Objectives and General Requirements

THA 101a - STAGE MANAGEMENT

FALL 2015 – Tuesday/Friday 12:30-1:50pm

Jennifer Cleary, Senior Lecturer – Spingold #3 – x63377 –

Office hours: TBD and by appointment.

I. COURSE OVERVIEW

THA 101a gives the student a solid introduction to the inner-workings of professional theatre through the lens of the stage manager. Some previous theatrical knowledge/exposure and experience is helpful but not required.

Stage management is a hands-on field, dealing with (but not limited to) organization, communication, creativity, precision, and, last but not least, collaboration. If you are someone who wants to learn about the field of theatre in general, this course is for you. If you’d like to learn about how the theatre functions through the eyes of this important role, having a hand in every aspect of a theatrical production – this course is for you, too. If you are someone who may aspire to work as a professional in stage management – this course is also for you. Our diverse purposes for being in this course make the learning environment more rich and vibrant.

The skills of a stage manager may be used in many different ways outside of the theatrical environment, and my hope is that you will find them useful in your day-to-day experiences and in your own academic and personal development. As your instructor, I cannot just explain to you what a stage manager does; you have to experience it first-hand through observation or exercise. I will employ hands-on exercises, observational experiences, and real-life experience discussions to help you get inside of this material. Your understanding of theatre and stage management will continue as your hands-on work increases. Also, if you have previous experiences in theatre/stage management, some of the course content may challenge your previous knowledge or way of doing things. I ask for you to come to the table with an open mind, understanding that the content of this course comes from the trends in the professional field. Changing how you may approach something may be difficult, but try! Stage managers are constantly learning from each other and working to improve.

Classes will be structured in a seminar-style, with lectures, discussions, mini-quizzes, and hands-on exercises, and individual/group assignments. I will lecture/discuss when teaching new topics, and I will look to you to generate questions/discussions based upon these topics. I expect you to ask questions, discuss relevant personal experiences, and to fully engage in the course. This is not a place to be silent in the back of the room. My typical course environment is a collaborative and energized one for teaching and learning. It is very important for you to listen and learn from your fellow classmates. Also, be prepared for me to call on you in class. Public speaking is an important stage management skill, and class participation is a large aspect of your learning here.

I am excited to build a fun and productive learning community with all of you!

II. COURSE RESPONSIBILITIES

Be sure you know how to use LATTE and your Brandeis email address is active. Please use your Brandeis address when you email me. I use LATTE to communicate and send emails, and you are responsible for this material.

Expect to have outside projects, readings, and assignments on a weekly basis.

I do not accept late assignments. If you ask to turn something in late on the day it is due, I will not accept it. Know this now. Formal extensions must be discussed in advance and are on a case-by-case basis. In the field of stage management, punctuality is everything.

Each assignment builds upon the previous one; if you don’t complete it, you will not be on the same page as everyone else. It is important for your own learning to keep up.

Do the readings! They are foundation for our work in class. Bring questions/comments to class for discussion. We may not always talk about the readings in-depth, but they provide another perspective about stage management with which to discuss and learn from. Larry and I don’t always agree, which is part of the fun! Let me know where you do/don’t agree with Larry!

We will have mini-quizzes on course material before moving forward. Some of these will be one-question long, some will be a short list, some will be an activity, but all will be in class and cannot be made up. More will be explained in class.

There will be a mid-term and final exam in this course. More information to follow.

Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class time per week)

Success in this 4-credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, projects, etc.).

If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.

You are expected to be familiar with and to follow the University’s policies on academic integrity. Faculty will refer any suspected instances of alleged dishonesty to the Office of Student Development and Conduct. Instances of academic dishonesty may result in sanctions including but not limited to failure in the course, failure on the assignment in question, suspension from the University and/or educational programs.

III. ATTENDANCE POLICY

This class is discussion-based and attendance/participation are crucial to your success and to our learning community. You are allowed 1 absence for any reason. This absence does not need to be approved by me and I do not need to know the reason. It should be used wisely and not wasted. Understand that when you use your absence, you are still responsible for everything done during the class meeting – ask a classmate (not me) for notes and information about your missed class. After one absence, you will lose 5 points towards your class participation percentage for each additional absence for any reason. I will not excuse absences beyond the 1 permitted. Be sure to let me know if you are traveling from another class. Repeated lateness will affect your class participation grade.

III. OTHER ASSIGNMENTS/EXPECTATIONS/INFORMATION

Rehearsal, Tech Rehearsal, and Performance – 6 hours of observation plus performances

You are required to complete ALL of the following by the end of the semester:

1. 3 hours of a rehearsal for a Theater Department production, with accompanying assignment.

2. 3 hours of a technical rehearsal for a Theater Department production, with accompanying assignment.

3. Seeing a performance of Songs for a New World AND Macbeth in the Department of Theater Arts. (You get free tickets as a student in this class.)

More details will be given in class. You will also have a reflection paper/assignment around these observations, due on the final day of class.

Our stage managers: Songs for a New World, Micaela Kiley () and Macbeth, Hannah Mitchell (). You are responsible for emailing them to ask to attend a rehearsal time. You must get permission to attend prior to the rehearsal, and you must show up at the beginning of the rehearsal – you are not allowed to show up in the middle and disrupt the process.

Promptbook Project

Each of you will create your own template of the SM Promptbook, the organizational hub of a production and the physical core of a stage manager’s job. More information will be given in class.

Department of Theater Arts Positions

If you have an interest in working on a show in the future as an Assistant Stage Manager for the Department, please see me! Note that if you aspire to stage-manage for the BTC, you are required to assist on a show prior to applying for a position. See me for more information!

GRADING

You will be graded according to the following criteria:

· Class Participation/Attendance/Effort: 40%

o Effort means that I will hear your voice during our course meetings, participating in discussions and/or raising your hand to ask questions. It also means that you are an active listener, focused, and that you come to class prepared.

o This does not mean you have to talk the most – an active listener is just as important!

o I have to SEE that you have interest in the course content and our classroom community, even if you are not one to talk all the time. You can do this by being an engaged, respectful listener with positive non-verbal communication.

· Weekly Assignments: 20%

· Promptbook Project: 10%

· Mini-quizzes: 10%

· Mid-term Exam: 10%

· Final Exam: 10%

REQUIRED TEXTS

Stage Manager: The Professional Experience by Larry Fazio

Various Plays, as assigned in class.