Theatre 102 (303) Introduction to Design for Performance Spring 2017

Meets 12:30 p.m. -1:45 p.m. On Tuesday and Thursday in Music B 12

This course is 3 credits.

Total face time in class is 45 hours.

You will be expected to spend up to a total of 90 hours in out of class project work

Instructor: LeRoy Stoner

Office FAA 234 office

Office phone 229-3913

email (Best way to communicate)

Office hours: 11:00 – 12:00 Monday and Wednesday

Or call/email for an appointment

Catalogue description:

102 (303) Introduction to Design and Production for Performance. 3 cr. U. a study of production and performance ideas as they relate to the theatrical environment. Emphasis on production styles and the process of evolving the artistic concepts.prereq: none.

Course description:

An introduction to the theatrical design process, following the steps that scenic, lighting, costume and sound designers go through. The course is part lecture and part “hands-on” small projects to be accomplished outside of class time. The course will address the aesthetics and psychological impact of the various design elements in each design discipline. Emphasis on the communication and collaborative nature of theatre will be stressed. Students will produce rough drawings for scenery and costumes for one play. No previous experience is necessary. Students will participate in the presentation of and discussion of the ten projects in class.

Course objectives:

$To introduce you to the various aspects of design for the performance of theatre, dance, opera, and musicals. We will cover the process that scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers go through, as well as the skills and tools needed to do the job.

$To improve your collaborative and communication skills

$To sharpen your ability to express ideas in an articulate, creative, and visual way.

$To create your own unique design for scenery and costumes for a play

$To further your growth as an artist and an appreciator of art.

Program goal:

This course addresses the program outcomes in the BA program in theatre in the Peck School of the Arts.

Student learning outcomes:

$students will have a thorough knowledge of the process that theatrical designers (scenic, lighting, costume and sound) go through.

$students will understand the tools, materials, research, collaborative communication, and visual communication necessary for the success of the design process.

$students will have knowledge of “real life” theatrical design experience from a seasoned, practicing professional designer

$students will be able to communicate specific design ideas through “hands-on” design of scenery and costumes for a play

$students will have a greater understanding and appreciation of theatrical production design when attending future productions

Important information for students:

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with university policies regarding special accommodations, misconduct, religious beliefs, accommodation, discrimination, and absence for university sponsored events. For detailed information on all policies including conduct, religious observances, evaluation, grading, exams and military service please seehttp//www4.UWM.edu/acad_aff/policy/

GER course requirements

This course addresses the GER, UWM, shared learning goals because it:

Sgl #1) it includes knowledge of human cultures and the natural world including breadth of knowledge and the ability to think beyond one’ discipline, major, or area of concentration. This knowledge has been gained through the study of the arts.

this course focuses on the design of scenery, costumes, lighting and sound for theatrical performance.

Sgl #2) this course engages critical and creative thinking skills including inquiry and problem solving.

this course asks students to create a design for unique setting and costuming for a hypothetical production of a play.

Sgl #3) this course requires communication and collaboration skills including listening, speaking, reading and visual communication.

$students will read and analyze a play

$students will present visual and verbal information to the class on a regular basis.

$all students listen and are then invited into the discussion about the presentation. New ideas may spring from this discussion.

Arts Divisional GER Criteria:

This course meets the Arts divisional GER. criteria.

ADC #2) it applies knowledge of artistic principles, conventions, methods, and practices through the creation of designs for theatrical performance. Color, shape, line, texture and rhythm principles as well as exploration of space and movement are applied to scenic, costume, lighting and sound designs.

Course requirements:

You are required to read The Death of a Salesmanby Arthur Miller. This play has not been ordered at the bookstore, but it is quite common and is in numerous volumes in the library as well as local bookstores and online booksellers. You should begin reading this as soon as possible. Note the date on the syllabus.

You will be required to do some simple projects to enable you to more fully understand the process. These projects will require basic materials such as ordinary pencils and pens, some unlined paper, paste, magazine clippings, colored construction paper, magic markers, or perhaps the back of a potato chip box. Other materials and tools will be provided by the instructor as necessary.

You are required to see a performance and discuss design concepts from the production of Anon(mous), by the UWM theatre department, mainstage theatre which runs from March 8 – March 12, 2017.

You will be required to present a ticket stub to the instructor. Save it.

Grading

There are 100 points available to you in this class. You can earn them through regular attendance, participation in class discussion and activities, and by the successful, on-time completion of projects.

Late projects will not be accepted for full credit.

Discussion will involve your comments and questions about the projects presented to the class and your discussion about the required play.

