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THEA 4302-001 Stage Management and Theatre Administration • SPRING 2011 • Prof. Andrew C. Gaupp
U.T.A. - THEATRE ARTS 4302, SECTION 001
“STAGE MANAGEMENT & THEATRE ADMINISTRATION”
SYLLABUS (Subject to Change)
Course: THEATRE ARTS 4302, Sec. 001,
“STAGE MANAGEMENT & THEATRE ADMINISTRATION”
Semester: Spring 2010
Instructor: Professor Andrew Christopher Gaupp, M.F.A., A.E.A.
Office: Fine Arts Building-North, Room 145
Office Hours: Mon. and Wed. 10:00 -10:30 a.m. Appointments preferred.
Office Phone: 817-272-3141
Mail Box: Located in the Theatre Arts Department’s Office, Fine Arts Building, Room 144.
Fax: 817-272-2697
E-mail:
Credit: 3 hours
Classroom: Fine Arts Building-Central, Room 265
Class Meets: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
Final Exam: Wed., May 11 at 8:30 a.m.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
THEA 4302. STAGE MANAGEMENT AND THEATRE ADMINISTRATION (3-0) Managerial activities and responsibilities applicable to community or professional theatre. Prerequisite: THEA 1343 and permission of instructor. (NOTE: This is an advanced, senior-level Theatre Arts course; coursework and expectations reflect this.)
[NOTE: Course syllabus, course requirements, assignments, projects, topics and grading criteria are subject to change and review by the instructor depending upon the instructor's evaluation of the class' progress and comprehension of the course material.]
REQUIRED TEXTS (2)
Stern, Lawrence and Alice R. O’Grady. Stage Management—9th Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2010. ISBN-10: 0-205-62773-0.
Conte, David M. and Stephen Langley. Theatre Management: Producing and Managing the Performing Arts.
Entertainment Pro/Quite Specific Media, 2007. ISBN: 0-89676-256-4.
MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED FOR PROJECTS
1 or 2 loose-leaf notebooks with three-rings and inside pockets for loose papers
White, three-hole, unlined Paper
Colored pens/pencils/highlighters
computer and printer
First ten (10) pages of a play script with a floor plan in the script for the setting
Page Dividers with tabs
Color self-stick page tabs for cues (or make your own)
Other materials you may decide are needed for your projects.
Recommended Outside Reading (not required):
Byrnes, William J. Management and the Arts. Boston: Focal Press, 1993.
Celentano, Suzanne Carmack and Kevin Marshall. Theatre Management: A Successful Guide to Producing Plays on
Commercial and Non-profit Stages. Studio City: Players Press, 1998. ISBN 0-88734-684-7.
Fazio, Larry. Stage Manager: The Professional Experience. Boston: Focal Press, 2000. ISBN 0-240-80410-4.
Holm, Enid. Theatrically Speaking. Ft. Worth: Texas Non-profit Theatres, Inc., 1995.
Schneider, Richard E. and Mary Jo Ford. The Theatre Management Handbook. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1999.
ISBN 1-55870-516-3.
Schneider, Richard E. and Mary Jo Ford. The Well-Run Theatre: Forms and Systems for Daily Operations. New
York: Drama Book Publishers, 1993.
Volz, Jim. How to Run a Theater. New York: Back Stage Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8230-8313-6.
EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to: be disciplined in your work; meet all assignments on time; receptive to ideas from others; use class time wisely; seek help from the instructor and ask for further explanation when needed; keep up with assignments.
REQUIREMENTS
• Students are required to check their UTA email account regularly for any messages from the instructor.
Your UTA email account is the university’s official means of communication.
• Purchase the required texts and keep up with all due assignments. If you fall behind on your weekly
assignments it will have a negative impact on your success in this course.
• Come to class and participate fully. The instructor provides detailed explanation and evaluation of your
assignments in class. Failure to attend will have a negative impact on your success in this course.
• Please don’t be late to class. If you are late, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain missed information,
assignment, handouts, etc. and to register the student’s attendance after class roll has been taken.
