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  • 1.  Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-14-2017 18:43

    Feeling a push for larger and larger classes, I'm doing some research about the size of stagecraft classes at other high schools.

    If you have a stagecraft course at your school, how many:
    -students attend your school?
    -sections of stagecraft are taught?
    -students are in each section of stagecraft?

    And what is the highest number of students that you have ever had in a section?  How did it go?



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    SydneyThiessen
    Fine & Performing Arts Coordinator and Technical Director
    Reynolds High School
    Troutdale OR
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  • 2.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-14-2017 23:44
    Hi, my high school has two Stage Tech classes, and each have around 80 students.

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    Sierra A La Rue
    Thespian Troupe 2129
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 08:56
    Hello.

    I am a veteran teacher of thirty-six years. I think even a class of twenty-five can become unsafe. Safety in technical theater and stagecraft classes has to be given top consideration. There are also OSHA standards that must be met to keep the school within the limits of the law.

    Keep designing and keep it safe.

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    Donnie Bryan
    Department Chair for Visual and Performing Arts
    Nashville TN
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 06:14
    Hello,
    I have taught Technical Theatre / Stage Craft at my school for the past 10 years.  I have one section that is combined all levels.  I have had great support from the administration to cap the class at 25 for safety and resource concerns.  I did once have a class of almost 40.  We were not able to do very many hands-on activities because of space, resources, and safety concerns.  Needless to say, it was not a great experience for me or the students.

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    Gary Hicks
    Atlanta GA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 07:19
    Hi Sydney,
    We have about 1200 students with three sections of Stagecraft, one each term in a trimester schedule.  Typically we have 20-25 students in each class.  20 is a very manageable number.  25 is more difficult.  We focus much of our time on design, and then design/build the scenery/lighting/costumes for each of our mainstage shows.  

    For much of our time, we pursue two scenery design projects in each term.  At the beginning of the term, we design the scenery for the current main stage show.  This is a formative assessment and mostly it works well.  The students divide into groups to build/create sections of the set.  Occasionally the class takes more time to design, we make choices along the way, and the set is mostly built before we finish the assignment.  For the final three weeks of the term, we do a preliminary design for the next main stage show.  This is their main summative assessment and is based on the NCCAS Model Cornerstone Assessment.

    Sometimes this can be very frustrating for both teacher and students. This past week I had two students, who had slacked during the initial design process, complain bitterly at their grading, and making a comparison to their football team experiences.  It was a great analogy and helped clarify the differences.  They said in football practice, the coaches know exactly what needs to be done and teach the plays.  I explained that in this class, we're designing the plays as we go- making up the rules on our own.  This is more difficult but also more applicable to the real world.

    Good luck!
    Rick

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  • 6.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 08:15
    Hi, 

    So I think this depends on the type of school first. Private vs. Public. Obviously the private sector has the ability to have much smaller classes. 80 seems almost rediculous. I can't even imagine. 

    I am in the private school world and I am able to cap it at 10 right now. In the past I have capped it around 15 or so. 

    I think another big factor, and I assume the giant class does this, but I imagine you have more than 1 teacher in the classroom. 

    For me, 10 is the max I feel is a number I can watch safely on my own around the power tools. I think its more important to feel safe than it is to cram as many people in a class as possible. Not to mention is anyone getting anything out of a class that large?

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    Dan Mellitz
    Technical Director
    St Andrews School
    Barrington, RI
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 09:25
    1.  We have about 1500 students in our school.
    2.  We only have room for 2 sections in the schedule because of FTE.  We have enough enrollment to have a 3rd and sometimes a 4th.
    3.  We have been able to convince administration and guidance that 20 should be the cap for the class.  This is our first year with that few students in the course.
    4.  We have typically had at least 30 in a section and it just isn't conducive to making the class a safe and functional environment.  Our district fine arts coordinator has also pushed for the theatre teachers to be "supervisors" in at least one of the class periods (our industrial tech. teachers are the teachers of record).  This gives us strong collaboration and an extra knowledgeable adult in the room.

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    Sarah Gerling
    Theatre Teacher and Director
    Columbia MO
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 11:47
    My school has roughly 2250 students. We have 2 sections of Tech Theater, made up of 28 students each. We cap the class at 28 due to OSHA regulations.

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    Rachel Snow
    Drama and Technical Theater Teacher
    Alhambra High School
    Alhambra CA
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 12:55
    I believe our school has approximately 2300 students. I have 1 class each semester that ranges in size from 21-35. In the bigger classes we don't head into the scene shop very often and I never use anything more powerful than a drill; too much in the way of liability and OSHA issues. Those classes focus more on design elements, stage make-up and direction.

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Stagecraft Class Sizes?

    Posted 05-15-2017 13:06
    ~1700 students at our school

    Three technical theatre sections (one is exclusively costumes, makeup, and hair and the other two are mixed levels of what you would call "stagecraft")

    Largest class I've ever had for tech was almost 50 people, but I am very aggressive about how if they give me more than 25 students, it won't be the same class and we won't be able to do as much hands on. I actively have to work to scare students out in our drop/add period at the start of the year. One of the first things we do is learn to clean the toilets in the auditorium. If they won't do that, I tell them to "get out now." 

    This year I have 26 students in Costume, Makeup, and Hair, and 26 and 31 in technical theatre/stagecraft which is a lot less than I started with, but these seem to be workable groups for most of my projects and my advanced student in each class help enforce and remind about safety which helps. 

    Wish that we has more teachers so that we could have more sections of these classes, but I think we are maxed out and very privileged to have two theatre teachers and three sections at least.

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    Kathleen McNulty Mann
    mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us

    Arnold High School Theatre
    Panama City Beach, FL
    Program Director and Thespian Sponsor

    Florida Association for Theatre Education
    Board Member
    Membership Committee Chair
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    Original Message


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