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Tech Theatre

  • 1.  Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-18-2016 17:57
    I've been asked to teach this summer on the topic "Best Practices for Tech Theatre/Stage Craft" at a state conference.  Do you have anything you can share with me?  I'm looking for syllabi, curriculum, unit plans, lesson plans, projects, rubrics and ideas that work.  I promise to share what I gather from your responses.
    Thank You,
    Russ


    --
    Russ Saxton
    Dixie High School
    350 East 700 South
    Saint George, Utah 84790
    (Cell)  435-632-9241
    (School)  435-673-4682
    Please note my e-mail has changed
    russ.saxton@washk12.org


  • 2.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-19-2016 07:20

    Hi,

    The first question is, how much time have you been given to teach? Depending on your time frame and the level of understanding that the teachers attending may have this could go several different directions.

    I think best practice is always safe practice. Often, we as theatre teachers lack specific skills and understandings of safe practice in regard to our equipment. This could be as dull as safe storage of materials to the more dramatic such as rigging safety and procedures.

    Bob Fowler and I taught something similar at the EdTA National Conference last year and I will send you our Powerpoint. Also, Nancy Curtis and I led a roundtable on high school technical theatre last month at the USITT conference in Salt Lake.

    I will send you the Powerpoints for both and see if that is of some assistance. 

    Thanks,

    Dana

    ------------------------------
    Dana Taylor
    MSD of Mt. Vernon
    Evansville IN

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-19-2016 12:19

    Right. The terms "tech theatre" and "stage craft" cover a lot of territory, including scenery, lights, sound, costumes, props, painting, electrical, setup, load-in, strike, and so on and on. So "best practices" could refer to anything, and I agree that safety might be a good topic to address since it applies to all parts of tech theatre.

    That being said, "best practices" could also refer to exploring how things are done in professional theatre, and why, and how they can be applied to non-professional theatre. It's not just a matter of money and tools; in my blog, I often discuss things like production meetings, scheduling, managing a crew, research, inspiration, and similar topics related to tech theatre.

    Keep us posted!  :-)

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-19-2016 18:23

    Hi everyone.

    Thanks to those who have begun to reply to my post.  My presentation is for high school theatre/drama teachers.  I will be teaching a two hour workshop class.  My topic is " Designing and Implementing a tech theatre/ stage craft (it means the same thing in Utah)" class for teachers in secondary ed."  I hoping I can compile, with your help, a semesters worth of resources to assist teachers in teaching units on: safety, tools, set design, lighting design, costume designs, sound design, etc. on a high school level. Ultimately,  I want to send teachers home with a flash drive of resources they can use in their classroom.  I'm looking for "anything" that might assist a technical theatre teacher in the classroom - hard copy documents, web sites, books, etc.

    Thank you for your help gathering materials.

    Russ


    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-20-2016 19:26

    Thanks for the clarification.  :-)  That helps.

    I'll put together a few things relating to set design and construction (my field) over the next few days for you, but, in the meantime, here are a couple of items.

    First is Robert Edmond Jones' The Dramatic Imagination, which is available through Amazon. If someone died and made me king, this would be required reading for anyone in any area of live theatre. It's a short book (you can read it in one or two evenings), and gets right to the point of what theatre is. It was written in 1941, but it's as fresh today as it was back then. It's the one book I've kept going back to, over and over, for over thirty years.

    Second, and I'm still hoping to find such a thing, would be a book or article about what tech theatre really is. It's not about building flats or hanging lights or setting up mikes -- it's about supporting the story that this huge team, which we're all on, has put together to present to an audience. As a die-hard techie back in college, I often forgot that (as did some of my classmates), and I still see it all the time nowadays. Sometimes it's like the tech people feel like they're doing their jobs, but that it has nothing to do with the show itself. And it's really sad to see it.

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 05-02-2016 09:44

    Contact Rosco, Apollo, and other theatrical supply companies for free swag to hand out, like filter sample books.  Tell them you have a captive audience of potential customers!

