My son, who is a freshman at a small LAC in New England, wants to transfer next year to another LAC that offers a technical theater department, both academically and as an extracurricular activity. Where he is now, they “said” they had a technical theater department, but it turns out they “outsource” their tech work to a firm outside the college. In high school, my son had a tight group of techie theater friends, and he is looking for a college that offers same. Doesn’t matter if it’s east coast or west. Academically, he has a 3.5 GPA, so he’s a good student, just lacking the “social” side where he is. He’s thinking about majoring in history, minoring in theater studies or computer science.
Your son probably already knows all this, but it may be a good read for you…
Also, have another thread which has a whole section in which I describe in decent detail what your son should be looking for in a technical production program and what questions he should be asking. I pasted it below:
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.
I would strongly encourage students tour the facilities of the schools they are interested in. Some things to look for:
How important is the technical program to the school? The answers to the questions below will give you a good idea.
- 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.
- Is there a large tenured or at least tenure-track faculty? What are the real-world credentials of those faculty and staff members?
- 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.
- 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.
- How organized and user-friendly is the school's rehearsal space schedule?
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Thanks so much kyndcookie. That was any extremely helpful post. My son will be finishing up his applications for transfer in the next few weeks, and I am going to show him your suggestions. I really do appreciate your taking the time to share this very helpful information with me. Thanks again for your help.