Qestions about stage management and technical production?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>There was a recent and on-going thread about the need for technical students to pursue a degree. This sort of veered off into a thread about stage management training. Since many readers may not be engaged by that thread specifically, I thought I would start a new thread to address questions about technical production, with an emphasis on stage management. </p>

<p>For those interested, the original thread may be found here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1508963-does-college-really-matter-tech-majors.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1508963-does-college-really-matter-tech-majors.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>For those interested in asking about or discussing stage management, I would encourage you to ask about it here.</p>

<p>A little about my background. I am an AEA stage manager, and have been for 16 years. I attended the University of Kentucky and have a BFA in technical theatre, graduating in 1995. I interned at Seattle Repertory Theatre 1995-1996 during Daniel Sullivan's tenure as Artistic Director. From there, I took Bill Irwin's "Scapin" from SRT to the Roundabout Theatre in New York, where I earned my Equity card. My SM mentor furthered my career by engaging me on other Roundabout productions, including the 1998 Tony Award winning revival of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge". After 9/11 I was forced to leave NYC, as theatre jobs were difficult to come by. I took up a position at SMU in Dallas as resident PSM and stage management faculty. I left Dallas in 2003 to get my MFA in stage management from the Yale School of Drama, where I graduated in 2006. I currently serve as a technical producer of major corporate events for a company (ironically) based in Dallas. I have lived and worked all over the country, seemingly corner to corner. </p>

<p>I guess it's a holdover from my time teaching at SMU, but I have a strong desire to guide aspiring stage managers and technical theatre majors. I have seen many young people leave theatre completely, disappointed because they did not find the job of their dreams after graduation. I don't blame their training. So much success in the world of production is dependent on a student's desire and ability to put themselves in a place to be noticed by others who can help their career. I feel like this could be improved by employing a little strategic positioning in the early portion of their undergrad experience. </p>

<p>I've worked with hundreds of stagehands, producers, designers, directors and actors. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the what it's like to be a student, teacher and professional practitioner. I won't claim to have insight on everything, but I know a lot about what I do know. </p>

<p>What I've learned from reading this forum for the last few months is that most students are not technical, rather actors/directors/designers. There are lots of people here with firsthand knowledge of programs and practices for those areas. Stage management is a curious and often misunderstood function of the performing arts, varying greatly between the disciplines of dance, theatre and opera. As such it's difficult to find a resource for real-world information regarding the profession. If you're so inclined, ask away...</p>

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<p>I’m still around if anyone has questions. I’ve met some very nice people on this forum so far. PMs are encouraged if you don’t feel comfortable asking questions publicly.</p>

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<p>This is wonderful of you to offer Kyndcookie and how I wish you were on here a year ago, LOL. My DC enters college this fall, and the interviews and portfolio reviews are in the rearview… for now. It was terrific preparation for the professional gigs to come and he had many wonderful choices. But I shuttled around these threads searching for designers, and it was pretty lonely out there among all the fabulous actors, singers , and dancers :-). I know you’ll be an amazing resource for this year’s crop of designers and technicians and I hope they find you and make great use of your expertise!</p>

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<p>There isn’t much direction out there for students who lean more towards the technical than the design area. Thank you for offering to answer questions. Are there specific schools you recommend or specific programs to look for? The sheer number of programs get confusing- some BFAs in Tech/Design seem heavy on the design and not so much the tech. Also can a student interested in Tech get anything from a BA program?</p>

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<p>Fordham has an excellent design and production track within their BA theatre program. It’s great for students who also want a rigorous liberal arts education and I would say the emphasis is more on tech than design
because there simply isn’t the time available to focus on design skills since there are a significant number of general education requirements. This will likely be the challenge in most BA programs and non-conservatory styled programs. University of Maryland is another program that comes to mind, and that one does have a tech track and is also non-auditioned. </p>

<p>Design is likely to receive greater attention in programs where students are already coming in with mastery of at least basic tech skills and where the time “in studio” enables more time for design. Not all students enter BFA programs with mad tech skills, but I would venture to say that most have a fairly good portfolio to begin with. These programs are usually known as Design and Production, and so you might include that phrase in your research. Some BA programs will be by audition/interview (like Fordham, and so you will need a portfolio to present), and others will not be. You might look into Temple also, and perhaps Muhlenberg. I think both are non-auditioned which would possibly be preferable if someone is coming in with passion but possibly not much work experience yet. </p>

