THEA 4637 / 5637- THEATER MANAGEMENT Spring 2009
11:15am – 12:35pm Tuesdays and Thursdays
Warf-Pickel
room 413
Instructor: Melissa Shafer
E-mail:
shaferm@etsu.edu
Office:
116 Brooks Gym
Office Hours: TBA by Appt.
Phone:
943-5837
Shop Phone: 943-5831
Required Texts:
Theatre Management: Producing and
Managing the Performing Arts. Conte,
D/ Langley, S.: Entertainment Pro, 2007.
The
Stage Management Handbook.
Ionazzi, Daniel: Betterway Books, F&W Publications Inc., 1992.
Course
Description:
This course seeks to explore the business needs of the performing arts through
specific discussion of the various areas of arts management and management
techniques. The course will include discussions and study of arts
administration, resource management, accounting practices, box office and
front-of-house procedures, marketing and publicity, and stage management.
Additional topics may be included as dictated
by class interest and time constraints.
Course
Objectives:
As a result of having taken this course, the student should be able to:
·
Identify the various areas of performing arts management, their purpose and
necessity
·
Understand the management needs and variations of management divisions in the
various producing organizations: community, educational, professional,
commercial and not-for-profit professional theatres.
·
Understand how artists, administrators, and board members relate to one another
to accomplish organizational and artistic goals.
·
Determine a mission, set goals, and create long-range plans
·
Plan a
season and organize production requirements
·
Create show marketing and publicity, graphics and programs
·
Follow Front of House/box office
procedures
·
Create show budgets and track them through basic accounting procedures
·
Practice
effective stage management techniques
·
Locate graduate theatre management programs and professional arts management
opportunities
·
Create an effective
resume and cover letter
Teaching Methods for this course:
The teaching methods for this course will include lecture, discussion, and
hands-on exercises. This course is
web-enhanced. Students are expected
to access the online Desire 2 Learn course site regularly for updates,
assignments, and quizzes. The
address for D2L access is:
http://elearn.etsu.edu/.
If you need further assistance the student help desk can be reached by phone at
439-5648, 3-4648, or by e-mail at
shdesk@imail.etsu.edu.
Attendance:
The performing arts are, by their very nature, a collective of artists and
managers working together to create a theatrical experience (be it theatre,
dance, music, or performance art) for an audience. Timely, consistent attendance
and timely, thorough, thoughtful preparation are the keys to being a valuable
contributor to any creative team. Therefore,
good attendance is an important ethic to develop and poor attendance will be
looked upon with disfavor. Three absences (excused and/or unexcused) will be
allowed, any that occur after the three will result in the lowering of the final
grade one full letter grade. If a student misses a day they are to present
material, they will not be given the opportunity to makeup that assignment.
Three tardies will be considered one absence. If you are having serious issues
that are preventing your good attendance, please make an appointment to speak
with me as early as possible. Good communication is an important management
skill to develop.
Class
Participation and Discussion:
This
course will require your attention and participation. The quality of the course
will depend heavily on each student's participation in class discussion and
exploration. Please Note: Cell
phones MUST be turned off while in class.
NO TEXTING! NO CALLS!
First offense: You will be
asked to stop texting and turn off your phone.
Second offense: You will be
asked to leave the classroom and will receive an unexcused absence for the day.
Class
Assignments:
The
final project for this class is a proposal and plan for creating your ideal arts
organization. This will be a
compilation of several smaller projects assigned throughout the semester:
creating a mission statement, staffing your
organization, targeting an audience, developing a season’s offerings, a season
budget and marketing materials, etc. Individual
assignments will be due throughout the semester and returned, so you can refine
them before presenting the completed project during the final exam period. We
will discuss the projects in detail in class throughout the semester and updates
will be posted on D2L.
Course Evaluation:
Class Participation in class discussions and activities
10%
Periodic assignments, exercises and quizzes
30%
Stage Management Project
10%
Final Examination
15%
Final Presentation
35%
·
Additional Research for Graduate Level Study:
In addition to other work, graduate students are required to complete a research
project during the course of the semester to further develop an understanding of
specific issues related to the topics. Graduate students are expected to present
their topic of interest to the class at the end of the semester.
Grade Scale:
A
100-94
A-
93-90
B+
89-87
B
86-84
B-
83-80
C+
79-77
C
76-74
C-
73-70
D+
69-67
D
66-60
F
59 or below
Please note:
·
This course adheres to the tenets of Academic Honesty.
Any infractions will be dealt with appropriately.
·
Any student who may need an accommodation based on disability: please make an
appointment to see Karen Brewster or Melissa Shafer during office hours or after
class. A Faculty Accommodation Form
from Disability Services authorizing your accommodations is required.
·
Additional information can be found at
http://www.etsu.edu/reg/academics/syllabus.aspx
CLASS
SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
- Jan 15th
Introduction - Syllabus
WEEK 2
- Jan 20th & Jan 22nd
Theatre
Management and the Performing Arts
Theatre Management Chapter 1
WEEK 3-
Jan 27th & Jan 29th
Community Theatre
Theatre Management Chapter 6
Stock
and Dinner Theatre
Theatre Management Chapter 8
College
Theatre Theatre Management Chapter 7
WEEK 4
- Feb 3rd & Feb 5th
Commercial Theatre
Theatre Management Chapter 4
Not-for-Profit Professional Theatre
Theatre Management Chapter 5
Presenters and Presenting Organizations
Theatre Management Chapter 9
WEEK 5
- Feb 10th & Feb 12th
Budget
Planning
Theatre Management Chapter 10
Cost
Control Strategies
Theatre Management Chapter 11
WEEK 6
- Feb 17th & Feb 19th
Box
Office, Ticketing Systems, & Other Earned Income
Theatre Management Chapter 12
Fundraising and Contributed Income
Theatre Management Chapter 13
WEEK 7
- Feb 24th & Feb 26th
Marketing
Theatre Management Chapter 14
Publicity and Media Relations
Theatre Management Chapter 15
WEEK 8
- Mar 3rd & Mar 5th
No Classes – Southeastern Theatre Conference
WEEK 9
- Mar 10th & Mar 12th
No Classes – Spring Break
WEEK
10- Mar 17th
Advertising and the Sales Campaign
Theatre Management Chapter 16
Facility and Audience Management
Theatre Management Chapter 17
Mar 19th
No Class – United
States Institute for Theatre Technology
WEEK 11
- Mar 24th & Mar 26th
Place
of Performance
Theatre Management Chapter 2
Personnel for the Theatre
Theatre Management Chapter 3
WEEK 12
- Mar 31st & Apr 2nd
Stage Management - Pre-Production
WEEK 13
- Apr 7th &Apr 9th
Stage Management - Rehearsals
WEEK 14
- Apr 14th &Apr 16th
Stage Management - Performance
WEEK 15
- Apr 21st & Apr 23rd
Catch up (Possible Hamlet Matinees)
WEEK 16
- Apr 28th
Graduate Project Presentations
Apr
30th -
Exam
Final
Exam Date: Tuesday, May 5th - 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
A nation that does not support and encourage its theater is
-- if not dead -- dying; just as a theater that does not capture with laughter
and tears the social and historical pulse, the drama of its people, the genuine
color of the spiritual and natural landscape, has no right to call itself
theater; but only a place for amusement.
The theater has to impose itself on the public, and not the public on the
theater... The word "Art" should be written everywhere, in the auditorium and in
the dressing rooms, before the word "Business" gets written there.
-- Federico Garcia Lorca