BA, BS (with Honors), C. W. Post Long Island University. MA, New York University. Drastal served as general manager for LIU Post Theatre Company since 2005, where she oversaw all aspects of production and supervised management students. She recently managed international productions of Thou Art Thou (IUTA-Manizales, Colombia), Conditions of Love (Edinburgh International Fringe Festival), and Re-Membering Antigone, (winner of five national awards at the 2012 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, touring to Woodstock Playhouse and The International Theatre Festival in Montreal, Canada). She also managed Third Child: Orestes Revisited at the New York International Fringe Festival (as well the IUTA Conference in Urbino, Italy, and The Prague International Fringe Festival). As education director for several New York City-based classical theatre companies—including LITC: Classics On Tour, The American Globe Theatre, and The National Shakespeare Company—Drastal structured programming, trained and mentored teaching artists, and developed and managed touring performances and workshops. She has worked as a teaching artist, theatre teacher, actor, stage manager, technician, and group life counselor for at-risk teenage girls. She has presented workshops on new techniques for teaching Shakespeare at Stage The Change, NYSTEA (New York University) and Balanced Mind and has been a guest lecturer at both Brooklyn College and LIU Post. As coordinator for the Institute for Arts & Culture at LIU, she worked to establish a satellite of Lincoln Center’s Institute for Aesthetic Education on Long Island. he holds a BA Education and BS in Theatre (with Honors) from C.W. Post Long Island University, and MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. Drastal has served as a mentor for high-school theatre students through the NYCDOE and is New York State-certified to teach both English and theatre to grades K-12. SLC, 2022-
Undergraduate Courses 2024-2025
Theatre
Production Management
Open, Component—Year
THEA 5646
Production managers bridge the gap between artistic and logistic elements of production. They must be problem solvers, big-picture thinkers, and well-versed in all aspects of theatre—blending technical, artistic, and managerial skills. This course is a study of theatre management with an emphasis on real-world applications to production-management concepts. Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among the creative, administrative, and production departments of a theatre company and how these funtion 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. They will dialogue with innovators in the field and analyze real-world applications of production-management concepts. A theatre management practicum is embedded in the course curriculum; all students will be assigned as a student production manager for an SLC theatre production.
Faculty
Stage Management
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—the 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. Good stage managers are flexible and exhibit transparency and empathy, as they hold space for everyone and curate 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 is embedded in the course curriculum; all students will be assigned as a stage manager or assistant stage manager for an SLC theatre production.
Faculty
Theatrical Producing
Open, Component—Year
THEA 5640
Theatrical producers are responsible for understanding both the creative and the 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, and balancing all of these to create and maintain a successful and financially viable production. With an emphasis on practicum work, students will study tiers of producing—including nonprofit and commercial models—and will work to develop and implement projects integrating the rich and diverse production groups both on campus and in the wider campus community. Using the foundation of existing models and programming, students will develop partnerships between the SLC theatre program, DownStage, independent student groups, 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 include a trip to New York City to a general management/production firm, as well as a possible trip to see a production in New York City outside of course hours.
Faculty
Graduate Courses 2023-2024
MFA Theatre
Production Management
Component—Year
Production managers bridge the gap between artistic and logistic elements of production. They must be problem solvers, big-picture thinkers, and well-versed in all aspects of theatre—blending technical, artistic, and managerial skills. This course is 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 and among the creative, administrative, and production departments of a theatre company and how these funtion collectively to achive 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 dialogue with innovators in the field and analyze real-world applications of production-management concepts. A theatre-management practicum is embedded in the course curriculum; all students will be assigned as a student production manager for an SLC Theatre production.
Faculty
Stage Management
Component—Year
Stage management is a practice grounded in supporting communication across all departments. A stage manager acts as a liaison between and among all members of the company—the 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. Good stage managers are flexible and exhibit 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 is embedded in the course curriculum; all students will be assigned as a stage manager or assistant stage manager for an SLC Theatre production.
Faculty
Previous Courses
Theatre
Stage Management
Open, Component—Year
Stage management is a practice grounded in supporting communication across all departments. A stage manager acts as a liaison between and among all members of the company—the 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. Good stage managers are flexible and exhibit 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 is embedded in the course curriculum; all students will be assigned as a stage manager or assistant stage manager for an SLC Theatre production.