Point breakdown is as follows:

assignmenttotal pointsyour points

attendance20______

project 1play analysis8______

project 2preliminary visual images8______

project 3costume swatches8______

project 4apreliminary ground plan4______

project 4b preliminary costumes4______

project 5research, images, period8______

project 6working ground plan8______

project 7costumes line drawings8______

project 8final ground plan & costumes8______

project 9lighting and sound plots8______

project 10drawings front elevation8______

Possible score___100____ your total______

*see grading rubric on last page of syllabus

Excuses: sickness and unavoidable absences will certainly be understood. Any other absence without prior consent of the instructor will not be excused.

After 2 absences 4 points will be deducted from the attendance portion of your grade for each unexcused absence.

Extra credit

You may earn an additional 2 points for attending an art related event and writing a review of it from the design and production viewpoint. You may be asked to discuss your experience with the class. Examples of events include plays, dance productions, operas, or exhibits. A production assigned, as part of any current UWM class is not eligible for extra credit in THR 102/(303). It is a good idea to check with the instructor to make sure an event qualifies for extra credit. You can earn up to 8 credits in this fashion.

POINTSGRADE

93-100A

90-92A-
86-89B+

83-85B

80-82B-

76-79C+

73-75C

70-72C-

66-69D+

63-65D

60-62D-

BELOW 60F

Project Descriptions, Goals, Outcomes, and Assessments:

Project 1(10 points)

Assignment:

$Outline the play you have read by placing each scene, one after another, in one of three locations –scenes in the house, scenes in the yard, and scenes in other places. Suggestion of format will be explained in class at time of assignment.

$Indicate for each – action, time of day, mood, etc.

$At the bottom of your “chart” write one sentence about what you think the play is about.

Course goal:

$have read the play.

$have familiarized yourself with the play, its locations, moods etc. and have gotten a personal idea about the theme of the play.

$prepare the student for discussion about the play

Outcome:

$students will use reading and analytical skills to prepare for discussion of the movement and meaning of the play.

Assessment:

$see rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 2(10 points)

Assignment:

On a 12” x 12” piece of matte board, cardboard, or other rigid material

$Paste or tape images of the two moods of this play, Death of a Salesman. To fill the board.

$These images should be abstract in the sense that they may be out of period or simply shapes, colors or textures that fit the mood.

$Place the images so that the feeling of the present is on one half of the board and the feeling of the past is on the other half.

$You may work with the placement of the images as another element in the piece but it is not necessary to the project.

Course goal:

$To get a sense of the visual difference between a happy, successful life and a dreadful end to life.

$To identify certain colors, textures, shapes, lines that relate to your personal feeling about this play.

$To prepare the student for discussion about the play

Outcome:

Students will explore color, shape, texture, line to ready them for design of scenery, costumes, lighting and sound.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 3(10 points)

Assignment:

$On the other side of your previous project (#2) find and attach fabric swatches that represent the four main characters in this play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy).

$Pay attention to color, pattern, texture and line.

$These concepts, and others, will be discussed in class,

Course goal:

$To familiarize yourself with the characters in the play.

$To attach certain fabric qualities to these characters in preparation for costume design.

Outcome:

Students will gain deeper knowledge of characters in the play and be able to discuss with group

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 4A(5 points)

Assignment:

$you will be given a ¼” = 1’-0”* ground plan of a mythical theatre space. First, try to determine how much space each of the 4 main areas (kitchen, parent’s bedroom, boy’s bedroom, and yard) could take up.

$“Other spaces” such as offices, Frank’s chop house, or grave site may also be considered but could wait till later project.

$place the area you think these would take up in ¼” = 1’-0” on the ground plan. This could be accomplished by cutting out rough shapes and gluing/taping to plan or by drawing. Drawing should be done so that it is visible from 12’ or so.

$Take into consideration how the audience is viewing these areas.

$*scale will be discussed in class

Course goal:

$get a sense of space as regards the locations needed in the play

$start to get an idea of the relationship of the areas to one another and to the audience.

$prepare the student a more formal ground plan.

Outcome:

$students will understand spatial relationships for performance.

$students will get a better idea about the “flow” of the play.

$students will be prepared to move to a more formal ground plan.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 4B(5 points)

Assignment:

$On a white piece of drawing paper sketch the rough outlines of the bodies of the four main characters in this play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy)

$Instructor will demonstrate drawing technique in class.

Course goal:

$to create the rough structural proportions of the characters in the play

$to prepare for costume drawing

Outcome:

Students will draw outline drawings of the human figures representing the four main characters in the play.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 5(10 points)

Assignment:

$On a 12” x 12” piece of matt board, cardboard, or other rigid material

$Paste or tape research images of this play, Death of a Salesman.

$On one side. Attach images of location. On the other side attach images of costuming. Fill the board on both sides.

$These images should be visual in nature and represent location and costumes of the 1949 period.

Any text that you may find useful can be presented separately. Special note: all too often if you wait till the last minute you may find that a printer doesn’t work or is out of ink. Plan ahead. This is not a valid excuse for not having the work on time.

