As a double concentrator in theatre and comparative literature, Lauren Lanzotti ’14 was a committed student, but her college experience involved much more than in-classroom study. Her four years at Hamilton helped her discover new passions, develop valuable skills, and launch an exciting career in the theater production business. Lanzotti will work as a new product sales representative at Rosco Laboratories, a theatrical supply company based in Stamford, Conn.
Rosco Laboratories designs and manufactures a variety of theatrical products, from lighting equipment to scenic paint to fog machines. As a theatre major, Lanzotti used the company’s products for years, and now she will use her knowledge to help them innovate. In her position at Rosco, Lanzotti will serve as a link between the business’s customers and engineers, channeling feedback into new product development.
Aside from her full-time job at Rosco Laboratories, Lanzotti will spend weekends working as a freelance designer for Hourglass Lighting, a company specializing in lighting design for weddings and other events.
When she arrived at Hamilton, Lanzotti had little knowledge of the theater tech industry. In fact, she originally planned to major in physics. Yet after working in Minor Theater as a first-year student she quickly fell in love with lighting design, and followed her newfound passion through a concentration in theatre. Over the years the Theatre Department helped Lanzotti explore many aspects of the discipline, from directing and dramaturgy to lighting and costume design.
Lanzotti’s time in the classroom helped her acquire several impressive experiences off the Hill. Last summer she worked as a professional lighting designer for Ocean Professional Theatre Company, where she designed 12 shows and served as production manager and master electrician for a number of other performances. During the previous summer she interned for Limelight Productions, Inc., a distributor of theatrical production products.
Like many Hamilton students, Lanzotti worked with the Career Center to acquire her first career-related experience and received support through one of the center’s summer internship funds. Beyond helping her gain valuable skills in the theatre tech industry, the internship led to a reference for the position at Rosco Laboratories.
Lanzotti attributes much of her success to the College’s unique course of study. “I’ve studied a lot of things so that if a door opens I have the opportunity to take it,” she says, and her approach has certainly paid off. “Rosco was so excited to see somebody who not only came from a liberal arts college but who took full advantage of an open curriculum.”
Beyond the classroom, Hamilton’s extensive opportunities for extracurricular involvement helped Lanzotti explore new interests and develop a broad range of skills. She was the master electrician at Minor Theater and served on the executive board of Untitled@Large, the school’s student-run theater organization. Outside the theater world, Lanzotti led the Hamilton Spirituality Initiative and worked for AIDS Community Resources, a local non-profit. She was also a tour guide, a member of the fencing team and Latin dance group, Tropical Sol, and an occasional contributor to some of the school’s student media publications.
Lanzotti is proud of the wide variety of experiences she accumulated at the College, and credits these experiences with helping her become an attractive job candidate. “People really do value well-roundedness,” she says, “and people look to Hamilton and see that we have the skills and ambition to try new things.”
