Since 2019, Kenneth Socha has been helping keep the Plaza Theatre running behind the scenes, ensuring the lights shine bright, the sound carries clearly, and the building itself operates smoothly for every performance. What began as a simple moment of curiosity during a production of The Wizard of Oz quickly turned into years of dedicated service, technical problem-solving, and leadership within the organization. From improving the theatre’s lighting systems to helping modernize equipment and facilities, Kenneth’s volunteer work reflects both his technical expertise and his commitment to supporting the magic that happens on the Plaza stage.

How long have you been volunteering at the theatre and what motivated you?

I’ve been volunteering at the Plaza since 2019. While attending a performance of The Wizard of Oz, I noticed the lights flickering and doing some unusual things during the show. After it ended, I walked up to the booth and asked Burke Wilkins if they needed any help. He said yes — and invited me to work with him on the next production, Young Frankenstein.

When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing. But after a couple of weeks — and with Burke’s guidance — I began to understand how the system worked and what it took to program a show. What motivated me to volunteer was the opportunity to help and the challenge of seeing if I could improve the lighting system at the Plaza.

What roles or tasks do you typically undertake as a volunteer?

I currently serve on the Board of Directors and oversee facilities maintenance for the Plaza. During my time here, we’ve completed several major in-house improvements and repairs to the lighting system, including converting to a newer communications format and eliminating the persistent flickering issue.

I also assisted with the major lighting upgrade in 2020, which expanded our control system’s channel capacity. Beyond lighting, we converted the theater’s heating and air conditioning system to an automated platform that can be controlled remotely.

We’ve made significant upgrades to the sound system as well, including adding additional wireless microphones to better support large musical productions.

In short, I work to ensure that everything electrical and mechanical at the Plaza is running smoothly and in top shape.

What are your most memorable experiences?

My most memorable experience at the Plaza was during August: Osage County. On the Saturday night before the final Sunday performance, we were having our cast party near the stage door. Someone asked how many light cues were in Young Frankenstein, so I walked up to the booth and pulled up the show file to check — 147 cues.

Before doing that, I had asked Burke Wilkins, my mentor, if the system automatically saved the current show, and he said yes.

The next day, around 1:00 p.m. — about an hour and a half before the 2:30 final performance — we began our pre-show checks and discovered that all of the light cues for August: Osage County were gone. They had been overwritten when I opened Young Frankenstein the night before.

With no time to rebuild the entire cue list, Burke (the show’s director) and I manually operated the lights throughout the entire performance — turning fixtures on and off by hand to get through the show.

From that very memorable experience, I learned an important lesson: anytime you make lighting changes — no matter how small — you ALWAYS save before moving on.

How has volunteering impacted your life?

Volunteering at the Plaza has introduced me to a multitude of new friendships, new technology, and an entirely new world I previously knew nothing about — theater and how it works from the inside out.

Advice to someone interested in volunteering:

If you’ve ever had an interest in theater — whether in acting, technical production, administration, or patron services — and have considered volunteering, the Plaza is a wonderful place to get involved.

Kenneth’s story is a great reminder that the Plaza Theatre thrives because of people willing to lend their skills and curiosity to something bigger than themselves. Whether solving technical challenges, improving the theatre’s infrastructure, or supporting productions behind the scenes, volunteers like Kenneth help ensure every show can shine. His journey shows that sometimes all it takes to become part of the Plaza family is noticing a problem, offering to help, and saying yes when the opportunity appears.