Heather Drastal

Seminar—Year

EDUC 7593

Theatre enables students to embrace their own creative impulses and work collaboratively–building empathy, confidence, communication, and analytical skills. This course will be an exploration of the fundamentals of theatre education. Undergraduate theatre students and graduate education students will work collaboratively to develop strategies for facilitating creative work with young people and structuring curriculum in order to become effective teaching artists. The coursework will investigate child development, classroom management, leadership strategies, inclusive learning practices, and pedagogical theories and practice related to theatre education. We will identify methods of integrating artistic practice into traditional classroom culture and explore strategies for approaching traditional academic subjects using theatre as a learning tool. As an essential element of the course, students will design curriculum and lead weekly theatre workshops during the Lunchbox Theatre outreach program serving local youth. Providing a unique bridge between theory and practice, the Lunchbox laboratory will allow teaching artists to gain field experience in facilitation, curriculum development, and ensemble-building across age groups and contexts. Through reflection and analysis with their peers, education students will have the opportunity to refine their teaching practice in real-time and expand their classroom toolkit; theatre students can use their own artistic practice as a grounding for their work in the classroom, translating that practice into activities that allow participants to delve deeper into the artform.

Faculty

Heather Drastal

Open, Component—Year

THEA 5646

Production managers bridge the gap between artistic and logistic elements of production. Production managers must be problem solvers, big picture thinkers, and well-versed in all aspects of theatre—blending technical, artistic and managerial skills. This course will be a study of theatre management with an emphasis on real-world applications to production management concepts. Students will develop an understanding of the relationships between the creative, administrative, and production departments of a theatre company, and how these function collectively to achieve common organizational and artistic goals. Through project-based activities, production management students will develop a working knowledge of the artistic and managerial elements of a theatre company, and how these function together to deliver a cohesive season. Students will engage in dialogue with innovators in the field and analyze real-world applications of production management concepts. A theatre management practicum will be embedded in the course curriculum—all students will be assigned as a student production manager for a SLC Theatre production.

Faculty

Heather Drastal

Open, Component—Year

THEA 5745

Stage management is a practice grounded in supporting communication across all departments. A stage manager acts as a liaison between all members of the company—cast, director, designers, producers, and technical crew. Stage managers also support the director and company by helping to set the tone of the room; they establish clear and specific expectations, develop and implement systems to help move the process forward, and manage all technical elements throughout the process. A good stage manager is flexible and exhibits transparency and empathy as they hold space for everyone, curating a culture of trust and professionalism through their work. This course will explore the basic techniques and skills of stage management via the five stages of production: preproduction, rehearsals, tech, performance, and close/strike. Students will practice script analysis and develop systems for rehearsal/performance organization and the maintenance and running of a production. A theatre-management practicum will be embedded in the course curriculum—all students will be assigned as a stage manager or assistant stage manager for an SLC Theatre production.

Faculty

Heather Drastal

Open, Component—Year

THEA 5640

Theatrical producers are responsible for understanding both the creative and administrative aspects of theatre. A good producer is tasked with upholding the artistic goals of the creative team as well as the logistic and budgetary needs of a project, balancing all of these to create and maintain a successful and financially viable production.

This will be a workshop-based class. Students will study tiers of producing, including non-profit and commercial models, and will work to develop and implement projects integrating the rich and diverse production groups on campus and in the wider campus community. As a class, students will curate and manage the SLC Theatre Festival Weekend programming based on the goal of creating connections across disciplines, supporting student organizations, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration across the college—offering partnering organizations community, space, publicity, organizational support, and the opportunity to expand and intermingle their audiences. Using the foundation of existing models and programming, students will develop partnerships between the theatre program, DownStage, independent student groups, and other academic programs on campus, as well as campus civic engagement and advocacy groups. Students will work as liaisons between these entities, curating programming that amplifies and connects the groups and creating distinct, cohesive production experiences for the theatre program and campus community.

The course will also incorporate trips to New York City, including practical opportunities to act as producing partners at high-profile theatres and organizations, a visit to a general management/production firm, as well as a potential production viewing.

Faculty

Heather Drastal