• Purchase materials for your projects and complete them on time.
• You are required to take the final exam only during the scheduled final exam time.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. The student will be able to discuss basic concepts of stage management and theatre administration.
2. The student will be able to demonstrate skills in stage management and theatre administration through
projects.
3. The student will be able to discuss some resources for gaining employment as a stage manager or theatre
administrator.
4. The student will be able to demonstrate applied practice in creating a stage management book.
5. The student will be able to demonstrate applied practice in creating publicity and marketing elements
used in theatre administration.
6. The student will be able to demonstrate conceptual graphic arts skills through the creation of a theatre
ground plan and a season ticket brochure.
GRADES
Grades will represent these levels of achievement:
"A"=Excellent Work= 90 to 100+ points;
"B"=Good Work= 80 to 89 points;
"C"=Fair/Average Work=70 to 79 points;
"D"=Passing/Below Average Work=60 to 69 points;
"F"=Failure/Way Below Average Work= 59 points or less.
EVALUATION
The “final course grade points” will be determined according to the following: Course Points
Weekly project assignment points ...... ……….Up to 15 pts.
2 Reading/Lecture Exams (up to 15 pts. each)...... ……………….Up to 30 pts.
Stage Management Project……………………………………………………..Up to 20 pts.
Theatre Administration Project...... …...... ………Up to 35 pts.
TOTAL of 100 possible points
Extra credit assignments are not given in this course.
LATENESS AND ATTENDANCE POLICY:
• Assignments turned in late will be accepted with a doctor's excuse. Otherwise, the instructor shall decide whether to accept the assignment late and what the penalty shall be as a deduction of grade points from the major assignment. Weekly project assignments received late or not turned in shall also result in the deduction of weekly project assignment points (See “Evaluation” above).
• If the student arrives late to class after the attendance role is taken, then it is the student’s sole responsibility to see the instructor immediately after the class period to change the role. Students who are more than 10 minutes late for a class are welcome to attend the class, however the student will be recorded as absent in the class attendance record. Grades shall be affected for repeated lateness and absences.
• The first three (3) absences are excused whether for personal or health reasons; each subsequent absence, will result in the deduction of grade points from “final course grade” points for the course as follows:
• fourth absence deduct 5.0 final course grade points;
• fifth absence deduct an additional 10.0 final course grade points (15 cumulative points);
• six or more absences shall result in a failing grade (F) in the course.
• If you are ill, miss class and present a doctor’s statement attesting to your illness, then you may make up missed work. HOWEVER, it only means that you have used up one of your three ALLOWED absences. It does NOT mean that you are allowed an “extra” excused absence besides the three (3) allowed. A student is advised to drop this course if he or she is absent on a continuing basis.
CONTENT: TOPICS TO BE COVERED DURING COURSE
(not necessarily in this order; subject to change by the instructor)
Introduction to the Course; The state of American theatre
Management-producer responsibilities and structures applicable to community or professional theatre
For profit vs. nonprofit theatres
Stage management responsibilities
French scene breakdown
Working with creative artists as a stage manager
Unions applicable to the theatrical productions
Artistic and management staff/titles
Board of directors/trustees of a nonprofit theatre organization
Annual budget / financial control
Marketing, public relations, advertising and the media, Box office
Production selection and schedule coordination
Funding and grantsmanship, Volunteer organizations
Touring productions, Presenting production companies ("booking in").
Production and company management
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. STAGE MANAGEMENT PROJECT
• The student will create a sample stage manager’s script/”book” based on the first ten (10) pages (which should equal approximately ten minutes, read out loud, of a one-act or a full-length, contemporary stage play; do not use a musical).
• It should have a minimum of two and no more than five characters in the scene.
• It should have an average amount of blocking, lighting, and sound cues (avoid technically complicated scripts!). Scripts which are preblocked in the printed script MAY be used. In fact, students are encouraged to find such scripts.
• The student will block the scene on paper using a floorplan and proper notation within the script following the written blocking.