<p>If you are looking to primarily develop your tech skills, you may want to also begin working on school productions and volunteering for community theatre work and that would help provide some foundation for the design elements of a university program.</p>

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<p>I’ve mentioned this other posts, but I am probably not the best resource for specific schools and programs. There are many parents and students here who have a much greater knowledge of current curriculum, programming and admission trends than I. My area of expertise is primarily overall career guidance for technical production students and stage managers. Since it seems the bulk of the posts come from the perspective of actors, directors and other creative/performing areas, I offer a viewpoint from the technical production side of the world. </p>

<p>I would strongly encourage students tour the facilities of the schools they are interested in. Some things to look for:</p>

<p>How important is the technical program to the school? The answers to the questions below will give you a good idea. </p>

<ul>
<li><p>How well funded is the overall program? Obviously, some schools value their performing arts programs more than others. Good intentions are fine, if a school cannot realistically support a program with a high overhead cost like technical production then the student is ultimately going to lose out. Poorly funded programs should be an instant pass, in my opinion.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a large tenured or at least tenure-track faculty? What are the real-world credentials of those faculty and staff members? </p></li>
<li><p>What is the overall attitude of those faculty and staff? If you’re smart, you can read between the lines and get a feel for the level of competency, dedication to the program, and general professionalism. Students learn what is and is not acceptable professional behavior directly from the Production Manager, Technical Director and their assigned department heads. If their attitude sucks, so will theirs. This is no minor thing. Jaded, surly stagehands do not make good role models.</p></li>
<li><p>What is the condition of the school’s physical plant? Are the rehearsal/performance spaces well kept, clean and fully functional? Does the shop have separate carpentry, welding and paint areas? Is there a spray booth in the paint shop? Does the prop department have its own area? What is the condition of the prop storage area? I’ve been to schools that were considered top-tier and been turned off by their lack of decent facilities. Actors can rehearse anywhere, but technical students who work in sub-par shops/theatres are missing out on the opportunity to excel in their craft.</p></li>
<li><p>How organized and user-friendly is the school’s rehearsal space schedule?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there office space provided for stage management? Printers? Internet access? Is there a call-in or other messaging system of some type to communicate daily rehearsal and costume fitting schedules? Technology is the friend of the SM. Schools who support that sort of professional infrastructure usually support their stage managers.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a dedicated stage management faculty position? I don’t mean a TD or production manager who also teaches stage management. What are the qualifications of the resident stage manager? Is stage management class a requirement for all students? </p></li>
<li><p>How ambitious are the program’s technical productions? Motion control and automation are standard fare for professional theatre, and technical students should be learning the construction and operation of turntables, wagons, winch systems and rigging early on. Robotics and radio control are popular in the world of props. Moving lights are becoming more prevalent in colleges. Being able to program both conventional and moving lights are a professional must. Installing, addressing, trouble shooting movers as well as newer LED lighting fixtures is the way of the future. What kind of recording facilities does the school give to its audio and sound design departments? Do they have Pro Tools, Sound Forge and Sport Tracks or other workstations? How are audio cues run during productions? Everything is hard drive based these days. Playing clips back off of iTunes might work, but it’s not how professionals do it. </p></li>
<li><p>Finally, there is a movement in design and technical production known as “convergence”. It’s a design concept which combines scenic, lighting and projection to produce truly 21st century theatre. If you’ve ever seen Dancing with the Stars, The Voice or American Idol you’ve seen it in action. Projection and lighting become scenery. This has been embraced to the point that Yale School of Drama now has a video design MFA. It’s not a fad. If you find a school with a commitment to serious video design, it’s a good thing for sure.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>I’m sure there’s more to add to this list. To be clear, I don’t think many (if any) school will be able to fully fulfill all of the above. There are a lot of grad programs out there who can’t satisfy all of the above, either. However, I would think any prospective student who asks these questions will find out very quickly how progressive the program is. It might make some faculty a little uneasy to answer these questions, as it highlights all of the potential shortcomings of their program. The schools who are up front with their answers and value the fact that you asked the questions in the first place are the ones you want to seriously consider.</p>

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<p>This is much more useful than a list of random schools! Thank you so much for the advice!</p>

