Mr. Merchant first came to Connecticut, all the way from England in 2003, he was working in hotels. He began his Connecticut career at an inn and remained there for 13 years. He then worked as the multimedia manager at Stepping Stones Museum for Children. “I looked after their multimedia gallery, like the courtyard and inside the theater,” Mr. Merchant explained. Afterwards, he furthered his knowledge by renovating a homeschool center into an educational center, where he taught students how to run sound and lighting.
In his first year at KO, Mr. Merchant has already delved deep into the school community and has many different positions. He is teaching advanced stagecraft and regular stagecraft classes, in addition to running the sound and lighting at assemblies and shows in Roberts Theater. Mr. Merchant is also in charge of the Black Box Theater and executing all the fun ideas they have for it, like filling it with sand. He will be running the after-school student tech crew as well.
Mr. Merchant describes his time at KO so far as wonderfully busy. “It just depends on what day it is, what’s happening, what needs fixing or what’s broken or what’s going on,” Mr. Merchant said. “It’s just been fun. It’s just a nice community as well, and I can actually concentrate on what I love to do.”
In his previous work, Mr. Merchant could not focus solely on his interests because he took on many other tasks, like running the kitchen, construction, as well as teaching students how to work the technology of a theatre. “I thought it’d be great to spread my wings even more and teach even more students and also get to work in a bigger theater and just do something which I’m really passionate about,” Mr. Merchant said.
Mr. Merchant not only has a strong passion for directing the technical parts of theatre, but he is also dedicated to teaching students and helping them improve their skills. Mr. Merchant describes his teaching style as very hands-on.
He feels that students learn by doing, and especially with the kind of technical and crafty work that he teaches, it is hard to learn if you do not physically practice the activities. “I want the students to actually be physically partaking in doing all the stuff,” Mr. Merchant emphasized. “I can’t stand talking in front of a room, telling students what to do and talk and stuff. It’s like, come on, let’s actually do the stuff.”
Mr. Merchant also strives for students to figure things out themselves and gain more knowledge that way. “When you learn something from me, that’s your base,” he said. “I’ll give you a foundation. I need you to build the rest of it.”
Outside of school, Mr. Merchant is a husband and a father to two kids; he enjoys rock climbing and competing in obstacle courses with his family. He is a trained chef, knowledgeable in construction, and runs the sound and lighting at Edmond Town Hall, in addition to working at KO.
Kingswood Oxford is so excited to see how Mr. Merchant will contribute to the school and we are looking forward to the support and leadership he will bring to the community!
