{"id":35612,"date":"2013-03-02T07:37:55","date_gmt":"2013-03-02T12:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=35612"},"modified":"2013-03-04T06:38:10","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T11:38:10","slug":"vwhs-senior-comfortable-in-or-behind-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2013\/03\/02\/vwhs-senior-comfortable-in-or-behind-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"VWHS senior comfortable in spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

CINDY WOOD\/<\/strong>independent feature writer<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
VWHS senior Matt Saunier behind the light board at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio. (Cindy Wood\/Van Wert independent)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Matt Saunier doesn\u2019t mind the spotlight. In fact, he\u2019s perfectly comfortable with it.<\/p>\n

Saunier, a senior at Van Wert High School, has served as a volunteer lighting director at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center for many years, and, even though he\u2019s only a senior in high school, Saunier boasts enough experience to run with the industry big guys.<\/p>\n

Handling lights for notable country acts might seem like a big deal to some, but it\u2019s another day at the office for Saunier, who has been running lights alongside his father, Hugh, since his days lighting the stage at The Marsh Foundation.<\/p>\n

One could say Saunier gets it honestly from his dad, who serves as the NPAC\u2019s technical director. In their spare time in the summer, the two men tour the countryside working lights and sound systems for some industry heavyweights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a show with Randy Travis once, and then the next year we did shows with Dierks Bentley and Lady Antebellum,\u201d Saunier said. \u201cThe shows actually vary quite a bit, but we work mostly with country acts.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the NPAC, Saunier can be found behind the light board at nearly every show. According to Tafi Stober, NPAC marketing director, Saunier\u2019s contributions have been invaluable to NPAC staff and patrons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis technical know-how and creative lighting artistry have impressed countless guests and artists who have graced our stage,\u201d Stober said. \u201cHis dedication, work ethic and professionalism are steeped in a maturity and wisdom that are quite beyond his years.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Saunier will attend Ashland University, where he will receive a $12,000 annual director\u2019s scholarship. While his major, integrated social studies education, may seem like quite a leap from his current hobby, Saunier has no plans to stay away from the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it really kind of depends where life takes me,\u201d Saunier said, adding that he would like to make teaching his main job. \u201cAnd then do the lighting design thing on the side. That\u2019s actually what a lot of people in the industry do now. They go out for the first week or two of a tour, set it all up so everything is running smoothly and then move on. So I could definitely do this as a side job.\u201d<\/p>\n

With years of experience under his belt, the future indeed looks bright for the young man, who was first exposed to the technical side of productions working with his father over a decade ago. \u201cMy dad was asked to install the lighting and sound system at the Marsh around the year 2001,\u201d Saunier said, adding \u201cso my brother and I would tag along and help him. I guess that\u2019s kind of where it all started for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transitioning from the Marsh Foundation stage to a multi-million dollar performing arts center may have seemed daunting, but Saunier met the challenge head-on. \u201cThere are actually similarities between the two venues,\u201d Saunier said. \u201cBut the PAC center was definitely a step up, technologically. There are a lot more lights, and overall it\u2019s just a much larger and more complex system of lighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saunier said the experience he\u2019s gained working with his dad, along with his high school Project Lead the Way pre-engineering classes, have provided him with the knowledge he needs to be successful. \u201cMy engineering classes actually applied to this field, because when you\u2019re setting up and designing concerts, you have to figure out not only the technical aspect, but the structural aspect of the stage as well,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to know if it is physically possible to set up, and if the stage is strong enough to withstand the force. We covered a lot of that structural analysis and schematics in my classes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether he\u2019s a social studies teacher or lighting the stage for Nashville\u2019s newest and biggest star, Saunier has no plans of slowing down until he achieves his goal of being a member of the lighting crew for the Olympic ceremonies. \u201cI guess you could say that\u2019s my lifetime goal \u2026 something I want to do before I die,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For now, Saunier is concentrating on finishing out his high school career before he heads out for college. His absence, though, will be sorely felt by the staff and volunteers at the NPAC, who have come to know and appreciate this talented young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is seemingly irreplaceable,\u201d Stober said. \u201cHe has left his mark on our stage and in our hearts. No matter his endeavor, Matt will shine a very bright light.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CINDY WOOD\/independent feature writer Matt Saunier doesn\u2019t mind the spotlight. In fact, he\u2019s perfectly comfortable with it. Saunier, a senior at Van Wert High School, has served as a volunteer lighting director at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center for many years, and, even though he\u2019s only a senior in high school, Saunier boasts enough experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-31 21:09:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}