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<p>This is very helpful. My son is a junior and interested in design/ tech and we are starting to look at schools. Thank you and I am sure I will have more questions as we go through this process.</p>

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<p>Happy to help as needed. While your son is deciding between design and technical production, I encourage him to read up and become thoroughly versed in basic technical theatre. A great resource for this is a book written by my old friend John Holloway.</p>

<p>[Illustrated</a> Theatre Production Guide: John Ramsey Holloway, John Holloway: 9780240812045: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Theatre-Production-Ramsey-Holloway/dp/0240812042/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_4]Illustrated”>http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Theatre-Production-Ramsey-Holloway/dp/0240812042/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_4)</p>

<p>I also highly encourage anyone interested in a career in design or production to join USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. They have memberships for students and professionals.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usitt.org/[/url]”>http://www.usitt.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Oh hello hello HELLO!!! HELLO!! I am so glad to see you here, kyndcookie! I was very active on these boards (and SO grateful, so very grateful, for all the wise and wonderful kindness and support - and I have made some wonderful friends here!) when we were going through the process for my daughter to find an MT program. Her journey was full of ironies and plot twists, as in there were a lot of things that despite tons of planning, turned out differently than what we thought they would, and things we picked because we thought they were one way turned out to be different than what we thought, only then it turned out that different turned out to be better than what would have planned anyway…so I think it’s all good) Basically, though she’s got a lot of sparkle on stage and strong dance skills and a sweet voice, she also always had this design thing going on (won first place in the state at UIL for Costume Design both her junior and senior year, honorable mention as a sophomore - which is hard to ignore that kind of promise) and we did investigate the design programs as well as the possibility of double majors (hard to find BTW and the school we liked best which would let her, was not a financial possibility, alas). Because of a number of bizarre things including a bout with severe mono during a crucial visit/audition weekend, she ended up picking one of the first schools we ever visited before we even knew about this whole world of MT and auditioning, which was St Edwards, and they had a brand new MT program and they gave the best financial aid offer to her plus it’s an equity program with a good reputation. But we hadn’t auditioned there and hadn’t talked to anyone about design. (at the time, the auditions were for scholarship money, but they accepted all students into a very major heavy BA program that we liked…it has since changed. But the funny part is after all the painstaking research and audition coaching and SPREADSHEETS we pick a school that we could have just gone with from the start…only, I don’t regret the process at all, it was worth far more than it cost us in what we learned.)</p>

<p>Then the MT program sort of dissolved (and I bet you know more about it than I do if you are part of the Texas theater community, lol) and her design professors found out about her UIL wins (which she had not told anyone. Okay so I told them actually…shhhh don’t tell my D that) and said YOU BELONG TO US NOW. And while I get really misty eyed about how seeing her so happy on stage is not going to happen, I think she’s in the right place. And what she loves about theater has always been every aspect of it, backstage as well, not just performing. She loves to perform but she’s always loved even just going to our local community college and volunteering on set painting days. And who knows, she might audition for something someday and be one of those people who just fits a part, though she feels that after seeing the incredible training that she’s not getting that the acting kids are getting, that she doesn’t really ever stand a chance.</p>

<p>Anyway! Let’s talk! I’m so excited!!! Even if you are primarily more tech than design, I’m sure you have valuable knowledge and insight to add to design discussions here.</p>

<p>I’m really glad I decided to swing by the ol’ boards and say hello here because I’m so excited to maybe pick your brain a bit!! </p>

<p>I haven’t been on this board much because I started working full time to help pay college bills and also, there wasn’t ever really much design and certainly hardly any technical stuff here so there wasn’t much I could help anyone with, and wasn’t much help anyone could give me. I would love for more tech parents and kids to join in the conversation, because after all the wonderful wonderful camaraderie of the acting and MT people, I miss having that! (everyone is still just as wonderful, but there’s not much in the way of audition and coaching help that I can give anyone now or need…)</p>

<p>My daughter is a member of USITT and it’s fantastic. (though she sure did like Long Beach better than Milwaukee, I gotta say) We are SO EXCITED that it’s a bit closer to home this year, sure will save on travel costs!</p>

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<p>PS Since you went to Yale then maybe you know one of my daughter’s professors? I don’t know what year she went but her MFA is from Yale…</p>

