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DID SOMEBODY SAY, "FIELD TRIP!"?

AN RPTA 420 EXCURSION TO THE SANTA BARBARA BOWL

By Hannah Baker (RPTA '13), Staff Writer

Imagine yourself standing center stage, looking out onto a beautiful venue full of natural beauty and history. This vision became reality for students in Professor Kendi Root's RPTA 420 class this past Fall Quarter. As a recurring field trip, the class visited the Santa Barbara Bowl to learn the ins and outs of promoting and hosting an event. As a mid-size venue in a beautiful picturesque location, the Santa Barbara Bowl has hosted countless musical artists, including orchestra and symphony performances as well. Students of RPTA 420 were lucky enough to gain full exposure to this premier concert venue.

Jeffrey Thomas ('13) was quite impressed with the aesthetics of the venue. With new renovations, the Santa Barbara Bowl is taking steps to become more eco-friendly. "It was awesome to see the new features that have been recently added to the SB Bowl. They just renovated the roof that covers the stage, re-did the walkways, and have put a lot of time into their landscaping." Thomas found the field trip to be, "informative and cool to see where the bands hang out before going on stage."

Nestled in a small canyon-like area with surrounding neighborhoods, the Santa Barbara Bowl is 'local' to say the least. There is a mutual respect between the venue and its nearby residents in regards to noise and concert end times. In the beginning years, the bands that would come out to play were fairly local and not well-known across the country. Now, as its reputation has grown, the Santa Barbara Bowl is gaining bigger recognition by hosting musicians such as Katy Perry, Wiz Khalifa, and Mumford & Sons, just to name a few. Each year, the venue attracts around 35-45 bands during its concert season.

Getting the chance to visit such a famous venue as part of a class field trip was more than exciting. For one student in particular, Kendra Reay ('13), it was more like an opportunity to pursue her future goals. With a concentration in Event Planning & Management, Reay has taken the leap and applied for an internship with the Santa Barbara Bowl. "I really want to work for concerts and festivals, so I could not pass up the opportunity to get my foot in the door," Reay commented. She also mentioned how beneficial it was to "get exposure to a concert venue and everything that goes into making a production work."

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