I earned a BA in Theatre from Virginia Tech, and although I was fairly well-versed in some technical aspects, it was all in a fully-staffed and stocked scene shop, working with trained individuals, and on equipment that not only worked but was current.
In the field, I am the director, designer, and producer of everything. I definitely specialized in performance and felt very comfortable with design, but in APPLICATION, it was and still is (13 years later) trial by fire!
I feel that the real disconnects are with the school system understanding what is actually required from a technical perspective to put on a show. I rely on parents to bring in things like saws and drills because we don't have them, and we get ZERO budget from our county to either purchase or maintain ANYTHING! To get anything fixed takes months of paperwork and pathways I don't have time to navigate.
Additionally, there's no county standard in auditorium upkeep. No one seems to have a master record of what equipment is used, when it was installed, when it was last or is next scheduled for maintenance, no one is in charge above the site-based theatre teacher.
There's no one above me in charge of facility upkeep. No one who is an expert on stage spaces. My cyc is hung downstage of my strip lights...so clearly the person who "renovated" our stage was lacking in some fundamentals...
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job. I GET to go to work every day. I get to direct, design, and devise incredible works of art that my students and I are so proud of. It would just be great if I wasn't the hub of EVERY wheel related to the auditorium and the use and upkeep thereof.
I would love to learn more about practical application of technical skills. Maybe even just a list of "essentials" to get a small scene shop up and running... something I can take to my admin and see if they can find money so I don't have to borrow everything every time...
I've been fortunate to have students who are really motivated, who have taken my lighting and sound ideas and actually designed tech for our shows. But, they can't touch the fixtures, so it's kind of a mess.
I think it's just draining to work alone and always feel like you're on some kind of crusade for your kids, your job, your space, your passion.
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Lisa Dyer
Henrico VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-20-2018 12:00
From: Robert Smith
Subject: Set design training in your drama teacher program?
I feel I was fortunate that my BFA - Virginia Commonwealth University - and MFA - The University of Texas at Austin - programs both included set, costume, and lighting design as well as technical theatre in their education programs. Oddly, no sound design in either. I felt I had a solid grounding in most aspects of technical theatre and design when I took on my high school positions. Was I as good as someone who majored in those aspects? No, but I could provide a strong foundation for my students to begin their exploration of these arts.
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Robert Smith
VA Co-Chapter Director
Retired
Centreville VA
Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2018 13:24
From: George Ledo
Subject: Set design training in your drama teacher program?
The responses to my survey keep coming in (thanks to those of you who've participated), and I'm seeing some definite patterns. One of my questions was, how well do you feel you were trained in set design during your drama teacher program? So far, less than a third of the respondents indicated they were very well trained, yet over two thirds indicated they currently teach set design.
So, my intention behind the survey still being the same (finding out what's missing and where I can fill in), I'd like to ask you to tell us a bit about your training in set design: what was covered, how was it covered, and -- now that you've been teaching for years -- what was not covered but you wish had been. Please keep in mind that, in cases like this, identifying what worked can be just as valuable as identifying what didn't work.
Thanks.
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George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
www.georgefledo.net
http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
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