Zounds! Purdue Theatre prof retires ‘with a bang’ with ‘Entropics’

Rick Thomas has been a force at Purdue and in his home recording studio for nearly a half-century. Based in Lafayette correspondent Tim Brouk takes a look inside Thomas’ final production on campus

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Today’s edition comes via reporting by Based in Lafayette correspondent Tim Brouk …

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ZOUNDS! PURDUE THEATRE PROF RETIRES ‘WITH A BANG’ WITH ‘ENTROPICS’

By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette

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For almost 50 years at Purdue University, Rick Thomas, professor of sound design for the Department of Theatre, has stood on the edge — sound designer and music producer on one side, playwright and director on the other.

It’s only fitting that edge comes to a point in “Entropics,” Thomas’ original production and last piece before his May 12 retirement from Purdue Theatre. The one-hour-and-45-minute work, opening May 3, will have a live soundtrack performed by an on-stage band of five musicians. A cast of seven actors and actresses tell a dystopian science fiction story of a dim future for the world, fraught with division and separation.

“I’m really interested in what I call the gray area between theater and music, between stage and concert hall, between the music of the dialogue and the melody in music,” Thomas said. “It’s the most complicated show I’ve ever done. It’s got really ambitious stuff in it.

Sydney DeLisle, left, and Xander Haan rehearse a scene in ‘Entropics.’ (Photo: Tim Brouk)

“I can’t go out with a whimper. I had to go out with a bang.”