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<p>I’m glad your daughter has found another path. There can be fluidity to choosing an area of specialty in a highly collaborative artform like theatre. Not everyone needs to be on stage to feel satisfied with their contribution. </p>

<p>As for Texas theatre, I try to keep my nose out of the politics these days. I’ve been gone long enough that the people I ticked off while I was active have moved on. The rest are friends I see once in a blue moon. I like being able to go to shows these days and not know all the backstory. That said, I am still pretty critical of poorly designed and called shows. Once a stage manager, always a stage manager, I suppose…</p>

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<p>Hi Kyndcookie thanks for making this thread.</p>

<p>I am a high school student who is currently pondering his post high school plans.
In theatre I am typically involved in my shows somehow, usually on stage acting but I have been the stage manager and it is so much fun, I’ve also done production management as well.
I want a education in theatre at college or university that would prepare me to have a career in theatre of any kind: acting, manager, producer etc. I feel getting a degree in specially SM or pure Acting is making my chances for finding a good job after school to be very slim. Is getting a broad just “Theatre” BA a good choice for me? I don’t just want to take a ton of theatre appreciation classes, I like to be involved in the real stuff. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Hi ParachuteBoy - First, theatre is a collaborative performing art. Some people are compelled to perform and design. Some love and appreciate the artform, but are maybe more pragmatic about their ability to support themselves. Personally, I fall into the latter group. I would suggest you think about it for a while and decide for yourself which direction you prefer to go. If you want to be successful at acting, you shouldn’t mess around with design, and vice versa. </p>

<p>In my opinion a BA is better for people who want to be theatre generalists who would prefer to teach or pursue dramaturgy/criticism and possibly theatre management. Some people may have a real problem with my position on this, but those who want to have a career on the performance/production side of things need to specialize, and early on. For this, a BFA is the best choice. </p>

<p>Make sure you read the linked thread in my original post for my thoughts on student stage managers. If you want to pursue SMing as a career, be prepared to dive in all the way as early as possible. Likewise for technical production. The days of people who can’t act deciding to settle for being a “techie” are done, and have been for a long time. Technical specialists have a vastly greater capacity to find work, and that work will most likely pay much better than their acting brethren. As a technical producer in the world of corporate theatre I make about the same money as a Broadway SM and twice what I made as an AEA stage manager at the regional theatre level. I always encourage young people to pursue technical theatre if they have the aptitude for the work and aren’t averse to breaking a sweat while on the job.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>…and… not that it’s popped up in this thread, but technical specialists hate being called “techies”. Stagehand is a more appropriate generic term, if you need to use it.</p>

<p>Just thought I would drop that on everyone…</p>

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<p>Dang, I’ve always called them “techies” . . .</p>

<p>I don’t think Parachute Boy is going to have too much trouble finding work if he takes a degree with a specialization in “Stage Management”. In small theatres, Assistant Stage Managers end up doing EVERYTHING. Employers seem to think that a degree with a specialization means that you have the basic stuff and then the specific knowledge on top of that. Usually people with just a plain-or-vanilla “Theatre” degree are assumed to be actors.</p>

<p>People in theatre switch round from one job to the other all the time. Pick the job that most interests you now, make that your specialty. You can always switch to something else later.</p>

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<p>Do you think having a BFA in theatre is a good route? I think my biggest concern is being able to get a job.</p>

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<p>In my opinion, a BFA “looks” better than a BA in most instances. That said, it’s not the most important thing a company looks for by any stretch. </p>

<p>Since you are in high school you are in a prime position to direct your career starting now. Getting a job is all about experience. The higher level the experience, the better your resume looks. The better your resume looks, the more likely a production manager will be to pick up the phone and call you for an interview.</p>

<p>As an early career practitioner, I suggest you start at the top. What I mean by that is you want to be exposed to the highest level of production value possible. As I said earlier, you need to find the biggest, most professional company you can easily travel to. Once you determine which company that is, find a way - any way - to make yourself useful to them. Being an unpaid PA at Steppenwolf is going to look way better than a production stage manager for your neighborhood community theatre. PSM might get someone’s attention, but I guarantee the word “Steppenwolf” will get everyone’s attention every time.</p>

