Live entertainment student accepted for Cirque de Soleil training

Nestor Munoz always thought of himself as a show goer. Whenever there was a concert he wanted to see, he’d go, even if it meant taking a day off work. As he studies live entertainment production at College of Lake County (CLC), he’s preparing for a career where being at shows is actually part of his work.

Munoz, a Lindenhurst resident, recently received the opportunity to train with Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas in May. Of the 4,800 applicants, he was one of eight selected for the audio program.

“I’m excited for just being in an environment around experts who are willing to share their knowledge with me,” Munoz said.

Live entertainment instructor Tracie Folger said, “This opportunity, when it was announced, was geared toward students who were finishing up their undergraduate or graduate studies, or for individuals who have just recently left school and are building their careers. The fact that Nestor was selected at this early stage in his exposure to the industry speaks volumes about his dedication, his enthusiasm and his total commitment to the work. I'm also really proud that our program has helped build the knowledge gaps to make our students competitive with students from other schools nationally.”

Coming from a family of machinists, Munoz always assumed that was the career he would enter. He was working as a computer numerical control machinist, but after realizing the career wasn’t suited for him, he started to look for something else and got thinking about going to school.

While he was deciding on school last summer, Munoz got a call from a friend who worked in the live entertainment business who asked if he was able to help with setting up a show for rapper Drake.

“I was like, of course, I want to set up for Drake,” Munoz said. “And then days after the concert, I got a call from the hall and they sent me more shows to work. I kind of stumbled upon it.”

Munoz worked this job for a few months before starting the program at CLC, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make it a career. While he enjoyed it, he didn’t know if it could be a full-time thing. He saw that CLC was starting a live entertainment program, and he signed up the day before classes started.

Though he already had some experience, being in the program has helped Munoz understand the technical aspects of the job. Audio is his focus, but he’s gotten experience doing things like video and carpentry. The well-rounded curriculum lets him help in all aspects of a production if needed.

The classroom learning has filled in a lot of gaps for Munoz. While on the job, everything must be done in a timely manner, so there wasn’t time for Munoz to get instruction. The classwork makes it so he started to understand why he was doing what he did.

Outside of school, Munoz works by assignment as a stagehand audio tech. He also works in CLC’s scene shop doing carpentry on sets.

“It’s the most fun I've ever had in a job,” Munoz said. “You get to really understand what goes into a production at a play or a concert. I recommend everybody start off as a stagehand and just kind of get their feet wet with that and then go from there.”