Thank you Elizabeth.
By happy accident, I just started reading Elizabeth Rand's really useful book 'High School Theatre Operations for Architects, Administrators and Academics'. It had a wonderful chapter that solidified a bunch of good reasons/benefits for theatre education/technical theatre education. Great resource if anyone is looking for a well-written text to help your administration understand your job and its tricky demands ever so much better.
Original Message:
Sent: 07-15-2015 06:37
From: Elizabeth Rand
Subject: Benefits of a Technical Theatre Education...research?
Oh my gosh, don’t get me started on the benefits of a tech theatre education. Allow me to step up onto my soap box…
In my experience over the years of working in educational technical theatre, I have found that students who work in technical theatre - from 5th graders to 12th graders - are some of the most highly motivated, dedicated, energetic, team-oriented, thick-skinned, professional-acting and technically-proficient students you can hope to work with. And if they’re not, they don’t last long and they quickly find that tech theatre is not for them. When I am working with technical theatre students, I am always pleased to see that, as well as increasing their proficiency in the curriculum content, the students have further developed a broad range of skills that will benefit them throughout their lives, such as: creative thinking, teamwork, decision making, problem solving, perseverance, working with different personalities and standards, analytical thinking, self-responsibility and responsibility to others. These aren’t skills you learn just by sitting in a classroom.
Only a small percentage of the students in your high school tech theatre program will actually go on to make some aspect of technical theatre their career, but the skills all students learn in tech theatre are transferable to a wide variety of jobs. I have a favorite quote that I always hang on the tech booth wall of any theatre that I work in and it reads: “An actor without techies is a naked person standing in the dark trying to emote. A techie without actors is a person with marketable skills.” High school technical theatre students who do go on to work in the Entertainment Industry are not just “skilled labor” but leaders, innovators, collaborators. Designers, managers and technicians in the Entertainment industry are the backbone of every event our society. We often think of them in live theatre, sitcoms and movies, but they also work for: political rallies, sporting events, concerts, documentaries, radio programs, Olympic games, amusement parks, conferences, tradeshows, press conferences, circuses, museums… For students who may not go on to pursue a degree or career in the entertainment industry, the transferable skills and knowledge learned in technical theatre are relevant to a wide variety of careers that have similar knowledge bases and practices as technical theatre such as: architecture, construction, engineering, science, people management, project management, art, technology, computer drafting and design, computer programming, robotics…
Working on a stage crew helps prepare students with 8 of the most In-Demand Job Skills in today’s world. The following list is from an article on the Monster website, by James C. Gonyea, which lists skills that the US Department of Labor says are on employers' wish lists.. The underlined words indicate a job skill that is used when working on a stage crew. Problem-Solving Skills “Many of the tasks we face each day in our personal and business lives are complex in nature. People who can identify problems, research solutions and make effective decisions are increasingly desired in such fields as business administration, management consulting, public administration, science, medicine and engineering.” If you ever have the opportunity, sit in on a Production Meeting between student set crew members and their set designer. It is the embodiment of problem solving. The director wants this and that for their set and the designer and crew have to figure out how to build the set within budget, within time, within ease of set changes, with a restriction on space in the scene shop and back stage, within safety requirements and within the director’s vision of how the play should look. This is one big problem solving festival! Vocational-Technical Skills “Today, technology is advanced in all areas of human endeavor. Installation, testing and repair of most electrical, electronic and mechanical equipment in fields such as engineering, telecommunications, automotive, transportation and aerospace requires people with advanced vocational-technical skills.” These skills are practiced in the theatre time and time again. Plays are temporary things. The set design and the lighting and sound has to be installed, tested, repaired, taken down, and done all over again for the next play. Students receive continuous hands-on experience. Human Relations Skills “All companies with more than one employee face inevitable problems dealing with how people interact with each other. Often, the success of a company depends upon how well people can work together. It is the job of human resource managers, personnel officers, department managers and administrators to understand the needs of workers and how best to meet those needs within the confines of the employment environment.” Human relations skills are inherent in the theatre. There are so many specialties, each with their own knowledge and temperaments, and they all have to work together to create an end product. If they can’t work well together then the end result – the play – wouldn’t happen. Computer Programming Skills “Understanding how to harness a computer's power and program it to meet the specific needs of a particular company can dramatically increase your employment opportunities. Specific languages most in demand today include C++, Java, HTML, Visual Basic, Unix and SQL Server.” Set builders and lighting technicians use CAD (Computer Aided Drafting). Lighting technicians and sound technicians have boards they have to ‘harness’ and program for each show. Teaching-Training Skill “Our modern society develops and collects more new data in a day than our ancestors did in a year. As a result, there will continue to be a demand for people with teaching