possible because he spent 11 years in Los Angeles developing his craft and building his network and his reputation. “You have to have your own network,” he says. “Even as a member of the union, no work is guaranteed.” He finds every job himself and is also responsible for his own hand tools (in the film industry, every craftsman is responsible for his or her own equipment — from the cameramen to the gaffers). While moonlighting helped him make a name for himself, it also left little time at the end of the day. “I always thought I’d like to go back to teaching, and when the OSU position opened, I seized the opportunity to leave the LA rat race and move back home,” he says. Mahaney teaches courses in stage construction, drafting, sound design and advanced stage mechanics and oversees all main stage and studio theatre productions for the department. Moving from set creation in Los Angeles to the OSU world of academe requires a mind shift, Mahaney says. “In LA, the job is a craft you complete, and with the call of ‘pick it up’ you put your tools away and go home, leaving the work behind. You can turn it off,” he says. “Work, classes, projects and students consume my thoughts all day long, but I don’t mind taking my work home. Working with students in theatre and working in professional film and television is as different as two things can be. “I love teaching, and I love the theatre. Theatre work is different. It brings props to life because they’re not just background. A chair becomes a throne and might be something very different in the next scene. The theatre has more power to change people’s attitudes because it is more open and ethereal. “In LA, we re-create reality. The detail work done through sets and props is everywhere, creating a ‘visual feast’ for the eyes.” Missy Wikle Before the assistant professor joined OSU’s theatre department last year, he worked in freelance design and production work in Chicago theatre and in television, film and theatre production in Los Angeles. This summer found Mahaney once again on a television set, Universal Studio’s Wisteria Lane, where he renovated the old Munsters’ house for incorporation in this season’s Desperate Housewives series. He also worked on The Shield and an HBO project called Big Love. While he doesn’t actually design the sets, he does make decisions about how they look and how they become a part of the overall set. “I float from set to set checking the millwork and the details being created by the crew and adding my own finishing touches,” he says. “My strong design and theatre background bring me the ‘icing on the cake’ jobs. Those are the ones where you’re doing all the detail work that ultimately makes the set crisp and clean,” he says. “They call it the ‘hero elements’ because the finishing work is what ends up in the foreground of every shot. It makes the tightest of shots clean, nice and believable, allowing the audience to concentrate on the characters.” Mahaney, who holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from OSU and a master’s in theatrical design from the University of Illinois, built scenery during the day and worked on design projects at night and on weekends. “Someone just starting out couldn’t just jump in where I am without paying his dues along the way,” he says, noting that his summer job is Staging Reality uRichard Mahaney, assistant professor of theatre, spent 11 years in Los Angeles doing freelance design and production work and continues to devote summers to freelance design projects there. He has worked on television and feature films such as S.W.A.T., The Princess Diaries, Babylon 5, Threat Matrix, Terminator 3 and Nurse Betty. He also provides “social autopsies,” which are not unlike the autopsy of a body, to help the city diagnose problems adversely affecting the community. “I hope I can bring something from OSU to the community and something from the community to OSU,” Thrasher says. When asked if these worlds ever collide, Thrasher tells about an incident more than 15 years ago. He received permission from the court to use drug forfeiture money to pilot the police department’s college intern and work-study programs. “Everything worked well,” he says, “until I showed up at the university to pay cash for the programs. Even the cash was fine until I pulled the money from a plastic bag releasing the aroma of marijuanasaturated bills. This began a checkpaying tradition for the police department. “The mixing of two worlds is what makes Stillwater unique. You can’t talk about one without the other. It’s a powerful connection. The citizens of this town indebted themselves to build Old Central — not for themselves but for their children and grandchildren. That takes special people,” he says. “I love this town and gown community.” Eileen Mustain When OSU theatre students receive instruction from Richard Mahaney, they’re learning from someone who practices what he teaches. Erika Contreras tRon Thrasher, deputy chief of the Stillwater Police Department and visiting assistant professor in the OSU sociology department, top right, helps apprehend a rape and murder suspect at the corner of 10th and Knoblock in Stillwater during a 1988 investigation. Oklahoma State University 15
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