Course goal:

To understand the visual world of 1949 Brooklyn.
To begin to identify a house that might be the Loman’s house and to understand the nature of the clothes the Loman’s would wear.
To prepare the student for specific design decisions in scenery and costumes

Outcome:

Students will understand the world of 1949 Brooklyn through research of visual information

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 6(10 points)

Assignment:

$Using tracing paper, draw a scaled drawing of a proposed ground plan for this play, Death of a Salesman.

$This can be drawn without drafting tools but should be neat and bold.

$Examples of conventional drawings and symbols commonly used in ground plans will be presented in class.

Course goal:

$To produce a preliminary ground plan, to scale, of this play

$To identify spatial relationships including height differences, escapes, and flow.

Outcome:

Students will produce a preliminary ground plan for the performance of this play

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 7(10 points)

Assignment:

$On a white unlined paper draw the outlines for clothing for the four main characters in this play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy).

$These images should be drawn in pencil. It is not necessary to draw facial features or detailed hands.

Course goal:

To produce a preliminary line drawing of the costumes of the four main characters in this play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy).

Outcome:

Students will produce a preliminary line drawing of the costumes of the four main characters in this play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy).

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 8(10 points)

Assignment:

$Create a final ground plan for the play. Utilize input from last critique.

$Indicate heights and furniture location in non-changing scenes.

$Create basic watercolor drawings of the costumes building on the previous sketches. (Previous sketches may be improved given input from last critique)

$It is highly desirable to get your sketches copied onto white cardstock for watercolors.

Course goal:

$To create a clear, readable, sketched ground plan.

$To create basic watercolor sketches of the four main characters in the play (Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy)

Outcome:

Students will understand the visual communication skills needed by designers to demonstrate designs.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 9(10 points)

Assignment:

$Create a lighting cue sheet for this play including cue number, time, cue, and action. This can be done on paper of your choice. (see example)

$Create a sound cue sheet including cue number, fade times), cue and nature of sound (see example)

$Be prepared to discuss these cues in class

Course goal:

$To create a preliminary cue sheet for lighting and sound for this play.

$To communicate and rationalize the lighting and sound as they affect changes in time, place, and mood

Outcome:

Students will understand the preliminary communication needed for lighting and sound designers to be able to meet and agree with the director.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 10a(5 points)

Assignment:

Create and draw afront view of your designed set for Death of a Salesman.
In the same drawing create and draw the surrounding environment of the setting. This may be based in a literal or abstract form.

Course goal:

$To understand the basics of orthographic projection.

$To be able to translate their own set from ground plan to ¼” = 1’-0” scaled front view.

$To be able to imagine and draw the literal or abstract surrounding environment for the setting

Outcome:

$Students will gain a basic understanding of orthographic projection.

$Students can translate their own set from ground plan to ¼” = 1’-0” scaled front view.

$Students can imagine and draw the literal or abstract surrounding environment for the setting

$Students develop an understanding of one form of the visual information needed for designers to communicate their scenic ideas.

Assessment:

See rubric at end of syllabus.

Project 10b(5 points)

Assignment:

Revise and improve you scenic elevation and costume rendering.
For scenic elevation add shading or color to enhance clarity for costume renderings you may wish to redraw or repaint some or all of the renderings.
This is your final design presentation.
Bring all previous work that has led up to this design including light and sound plots.
Be prepared to talk about your progression of design and your successes along the way.

Course goal:

To produce clear, but in preliminary form, ideas and visual communication for designs in scenic, costume, lighting and sound for the play Death of a Salesman.
To be able to communicate and defend your designs with confidence and clarity.

Outcome:

$Students will be able to read, understand and begin the design process of any play or production. They will be able to contribute design ideas to any project be it a presentation, play, or physical environment.

$Students will have a heightened appreciation of the performing arts and will be a more focused and knowledgeable audience member.

Assessment rubrics:

Exceptional
A
8 points / Distinctive
B
7 points / Successful
C
5 points / Substandard
D
3 points / Failing
F
1 point / Failing
F
0 points
Ideas clear / Ideas clear / Parts unclear / Unfocussed / Unclear / Unclear
Creative, thought provoking work / Creative, interesting work / Creative work, limited in scope / Limited creativity / Little creativity / No creativity
Project suggests time and investment above & beyond expectations / Project exhibits significant time investment / Project successfully completed / Project appears to be hastily put together / Project suggests minimal effort / Project suggests no effort
Exceptional application of tools learned from class / Strong application of tools learned from class / Good application of tools learned from class / Limited application of tools learned from class / Little application of tools learned from class / No application of tools learned from class
Project met deadlines / Project met deadlines / Project met deadlines / Project late one class period / Project exceptionally late / Project exceptionally late