and training skills in the fields of education, social services, management consulting and commerce.” Students may not go on to be teachers, but in the business world training happens all the time. It can be a formal training session, or integrated on the job training. Students only stay in a high school for four years. Those with more experience in technical theatre take new students under their wing and teach them the trade. Those students then ‘raise up the ranks’ and in turn teach the next lot of students. This skill develops naturally in tech theatre. Science and Math Skills “Great advances are being made daily in the fields of science, medicine and engineering. Bright minds skilled in the sciences and math are needed to meet the challenges of these fields.” Bright minds indeed. Try figuring out the dimensions of set pieces, how long to cut a board of wood for a set or a piece of material for a costume, the angles of light, the physical properties of light and sound – where is science and math not used in some form in technical theatre. Information Management Skills “In the Age of Information, America now produces information as the basis of its economic system, and individuals who possess the ability to manage information are critical to most businesses. Systems analysts, information technologists, database administrators and telecommunication engineers are examples of people with highly developed information management skills.” Information management is also inherent in the tech theatre setting. Students must manage information, analyze systems, create databases just in order to create sets, lights, sound and costumes. You can’t do your job without information management. Business Management Skills “The business of America is business! Understanding of how to run a successful company is highly in demand. At the core of these skills is the ability to manage people, systems, resources and finances; to understand the needs of consumers and how to translate those needs into business opportunities.” A play is essentially a company, with people, systems, resources and finances that are working towards creating a business opportunity – the play – in order to fulfill the needs of their consumers – the audience. It’s not called Show Business for nothing.
What a lot of people also don’t realize is that Tech Theatre is a STEM subject – or as I prefer a STTEM subject. Most people think only of the performing “arts” when they think of a high school theatre. In actuality, tech theatre is… where Science Technology Teamwork Engineering Mathematics support the Arts.
Participation on a technical theatre crew incorporates many of the learning goals that states require in order for students to be prepared for the in-demand job skills in today’s STTEM-oriented work world. Following is a study I once did on the Learning Goals specifically for students on a stage lighting crew. These learning goals can be applied to all aspects of technical theatre. Students on the Stage Lighting Crew will learn how to: think creatively use technology work as a team make decisions be responsible problem solve think analytically be leaders Stage lighting is a discipline that utilizes a blend of artistry, technical knowledge, physical effort and life skills. Lighting is a very specialized field which incorporates a broad range of skills such as: creative thinking, use of technology, use of mathematics, team work, decision making, problem solving, perseverance, working with different personalities and standards, analytical thinking, and responsibility. The learning objective is that students will be able to demonstrate artistic design theory and techniques such as color theory, use the four properties of light for mood manipulation and perform drafting basics, and demonstrate the above range of skills. Not only will students gain knowledge about a unique subject, but the skills students learn and use while working on a lighting crew will benefit them throughout their lives. GOAL: reading, comprehension, communication Students must be able to read and quickly comprehend scripts, instructions, cue sheets and technical data. They must be able to clearly and effectively, through written and verbal means, communicate to other members of the production team, through the use of cue sheets, script cues and other written information pertinent to the production. GOAL: mathematics, science, arts, fitness Stage Lighting utilizes a blend of technical knowledge, artistry and physical effort. Students will apply the concepts and principals of math and science in their work. They must be able to do basic algebra and will apply this computational knowledge to the study of electricity. Light itself is a radiant energy in one octave of the electromagnetic spectrum, identified by frequency of wavelength. The color of light is a fascinating scientific phenomenon to study in and of itself. The use of technology is also incorporated into Stage Lighting, as students learn how to use a light board. Students also have to opportunity to take apart lighting instruments, to see how they are designed, how they work and for what applications they are used. Historically lighting was an engineering discipline, and it is only in recent decades that those with a knowledge of the science of lighting have combined it with their artistic talents to become Lighting Designers. To some extent artistry may be an inborn trait, however art techniques can be taught, and the artistic talent, which I believe is within each of us, can be tapped. The students will learn about color choices, mixing colors, how different light angles affect the viewer’s perception of an object, how to enhance an “object” (usually an actor or set piece), and how to create mood using color, angles and intensity of light. These disciplines draw from both scientific fact and artistic talent. Drafting is also an important skill that Lighting Designers must know in order to communicate their design (the Light Plot) to the crew. Being able to draft and read a Light Plot is essential. Student will learn some basics about drafting for Stage Lighting. Once the lighting plot is drafted, little time is spent sitting at a desk. Hanging and Focusing a production can be quite a rigorous task; ladders to climb, heavy instruments to carry, bolts that won’t loosen, a