Qestions about stage management and technical production?

College Majors Theater/Drama Majors
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<p>AEA = Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. All Broadway, off-Broadway and most regional theatres have an agreement with AEA to use union members (or a specified ratio) in their productions.</p>

<p>LORT = League of Resident Theatres. Regional theatres as well as a very few non-profit Broadway companies are members of this group. As a group, LORT negotiates a blanket contract with AEA. Depending on capacity and potential revenue a LORT theatre is assigned a letter grade (A is largest, D is smallest). The resulting contract is called a LORT B, LORT C, etc. contract.Some companies have multiple theatres in their complex, and could have multiple contracts depending again on the size of that venue.</p>

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<p>Technical production is the process in which a show’s technical parts are assembled. The set and props gets built. The lighting gets pulled from inventory and installed. The audio rig is assembled and installed. Video gear is installed if needed. Costumes are constructed and fittings take place. All the technical paperwork is being assembled between the stage managers and technical department heads in anticipation of tech, where the actors meet the physical production for the first time on stage.</p>

<p>Design is just that: Design. Designers collaborate with the show’s director and other designers to develop a cohesive design statement which furthers the director’s artistic intent. For the most part designers don’t build their own designs. The producing theatre company does that.</p>

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<p>A question about what to put in portfolios and resumes if you would.
I go to a high school where the theatre brings in load ins every once in a while and the city ballet performs there every year and such. Because of this the 2nd year and up (the Advanced class) makes up the support staff and employees for those shows. so for the shows that come in, such as the dance recitals, that are paid and attached to company (the BPAC) which is separate from the school, would those take precedence over the school productions? All of my prompt books come from the school productions but I am also looking at internships during the summer to gain experience.
Does the specification between the school productions and the BPAC work matter to those reviewing my application? since neither the school or company are big names? </p>

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<p>Hi,
I have a few questions:
Firstly, just out of curiosity how did you transition from (for lack of a better word) theatre-theatre to corporate theatre? Corporate theatre is a great option for theatre technicians, I’m just wondering how you got to that point. </p>

<p>Secondly, do you feel like it is necessary to pick one field in technical theatre? I am interested in both lighting design and stage management. Because of how the technical staffing at my high school theatre works, I will have many more opportunities to do lighting design than stage manage. On the other hand, I have being doing ASM and stage managerial stuff for a longer time than lighting. So far, I like both equally, and right now picking between the two would be both a hard choice and a very impractical one. </p>

<p>What skills do you recommend going into college with? Currently I am a decent electrician and carpenter (though its been a while since I’ve truly been on build crew, so I’m a little out of practice). I like to think I’m a good designer (my lighting design won second place at California State Thespian Festival) and I am a good spot op. </p>

<p>What do you know about Yale’s undergraduate theatre program? I really like the school itself, but I’ve heard that it has a much better graduate program than an undergrad one. Since you went to the grad school, I am hoping you have a more informed opinion.</p>

<p>Do you think it matters very much how “known” your high school is for theatre? I don’t feel like my high school is known for its theatre program, but when we (meaning the technicians) go to CA Thespian Festival, we have a tendency to win (a lot. Last year, we won the video competition and our two sound designers tied for first place in the sound design competition and I won second place in lighting to my lighting teacher. Historically, we’ve done well technically, but this year we really swept the board). Actually, you might find it interesting that we have no set technical theatre teacher, and the entire course is pretty much student run. We end up running all the school events in the theatre. Our theatre is the oldest high school theatre in California (built in 1918) and it has many many many issues, so the technicians at my school are all really good at troubleshooting. We somehow learn our jobs very well for a public school, and a lot of our techs go on to do technical stuff professionally. Its really cool, but its not very known for it. </p>

<p>On a related note, how much do you think acknowledgement or a win at the CA Thespian Festival (part of the international thespian society) would help? </p>

<p>…I think I’ve run out of questions… So. um. Thank you for reading and (hopefully) answering! </p>

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<p>Oh. One more question. How do you recommend putting together a portfolio? I have a binder with stuff from the shows I’ve worked on; is it necessary to make it really aesthetically pleasing? What do you recommend including in it?</p>

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<p>Hi Hidden and Saffiria:</p>

<p>There are several threads on the subject of tech theater portfolios on this forum. You may want to search them, but here are the basics. </p>

<p>The first thing you need to do is check the college requirements. For example, some schools want to see fine art pieces, others don’t, and they are pretty specific about it. For this reason, it makes sense to have a modular portfolio so that you can present different pages to different colleges. </p>

<p>Second, most colleges are looking for potential, rather than finished accomplishments. So experience with a professional company is a plus, Hidden, not because of the company’s prestige (or lack of it), but because you have been able to adapt to a second set of expectations and protocols. By the same token, Saffiria, your book should be aesthetically pleasing because the look of it reflects your design sense as much as the contents.</p>

<p>Third, your portfolio is a vehicle for a presentation you are making about yourself. So when deciding what to put in it, think about what you want to emphasize about yourself as a potential student. </p>