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Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Dear Abby: What classes would you look for in a BFA stage management program?
« on: Mar 11, 2012, 10:43 pm »
I know the original poster has already submitted their degree plan for consideration, but one class that I have always found helpful (mind you, it's a grad level class at my university) is the studio forum. Every semester the students from each concentration (directing, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, and stage management) put on 5 productions "in studio." Each concentration has their own individual class that meets once a week and discusses issues relevant to their specific concentration. Then everyone meets all together for one hour once a week to discuss each production. For example, we just finished Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck. The initial meeting was for the director to present their concept and theme statement, discuss potential problems and general thoughts. Then, when the production closed there was a postmortem to talk about what we all learned, the problems we ended up having to deal with, what worked and what didn't, etc. This is a great way to get/give feedback as well as actually participate in the mounting of a fully-realized production while having experienced faculty there if you run into problems or have questions.
Another class that I've found useful has been what we call "Visual Conceptions." It's essentially a class on how to have a production meeting that is actually productive. The students are put into a group in which one person acts as the director, one as scenic, one as lighting, one as costume, one as stage manager. The group is given a play and they have to have production meetings during which they discuss concept (director), design ideas, budget, etc. After a week, the group has to present their ideas to the rest of the class. One of the most useful things about this class is that the students rotate their "concentration" with every project. So the directing student might act as the scenic designer one week, and the stage manager the next week. It's a good way to get insight on different approaches to a production.
Another class that I've found useful has been what we call "Visual Conceptions." It's essentially a class on how to have a production meeting that is actually productive. The students are put into a group in which one person acts as the director, one as scenic, one as lighting, one as costume, one as stage manager. The group is given a play and they have to have production meetings during which they discuss concept (director), design ideas, budget, etc. After a week, the group has to present their ideas to the rest of the class. One of the most useful things about this class is that the students rotate their "concentration" with every project. So the directing student might act as the scenic designer one week, and the stage manager the next week. It's a good way to get insight on different approaches to a production.