lot of walking around and running here and there! At Bear Creek Elementary, because of liability issues, the children are not permitted to go up on our Genie Lift to hang and focus lights (yours truly will do that!). However, I encourage children to come and help out at a Hang and Focus session, so that they can be a part of the process. GOAL: think analytically, thinking creatively, problem solving Analytical thinking, problem solving, and creativity are very important in stagecraft, as every play, show, dance and assembly is different. Students need to draw from what they have learned to integrate their experience and knowledge and apply it to each production. Each design will be different, and the problems that come up will be different for each production. Through their participation in workshop classes, shows and assemblies this year, the students will learn theory and practical lessons, and apply it to their own design at the end of the year. GOAL: relate school experiences and learning to career While not everyone will pursue being a Stage Lighting Designer as a career (and there are those who manage to make a living from it), the skills learned from one’s experiences in the educational setting can help prepare students for the “outside world”. These skills include, but are not limited to: responsibility, dependability, attention focusing, teamwork and problem solving. In technical theatre (including the educational experience), as in many job situations, you are often the only person who can do your job. You turn up through sickness and in health. While lead actors will often have understudies, this is not the case with the tech crew. If you don’t turn up one day it may be quite difficult for someone not familiar with what you were doing to take over. When you are the Light Board Operator, for instance, your job can be quite complicated. It is the Light Board Operator’s responsibility to the Lighting Designer to know how to run the board, make accurate records at rehearsals, so that the cues can be duplicated, as designed, at the next rehearsal and at performances. It is also the Light Board Operator’s responsibility to the cast to write down cues and notes clearly so that someone could take over in an emergency. The Lighting Designer and his or her crew have a responsibility to the director and the cast to execute appropriate cues at the correct time, with the correct emphasis. Rehearsals can sometimes be long and tedious. Students must be able to focus their attention for an extended period of time. Rehearsals can also be hectic and frustrating at times. Students must also be able to focus their attention in this sort of environment on the instructions given to them, and to quickly and correctly record and execute the cues each time. Teamwork involves people of different skills and backgrounds working together to create one end result, in this case, a show. Working on a team can be challenging, because while people with different skills and mind sets are needed to fill each discipline it can also be hard to work with someone who doesn’t think quite like you do. The teamwork we experience in the Lighting Crew helps students learn to work with different people, to appreciate these differences, to see how they can be valuable. The students learn how to work as a leader one minute and a follower the next. For example, Lighting Designers are experts at what they do. They are in charge of the crew who is running the show, and have the responsibility of creating the best lighting design, with the artistic and technical knowledge they have acquired. Yet, ultimately, the director is in charge, so the designer must use their skills to make the director’s vision come to life. The Lighting Designer simultaneously leads the light crew, and is lead by the director. Teamwork is often like this in the “real” work world. You may be a leader in your field, but at the same time, you can be a subordinate to a “boss” or other company. Learning how to combine these two begins at school, and probably takes a lifetime to master. How do these goals look like in the real life educational setting? The learning process for technical theory would start with students demonstrating an understanding of “easy electricity” for stage lighting, by role playing a human model of an electrical circuit. Students will also be able to state electrical calculations (integrating skills and concepts from other disciplines) needed specifically for the application of stage lighting. The learning objective for artistic theory would include students being able to demonstrate the McCandless Method of Lighting the Stage and the four properties of light as applicable to design. Students would demonstrate a working knowledge of color theory, mood and lighting motivation, with a hands-on session on color manipulation and design. This section would incorporate art and design concepts children may already have a previous knowledge of. Students will also be able to define the historical periods of stage lighting (recognizing the arts from a variety of historical periods, and understanding the role of the arts in the historical development of cultures). The learning process by the end of practical application sessions would include students being able to demonstrate how their school’s lighting system works, how to draft a light plot using templates and correct drafting techniques (connecting the concepts and skills from one art form to another), how to run the light board and house lights, and how to hang and focus lights for a physical, hands on understanding of stage lighting artistry and technology (if applicable – some schools do not allow the children to do this, in that case they would have the opportunity to observe a hang and focus session). Students would also have the opportunity to take apart the various light fixtures at their school, and would be able to relate how they are designed and how they work to the design applications they are used for. By the end of the workshop students will also be able to demonstrate how to write and read cues, how to Stage Manage a show and how to call the cues. In addition, throughout the year students could also take it in turns to be supervised in running the light board and stage managing any productions and/or assemblies that the school would put on (demonstrating and responding to proper etiquette in art settings and performances, and applying a performance process in the arts). Students can create a lighting design of their own (develop, organize, apply and refine a creative process with instructor direction, assistance and independently, also selecting, developing, rehearsing and presenting refined work using a performance process, and evaluating art presentations of self), thus demonstrating that the learning objectives had been met. This could take the form of a composition designed to a piece of music with manikins or models to stand in as dancers, or coincide with a school production such as an assembly, dance workshop, variety show or play (personal feelings and ideas through a variety of forms, using the arts for inspiration and persuasion, and identify how criteria impacts personal decision making). A field trip could be arranged to a local community theatre, for a tour of their stage and lighting system. This could be timed to coincide with a dress rehearsal, so that the students also have the opportunity to observe and critic someone else’s design process and outcome. The learning objective is that students will attempt to analyze evaluate and interpret works of drama using concepts and vocabulary, and analyze theatre and visual arts encountered in daily life. Additional sessions with the students could address architectural lighting specialties. This would give students an opportunity to relate how an interest in lighting design can be turned into a lucrative career outside of the theatre. Students will also be informed of where to go for further education in this field (connections between the arts and other disciplines, understanding and applying the role of art in the world of work.) Lighting can also be integrated into curricula in many ways. In an art class students can be taught to see how painters, photographers and other artists use light in their work. In a technical drafting class teachers can incorporate drafting lighting plots for the stage and or lighting plans for buildings. When studying architecture teachers could incorporate architectural lighting as a part of their lesson plans. The history of lighting is quite fascinating and could be incorporated into history or social sciences lessons about how people once lived. Electrical theory will fit in well within a science curriculum. Figuring out lighting needs for the theatre primarily uses the formula W=VA (watts equals volts times amps), which is an exercise in simple algebra and can be incorporated into classroom math problems. Stage lighting is a discipline that draws from many aspects of the standard curriculum.
Technical theatre also benefits those students who are not succeeding “academically”, who need to find a reason, and passion, to stay in school. They discover a sense of value and gain the inspiration to succeed in school in general by working with dedication in the theatre discipline. A theatre education research study, cited in the Alliance for Theatre and Education’s website states that students involved in theatre production outscored non-arts students in standardized testing and that there was a measurable correlation between involvement in the theatre and academic achievement. In addition, theatre helps to improve school attendance and reduce high school drop out rates. Not only that, but involvement in the theatre builds social and communication skills, and improves self-concept and confidence. I have seen this first hand more times than I can count where technical theatre benefits those students who are not succeeding “academically”, who need to find a reason, and passion, to stay in school. I once had a fifth grade student who was a wiz on the light board – you only had to give him half an instruction and he was off – yet I later discovered he could barely write a full sentence. I’ve seen high school students who come from unfortunate family situations who find personal power in tech theatre. I’ve seen students who were only scraping by in math, science and English totally understand how to design and build a set and communicate the process to others. One student at a school where I worked was barely scraping by in high school. He eventually graduated and in a local newspaper article was quoted as saying that the only thing that had made him want to come to school everyday and do his course work was his involvement in the Drama department. Without that, he would have left school. The list goes on and on. This isn’t just regarding students today, this is a timeless problem. Even in my own high school there were students who were not doing well in school and excelled in technical theatre. For instance, one such high school classmate of mine is now a technician for Cirque du Soleil.
Beth
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Elizabeth Rand
High School Theatre Consultant
Rand Consulting and Design
Woodinville WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-20-2015 11:20
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Benefits of a Technical Theatre Education...research?
This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Advocacy and Open Forum .
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Greetings from sunny Ruskin!
I've found the relevant and persuasive research on how theatre arts education is vital, useful, high SAT scores, etc. blah yadda, but I was trying to find similar facts, figures and/or statistics about the benefits of a quality technical theatre education. I am attempting to write a grant to purchase a costly item that would benefit my teaching praxis and thoroughly enrich my students by giving them a much higher quality technical theatre education. After my first year of teaching tech theatre, I have learned a heck of a lot, but I'm still close to a zero state in terms of overall competence and confidence in teaching it, but I know I want to get better at it and give my students even more opportunities than performance.
So, any research/facts/figures about technical theatre education benefits? I have also tried to contact USITT for some information, but I'd love to hear anything else that anyone has to offer.
Thanks again!
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Phillip Goodchild
Ruskin FL
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