Making the Magic of Live Entertainment

Focus Areas: Theater, Applied Business, Interdisciplinary Design

When Indigo Sandvik was around 10 years old, they received a kid’s guidebook to Disney World from their father. They read it cover to cover and carried it around with them everywhere. “I found it super fascinating, all of the history and the detail and the effort that they put into things,” Indigo recalls.

“I would connect over it with a friend here or there, and then as I got older, I started watching videos and listening to podcasts and reading all about its history. I had never been there. I didn't go for several years until after first getting that book, and I was just in awe of what they were able to do.”

Exploring Interdisciplinary Interests

That fascination with behind-the-scenes details stayed with Indigo into middle and high school, where they worked on and off the stage in nearly 30 theater productions. “I did not miss any production I had the opportunity to work on from the ages of 11 to 18,” they say. “I was struggling with friendships, but I started theater, and I was like, this is the place to be.”

Around this same time, Indigo was tearing down and setting up concerts at US Bank, Xcel Energy Center, Target Field and other venues through the Technical Theater Union. Despite the horrible hours, they loved the work.

And Indigo still loved theme parks. Towards the end of high school, they began to wonder how they could combine these interests into an area of study when they went off to college. 

“I started exploring a bit more and realized there's this whole field called live entertainment that covers theme parks, concert tours, installations, traveling museum exhibits — it's kind of this catch-all for large-scale live entertainment,” Indigo says.

Once they discovered this, they knew what they wanted to do. The challenge ahead was to find a college major that fit the bill.

Finding a Home at CCAPS

Indigo already had an associate’s degree when they came to the University of Minnesota. They were looking for a degree that would allow them to study live entertainment in its entirety, the technical and the business side, while building connections within the theater department. 

Indigo met with an advisor from CAPE, the Center for Academic Planning and Excellence, who told them about the Inter-College Program in CCAPS. “And once I learned about that, I was like, oh, that makes total sense for me. It felt like everything clicked.”

At CCAPS, Indigo felt at home. “I feel very welcomed and accepted, which is something I haven't really experienced elsewhere in my academic journey, and that was the sign that I'm doing the right thing. Not only do I feel happy about all of the things that I'm studying, but I feel like I'm finally getting the support I need to actually pursue these things fully.”

They are currently working in the theater’s lighting department as their work-study job, where they handle the lights for all of the shows that the University puts on. Last semester, Indigo worked on “The Skin of Our Teeth,” and this semester, they will be co-designing the lights for a student-developed piece called “Nice Breakup.” 

They were also the executive producer for the Student Film Production Club, Studio U, which has allowed them to practice the skills that Indigo was developing in their applied business classes, like project management and leadership, while working with creatives and training students.

“The live aspect of theater was what I always really loved,” Indigo says. “Collaborating with people is why I love it. I like the technical elements of it, but it was really about the people for me.”

Taking the Next Professional Step

Many of Indigo’s professors have been in the theater world for years and have established connections. They have given students preview tickets to shows they’re working on and invited them to sit in on tech rehearsals.

“The theater department is smaller, and you're interacting with a lot of people, and they're all really great at keeping your career aspirations in mind when they hear of things. Interdisciplinary work is very normalized there, and everyone is very open to supporting the students.”

This spring Indigo and a few classmates will be attending the United States Institute for Theater Technologies National Conference in California, very close to Disneyland, who is a major sponsor. It will be their first chance to interact with the company on a professional level. Indigo says it feels like a full circle moment.

“It's so many things that I'm passionate about, and I've spent a lot of time and energy on, but I always did it thinking it was just for personal benefit, and getting to turn it into a career now is so exciting.”

Megan Seltz, Indigo’s academic advisor, adds that “Indigo is the perfect example of an ICP student who is blending skills to create a degree. They know what they want to learn and how that knowledge will prepare them for a career.”

Pro Tip for Students

"Everyone is very supportive here, and if you feel uncertain about part of your degree, or are confused about something, or need help navigating something, the ICP program is just such a good home base for branching out into all these different things. Your advisors and the staff are here to advocate for you, and you're not going on this complicated academic journey alone."