<p>The only reason I’m here on this forum is to make sure bright, talented young people don’t make the mistake of aiming low and missing out on great opportunities. No one was around to point me in the right direction when I was your age. Luckily, I had the determination and good fortune to make very wise decisions for myself even if I didn’t know it at the time. I didn’t even become a theatre major until my sophomore year in undergrad. By the end of my junior year I had secured a full-season SM internship at Seattle Repertory Theatre, which was probably the hottest company in America at the time and I didn’t even know it. Long story short, that internship literally MADE my career. I’m not the smartest guy on the block, nor most likely the best SM you’ll find, but I put myself in the right place at the right time. You will hear that over and over again by successful professionals. </p>

<p>BFAs just show you have specific training above and beyond a BA generalist. In the end, BA or BFA really doesn’t matter to technical production majors when it comes to what’s on paper and getting someone’s attention. It’s all about your experience, personality, attitude and work ethic. If I were in your position I’d choose what you like to do best, get into a BFA program to specialize in that area, fight for a very high level internship, find a high end mentor and let your life unfold before you. It’s not impossible. Indeed, it’s quite likely if you have the basic people skills, diplomacy, eloquence, maturity and finally technical ability.</p>

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<p>Some schools (such as the one where my daughter is attending, which is why I say this) may not offer a BFA in every or even any specialization - but - if an employer is familiar with the reputation of the school, and if the reputation of the school is deservedly good, I think (I HOPE! - but I have also been told this is the case by others knowlegdable in the field) that the difference between a BFA and a BA is pretty minimal. Not all BA’s are the same. When we looked at St Edward’s, at the time they did not even have a BFA, but their BA is more like 50/50 or higher major vs general ed courses, as opposed to one third major vs gen ed as some BA’s are. Depending on the student, as I said, it can be more, as in my D’s case as she had two semesters of basic course credits going in as a freshman, which freed up some credits much sooner for more courses in her specialty. She declared it at the end of her freshman year and as a junior she now has only a couple of core liberal arts courses left. Which, at this particular private liberal arts school, are required courses that even the BFA’s are going to have to take too. So she’s getting the same intensity as far as her coursework as the BFA’s are. This school just started up a BFA option but only in acting; there is not a BFA option for tech or design. But this school is one of less than a handful of schools which have an equity program for undergrads, and while the equity card is for actors and stage managers and not design or tech, from what I have been told, employers know that the very high professional standards and expectations under which the theatre operates applies to everyone so the lighting and sound and design students are getting the same benefit, experience wise, even if they won’t be getting hours towards Equity. My d is getting experience dressing Equity actors and the theatre is a tightly run ship, and the productions have a deserved reputation for extremely high standards. </p>

<p>So I think you need to take all things into consideration and in context. All things being equal, I think a BFA is better than a BA for some things - but all things are not always equal, and when you get down to individual circumstances, they vary even more. As the financial aid package for her at this school was generous enough that we were able to budget getting her through with NO loans, on top of the fact that the quality of the education was very good, we thought that not having the burden of a loan would open a lot of doors for her that might simply not be financially possible even if they were offered to her later.</p>

<p>Some things you really never can know till you get there. We didn’t know she would switch her concentration, and we didn’t know how WONDERFUL her design professors were and how enthusiastically they would invest themselves and the school’s resources into her education and experiences. I guess we kind of got lucky.</p>

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<p>Actually I had a few more thoughts expanding on ba/bfa. I touched on this above but I want to look a bit more at what the school’s offerings are. Actually, our number one choice after all the visits and audition days, turned out to be a private liberal arts college that only offers a BA but it was SUCH an awesome program with ALL the things on “the list” of stuff that everyone suggests you look into - everything, with guests like Sutton Foster! - and the caliber of the students we met and so forth - the only reason we did not pick it, was that the general academic standards of the school were at or slightly above my daughter’s credentials, rather than at or slightly below, so that the financial aid package was not horrible but not great, and it was an expensive school. I still think that she ended up in a great place for her, as I said earlier, but I wouldn’t hesitate to put a BA from that program on the same par with a good BFA from another program. But there is no BFA at that school (though that might change in the future as their BA program is almost exactly like many BFA’s) so I think that makes it vastly different than getting a BA at a school which does offer a BFA in the same specialty. In fact, D and I decided pretty early on, that we would not be accepting any offers along the lines of “We can’t offer you a spot in our prestigious capped auditioned BFA program but you and your money are welcome to tag along in the BA!” …yeah, no thanks.</p>