Vignette: John David Lane

By Jessica Vue, Sincerely, Southern staff

J.D. Lane is a technical supervisor for Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland. Photo courtesy of J.D. Lane.

John David Lane attended Georgia Southern University from 2003 to 2011, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre.

“I actually came to Georgia Southern to become a journalism major,” Lane said in an email. “I had been doing theater my entire life and had gotten burnt out with it by the time I came to college. But due to amazing professors such as Kelly Berry, Jim Harbour and Mical Whitaker, and my roommate, I slowly got back into theater and eventually made it my core focus.”

While at Georgia Southern, Lane played many roles in the theatre department, including acting, lighting, props and audio. His main role, however, was being the foreman of the scene shop, where he oversaw the building of the sets for the shows and managed students who came in for theatre practicum hours.

Lane said that “On Dragonfly Wings” was his favorite show, which the department performed again in 2009.

“Each time we made it bigger and better than the last,” Lane said. “It was a show teaching kids about dealing with death, and with a lot of the cast and crew, it hit home for all of us. It was an emotional roller coaster for all of us but brought us all together, and I can say to this day, any of those in that show would be there for me if I asked.”

After graduating, Lane went on to work in the theme park entertainment business, starting out at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. He became a part of the stage crew for park concerts and also worked as a lighting and electrical technician. He has worked with musical artists such as The Goo Goo Dolls, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kool and the Gang, Walk the Moon and DNCE.

Lane left Busch in 2018 to work for Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland as the technical supervisor for entertainment. He oversees the seven theatrical venues in the park.

“Without what I learned from my professors and peers at GSU, I do not know if I would be able to what I do today,” Lane said. “My degree opened up the door to what I do today. It is proof of my knowledge in my field and gave me the chance to show my superiors what I can bring to the table for the company.”