BVU Grad Shares Lighting Expertise with Students
Doug Krejci serves as a judge and clinician in speech, band, media and theater
Doug Krejci ’92, a media producer, percussionist, and theater lighting designer, has parlayed his professional expertise into a mode of giving back. Traveling across the US, the Cedar Rapids resident serves as a judge and clinician to high school and college speech, theater, media, and band programs. In 2023, he served as adjudicator at 10 theater, six speech and nine marching band competitions, aiding thousands of students as they worked to improve their performances.
“I remember working on so many productions in my time as a Buena Vista student. The work I did as a student served as the foundation for any professional success I’ve enjoyed. I’m thrilled to be able to come back to share the knowledge, connections, and enthusiasm I have in these fields with our digital media students.”
-Doug Krejci, 1992 BVU graduate
Krejci presented talks and clinics at The Iowa Thespian Festival and spent time with Buena Vista University students, working with Assistant Professor of Digital Media Jerry Johnson ’85 in sharing the intricacies of lighting design and gel color theory.
“I remember working on so many productions in my time as a Buena Vista student,” Krejci says. “The work I did as a student served as the foundation for any professional success I’ve enjoyed. I’m thrilled to be able to come back to share the knowledge, connections, and enthusiasm I have in these fields with our digital media students.”
“Doug brings real-world experience and stories to our students,” Johnson says. “His professional attitude is a really positive relationship for our program.”
An arts judge for more than a decade, Krejci was recently approved as a national adjudicator for USBands, and a lighting ambassador for Rosco, a global theatrical lighting company.
“I’m excited to share more of my theatrical production expertise with educators and students across the country,” Krejci says. “I love the idea of giving back and have enjoyed adjudicating high school music, speech contests, media, and theatrical productions, too. Now, I’m judging events in other parts of the country and speaking at colleges and theater festivals as an ambassador for Rosco.”
He has judged Iowa High School Speech Association competitions since 2020, focusing on categories such as Radio News, Short Film and TV News. His work in marching band competitions has taken him as far away as Idaho.
“We strive to build confidence among students with constructive comments as that’s what helps students improve their performances, whether they are in band, speech, theater or media competitions,” he says. “Nobody wants students to do well more than me.”
This spring, Krejci can be found judging media competitions, giving educational talks about Rosco lighting, and adjudicating for indoor marching band contests, documenting a high school band trip to Florida, adjudicating Iowa speech contests, and serving as a judge at solo and ensemble contests in multiple states. He is one of the longest-serving percussion adjudicators for the Iowa High School Music Association and looks forward to more opportunities to judge USBands competitions and other national adjudication opportunities.