•Include a copy of this partial script in a “window” format, with a ground plan on the left page and the script page on the right page. There should be written stage manager’s blocking notation on the right side (only write in the right margin) of the script page, and full blocking diagrams on the left facing page’s ground plan. Sound and lighting cues should be appropriately notated in the script along with color-coded side tabs on the right edge of the right page. Any special effects should be noted, as should entrance warnings and entry points, exit points, cue warnings and points of execution for technical effects, if any.
• It is allowed and STRONGLY suggested that you use a pre-designed set design/floor plan from a play script (many times at the back of a script) and blocking (usually written by a professional stage manager from the first professional production) from a play script. However, your written blocking should be in standard stage manager’s abbreviations.
2. THEATRE ADMINISTRATION PROJECT
You are to complete assignments for an imaginary theatre of your choice on paper. The project should ONLY be placed in a three ring, loose leaf binder with pockets: large enough to accommodate all of your project work. Wherever applicable, the project must be word processed on a computer (not required on drawings). It should contain the following content using one sheet of paper per item and placed in your spiral in this order:
• Describe what kind of theatre you have and what its mission statement is (written).
• Create an ORIGINAL theatre floor plan showing seating and stage configuration of your theatre
performing space(s) and public spaces (illustration);
• Describe where (city and location in the city) your theatre is located in detail. Include demographic and
descriptive information which justifies your choice of location. Note things that may be a challenge for the location.
• Write the starting and ending dates for your fiscal year (12 month period; 1st day of the month).
• List 4 plays for your season with 4 to 5 sentence descriptions for promotional purposes. These
plays must all currently exist (no unwritten plays).
• Write a news release for the selected production.
• Write a 30-second Public Service Announcement/Radio Advertisement for the selected production.
• Create a playbill for the selected production (Only the cover and title sheet—per the instructor’s
directions).
• Create a season ticket brochure with full copy and illustrations (per instructors directions). Create a graphic logotype for each of the four productions (illustrations).
3. READING AND LECTURE/DISCUSSION EXAMS
You will be tested over class lectures and textual material.
Student Evaluation of Teaching: Students shall be given an opinion form(s) to fill out at the end of the semester to provide feedback to the instructor on the course. The student is urged to provide objective, fair and thoughtful responses. These forms are anonymous and are not seen by the instructor until after grades have been turned in.
Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112-The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled American with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 54 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodation” to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated UNIVERSITY administrative channels.
Academic Dishonesty: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. “Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.” (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22). NOTE: GIVE CREDIT TO ALL SOURCES AND PROVIDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR RESEARCH MATERIALS USED IN THIS COURSE.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY THE INSTRUCTOR.
Week 1:
Mon., 1/17/11 MLK Day—NO CLASS
Wed., 1/19 First Day of Class; pass out syllabus; Introduction to the course
(1st half Stage Management; 2nd half Theatre Administration)
Discussion
Assignment: Read Stern, pp. 1-43
Assignment:10-page script with blocking and ground plan drawing—Due on 1/28
Fri., 1/21 Lecture/Discussion, Stern pp/1-43
______
Week 2:
Mon., 1/24 Lecture/Discussion, pp. 1-43
Assignment: Read Stern, pp. 44-80
Wed., 1/26 Assignment: Light cues, sound/music cues, scenic changes, special effects cues, tabs, and ½ page
warnings (on right side of script page) due in script form on 2/2.
Discussion: cue format, tabs, symbols
F, 1/28 DUE: 10-page script with blocking and ground plan drawing—Due today in class to show to
professor.
Discussion, pp. 44-80
Assignment: Read Stern, pp. 81-112
Week 3: 2/2 -Census Day
M, 1/31 Discussion, pp. 81-112 and discuss French Scene Breakdown
W, 2/2 DUE: Light cues, sound/music cues, scenic changes,special effects and ½ page warnings due
today in class.
Assignment: Read Stern, pp. 113-156
F, 2/4 Discussion, Stern, pp. 113-156