    ------------------------------
    Charles McHugh
    NBCT
    Theatre Teacher
    Stratford High School

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-27-2016 18:09

    As promised, here are a few resources on set design, mostly used in university and professional theatre.

    Books (a selection available from Amazon). A lot of books focus more on scenery construction than on set design, so I've tried to include a variety of both.

    • The Dramatic Imagination: Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre (Jones)
    • American Set Design (Aronson)
    • Fundamentals of Theatrical Design: A Guide to the Basics of Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design (Brewster and Shafer)
    • Scene Design and Stage Lighting 10th Edition (Wolf and Block)
    • Ming Cho Lee: A Life in Design (Aronson)
    • Drafting for the Theatre (Dorn and Shanda)
    • Unmasking Theatre Design: A Designer's Guide to Finding Inspiration and Cultivating Creativity (Porter)
    • The Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information (Carter)
    • Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers (Thomas)
    • From Page to Stage: How Theatre Designers Make Connections Between Scripts and Images (Ingram)
    • Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup (Gillette)

    Publications

    Catalogs and websites

    • The Dover Publications catalog (lots of art history, costume history, architecture, furniture, details, graphic design, etc.) – www.doverpublications.com
    • The RoseBrand catalog. This company is a major supplier of fabrics and materials for the entertainment industry – www.rosebrand.com
    • The Rosco catalog. Another major supplier and manufacturer of equipment, tools, paints, and other products – www.rosco.com
    • The JR Clancy website, which has lots of material and information on rigging and a downloadable catalog – www.jrclancy.com
    • The BMI Supply website. Another major supplier of theatrical equipment – www.bmisupply.com
    • The Grainger catalog (www.grainger.com), which has over 900,000 industrial products and is a great source for information.
    • The McMaster-Carr catalog (www.mcmaster.com), Another huge supplier of industrial equipment and tools, and a great resource.
    • Catalogs from woodworking equipment suppliers have lots of information on tools and how to use them, plus a huge selection of books and magazines. Among my favorites are LeeValley (www.leevalley.com), Grizzly (www.grizzly.com), Rockler (www.rockler.com), and Woodcraft (www.woodcraft.com).

    Hope that helps!  :-)

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-28-2016 09:14

    Thank you, thank you!  This invaluable list of information is perfect for my conference workshop.  I appreciate you sharing with everyone else too!  I'm still looking for lesson plans and units from anyone out there.  Thanks to all who have posted.

    With gratitude,

    Russ

    ------------------------------
    Russell Saxton
    Drama Teacher
    Washington County School District
    St George UT

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-28-2016 18:24

    Thanks George! Though at the same time, you've just made my summer reading list a bit longer. :)

    ------------------------------
    Phillip Goodchild
    Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
    Ruskin FL

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-29-2016 08:37

    Howdy,

    Great LIst!

    I want to add this site, http://www.shop.ludlamdramatics.com/Tech-Gear_c9.htm, to the list. They have Tech Theatre Posters designed for a High School classroom.

    My students love them!

    ------------------------------
    Matt Ludlam
    Instructor
    Flower Mound TX

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 04-30-2016 11:44

    Hi Matt,

    Thanks for your response.  The link does not work.  Would you please repost.  

    Thanks,

    Russ

    ------------------------------
    Russell Saxton
    Drama Teacher
    Washington County School District
    St George UT

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 05-01-2016 09:30
    The link works if you take off the comma at the end.

    Thanks,
    Act well your part; there all honor lies,
    Mark Zortman, PA State Chapter Director


    http://www.pathespians.org

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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Tech Theatre

    Posted 05-01-2016 09:37

    D'oh! I hate it when that happens. Try www.Shop.LudlamDramatics.com they have a many classroom posters, but there is a section that is specifically for tech theatre resources on the left.

    Best,

    ------------------------------
    Matt Ludlam
    Instructor
    Flower Mound TX

    Original Message


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