Production Techniques

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This special version of Production Techniques is specifically designed for the current moment, in which so many in the field are engaging new virtual forms of theatrical practice. It will be co-taught by experienced theatrical practitioners who comprise our production team and bring deep strengths in scenery, lighting, costuming, multimedia/ projections, as well as production management.(Vanessa Gilbert, Dorothy Barnes-Driggers, Toby Clark, Bethany Taylor, Alberto Segarra). Each of these instructors will take the lead on individual units in their areas of specialization. In addition to units that develop skills in these areas, it will engage a range of issues that currently impact the field around labor regulations, and the ethics and politics of industry practices as they relate to equity, labor practices etc. Technical Production refers to a variety of theatrical disciplines that work in concert to support directors, designers, and actors to create the physical world of the play and enhance the audience’s experience of a production. Theatre production professionals combine the knowledge of materials and techniques with the skills to communicate meaning through line, shape, pattern, light, and sound. In this moment of performance of all types moving online, Technical Production considerations have essential impact on the success of a digital show. Using core texts on stagecraft and drawing on experiences of seasoned professionals, students will learn the methods that transform designers’ ideas into tangible objects on stage and online. Skills that students will acquire in the course will include, but are not limited to: communicating with specialized vocabulary and language of theatrical production; operating tools in the scene shop, costume shop, and in the backstage space; learning the properties of materials commonly used in theater; translating renderings, schematics, spreadsheets, diagrams, and sketches into three-dimensional objects; . Most importantly, however, students will learn to identify challenges, communicate ideas, and troubleshoot solutions.