Course Syllabus

THEA 1513 Stagecraft

Course Description

Stagecraft is a Fine Arts general education course that introduces students from all majors to the practical skills and creative decisions involved in theatrical production. Through study and practice in traditional and emerging theatre arts, students explore how technical choices support storytelling and shape an audience’s experience. Students develop an understanding of safe working practices, technical methods, and collaborative problem-solving. Areas of study may include scenic construction and painting, properties, costumes, lighting, sound, projection, and stage management. No prior theatre or technical experience is required.

Justification

This course is offered by most theatre departments in the state for lower-division credit. This course fills a lower division core for theatre majors wishing to transfer to a four-year institution. It also responds to the unique need of the Snow College Theatre Department to have student help in producing each year's theatrical season. Students will focus on the dynamics of the creative process of developing scenic elements for live theatre -- a process that includes a lifetime sensibility to disciplines both in and out of theatre. Students are expected to develop an understanding of conceptual and elemental principles fundamental to the creation of various forms of artistic expression -- especially in sound, lighting, scenic construction, and stage properties. Students will develop improved ability to critically analyze artistic works using appropriate techniques, vocabulary and methodologies.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. Through study and practice in traditional and emerging theatre arts, students will learn how practical and artistic choices help communicate stories and ideas. They will develop an understanding of how materials, technology, and historical context inform theatrical work. This knowledge will support informed participation in the arts as collaborators and audience members.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students will learn to interpret written, visual, and technical information relevant to theatrical production. They will develop the ability to identify useful and credible sources and understand how research informs practical and artistic decisions. Sources may include scripts, drawings, historical references, technical instructions, and other production materials.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students will learn how stagecraft connects artistic ideas with practical knowledge from other fields. These connections may involve visual art, historical research, mathematics, technology, or basic physical principles. Students will gain an understanding of how artistic intention, practical constraints, and available resources inform decisions within a collaborative production.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students will learn to identify production needs, consider possible approaches, and explain the reasoning behind their choices. They will develop an understanding of how observation, experimentation, and feedback contribute to problem-solving and revision. Students will also learn to support their interpretations of theatrical work with relevant observations.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will engage in the creative process and develop an appreciation of theatrical technology and the building of a theatrical production. In addition, they will learn creative collaboration skills as they engage with their fellow student practioners practically and theoretically. Students will engage in the creative process and develop an appreciation of theatrical technology and the building of a theatrical production. In addition, they will learn creative collaboration skills as they engage with their fellow student practioners practically and theoretically.
2. APPRECIATE: Apply artistic concepts and ideas drawn from traditions of artistic creation and theory to better engage with, analyze and understand a creative work. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how current theatrical design and construction practices fit within the overall historical and cultural framework of theatrical development. They will discover creative solutions to creative problems as their studies transition to practical skills.
3. CONNECT: Examine connections between art and society and articulate how the arts are a historical and cultural phenomenon.  Students will show improved understanding of how various methods of technical theatre help audience members grasp the thematic and conceptual messages intended by both the director and the playwright. Students will demonstrate artistic construction methods and techniques and develop their individual artistic expression.

Course Content

The course combines study and practical application of theatrical production methods with artistic interpretation and critical response. Safe working practices, clear communication, and creative collaboration provide a shared foundation throughout the course.Content may draw from traditional stagecraft practices and emerging technologies. The selection, sequence, and depth of topics may vary according to instructional goals, available resources, and production opportunities while supporting the course’s learning outcomes.Areas of study may include but are not limited to:Shop and stage practices: safety, terminology, tools, materials, and workspace organization.Scenic construction and painting: measurement, drawings, fabrication, surface treatment, and visual principles.Stage management and rigging: production roles, backstage organization, communication, and introductory systems and practices.Lighting: equipment, safe handling, operation, and artistic applications.Sound, projection, and media: equipment, playback, cueing, and applications in performance.Costumes: materials, construction methods, maintenance, and related production practices.Properties: research, sourcing, fabrication, finishing, organization, and digital fabrication methods.Instruction may include lectures, demonstrations, discussion, individual or collaborative projects, supervised laboratory work, research, production observation, and critical response. Instructors select assignments, materials, and instructional methods appropriate to the course’s learning outcomes, available resources, and student needs.