After retiring in 2021, longtime Theatre Arts and CTE Stagecraft teacher Norm Testa has returned to Catalina Foothills High School as scene shop foreman, working closely with theatre director Amy Byroad. He came back because he missed collaborating with Ms. Byroad, missed students, and wanted to help sustain the professional-level quality of the CFHS program.

Mr. Testa emphasized that in technical theatre, students don’t just “do tech”—they learn to:

• Rotate through all areas: carpentry, welding, scenic construction, lighting, sound, projections, color theory, and stage management.
  
  

• Solve problems instead of waiting for step-by-step instructions.
  
  

• Meet real deadlines—the show opens at 7:30, and the work has to be done.
  
  

• Work with all kinds of people in what Norm calls an “oasis of civility,” where students are expected to be courteous, collaborative, and committed.

Advanced students can specialize, but everyone is expected to be versatile and willing to jump in wherever they’re needed.

How Those Skills Show Up in Real Life

Mr. Testa can point to alumni whose CFHS theatre skills show up in surprising ways:

• A future doctor who used welding skills learned in Stagecraft to fix broken lab equipment and “ace the lab.”
  
  

• A Las Vegas corporate lawyer who welds metal sculptures as a creative outlet—and now has pieces in state courthouses.
  
  

• A former student who paid his way through college by building bunk beds using carpentry skills from the CFHS shop.

Beyond tools and technology, students leave with confidence, perseverance, and the ability to see a project through from idea to opening night.

Many CFHS theatre alumni now work professionally in entertainment:

• Johnny Bradley – Emmy-winning lighting designer with 11 years on The Voice, plus major live events, concerts, and stadium productions.
  
  

• Nick Smith – Lead rigger for massive stadium tours, including U2 and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
  
  

• Mark Johnson – Sound designer for Universal Studios rides and international live events.
  
  

• Brandon Rosenfeld – Broadway and LA events professional, including The Cher Show.
  
  

• Sean Montgomery – Broadway actor and swing in shows like Beetlejuice and The Music Man.

• Dalen Vigil – the Flying Director at ZFX, bringing years of global rigging and automation experience from productions with Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group.
  
  

Many others work on Broadway, in regional theatres, on TV and film sets, and in high-level production roles.

Why It Matters for CFHS

Mr. Testa wants the community to understand that theatre isn’t “extra”—it’s training for real life.

“The skills we teach here power TV, movies, concerts, arenas, even the microphones in public meetings,” he said. “I don’t need every student to work in theatre. I want them to walk into any problem—in a lab, a courtroom, a workplace—and say, ‘Okay. Let’s solve it.’”

That mindset, plus a thriving partnership between Testa and Byroad, is what keeps CFHS Theatre Arts not just alive, but exceptional.