Transcript Theatre Careers Ppt - Lake County Schools

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Complete a circle map to show what you already know about
careers within the theatrical industry. If you have no prior
knowledge, predict what you think some jobs may be.
Point of
View
Why is it
important?
Any information
you
What
would
you like
to know
more
about?
Theatre
Careers
already
know about Theatre Careers
How do
you know
what you
know?
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Turn to your shoulder
partner and share your
circle map with them.
Is it different than
yours?
What did they know
about that you didn’t?
What did you know
about that they didn’t?
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Article by Tom Vander
When I chose my major, I had no pipe dreams about
becoming a professional actor. I did it because more than
one wise adult had advised me that my actual major in
college would have less impact on my eventual job
search than having the actual degree. “Study what you
love” I was told, “not what you think will get you a job.”
Fast forward 25 years and, like many people, I am no
where near the waypoint on life’s road I envisioned I’d
be back in college. Almost 20 years as a business
consultant and now a business owner with a modestly
successful track record in my business and blogging, I
realize how much being a theatre major set me on the
road towards success.
Here are 10 ways being a theatre major helped me
succeed:
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Improvisation. The great thing about the stage
is that when it’s live and you’re up in front of
that audience anything can, and does, happen.
Dropped lines, missed entrances, or
malfunctioning props require you to improvise
while maintaining your cool. Theatre taught
me how to focus, think quickly and make do
while giving the impression that you’ve got it
all under control. It’s served me well when
clients, airlines, coworkers, or technology
wreak unexpected havoc at the worst possible
moment.
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Project Management. A stage production is
basically a business project. You have teams of
people making up one team working to
successfully accomplish a task on time, on
budget in such a way that you earn the
applause and an occasional standing ovation.
Being taught to stand at the helm of a theatrical
production was a project management
practicum.
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Working with a Limited Budget. Everybody
who has worked on stage knows that it’s not
the road to fortune. Most plays (especially
small college shows) are produced on a
shoestring budget. This forces you to be
imaginative, do more with less and find
creative ways to get the results you want
without spending money. Ask any corporate
manager and they’ll tell you that this pretty
much describes their job. Mine too.
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Dealing with Very Different Human Beings. The
theatrical community is a mash-up of interesting
characters. It always has been. From fringe to freakish to
frappucino sipping socialites and everything in between,
you’re going to encounter the most amazing and
stimulating cross-section of humanity when you work in
theatre. In my business career I have the unique and
challenging task of walking in the CEO’s office in the
morning to present our findings in an executive summary
presentation and to receive a high level grilling. I will then
spend the afternoon presenting the same data to
overworked, underpaid, cynical front-line employees and
get a very different grilling. Theatre taught me how to
appreciate, understand and effectively communicate with
a widely diverse group of human beings.
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Understanding the Human Condition. Most people have
the mistaken impression that acting is all about pretending
and being “fake” in front of others. What I learned as a
theatre major was that good actors learn the human
condition intimately through observation and painfully
detailed introspection. The better you understand that
human being you are portraying from the inside out, the
better and more authentic your performance is going to
be. In my business I am constantly using the same general
methods to understand my clients, their customers as well
as myself and my co-workers. I believe that having a better
understanding of myself and others has ultimately made
me a better (though far from perfect) employee,
consultant, employer, and ultimately friend. I didn’t learn
methods of observing and understanding others in Macro
Econ, I learned it in Acting I & Acting II.
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Doing Whatever Needs to Be Done. When you’re a theatre
major at a small liberal arts college there is little room for
specializing within your field. You have to learn to do it all.
Light design, sound engineering, acting, directing, producing,
marketing, PR, set design, set construction, ticket sales,
budgeting, customer service, ushering, make-up, and
costuming are all things I had to do as part of my college
career. Within our merry band of theatre majors we all had to
learn every piece of a production because at some point we
would be required to do what needed to be done. I learned
that I can capably do just about anything that I need to do. I
may not love it and I may not be gifted or excellent at it, but
give me a task and I’ll figure it out. I now work for a small
consulting firm that requires me to do a wide range of tasks.
The experience, can-do attitude and determined spirit I
learned in the theatre have been essential to success.
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Hard work. I remember creating a tree for one of our college
shows. We had no idea how we were going to do it, but we
made an amazing life-like tree that emerged from the stage
and looked as if it disappeared into the ceiling above the
theatre. My team mates and I cut out each and every leaf and
individually hot-glued them to the branches of the tree.
Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of them glued on
while standing on a rickety ladder high above the stage.
Sleepless nights, burnt fingers and a few brushes with tragedy
were needed to get that tree done. But, we got it done. It was
fabulous. And a few days later we tore it down, threw it out,
and got ready for the next production. C’est la vie. In business
I have periods of time with unbelievable workloads in which
there are sleepless nights, seemingly endless days and tireless
work on projects that will be presented and then will be over.
The report will be archived and I’m onto the next project.
C’est la vie. I learned all about that as a theatre major.
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Making Difficult Choices. You’ve got four parts and twenty four
schoolmates who auditioned. Some of them are your best friends
and fellow theatre majors. Do you choose the inexperienced jock
because he’s best for the part or the friend and fellow theatre major
who you fear will never talk to you again if you don’t cast him? My
senior project was supposed to be performed outside in the
amphitheater but the weather was cold, windy and miserable. Do I
choose to stick with the plan because it’s what my actors are
comfortable with and it’s what we’ve rehearsed and it will only
stress out the cast and crew to change the venue at the last minute?
Or, do I choose to think about the audience who will be more
comfortable and might actually pay attention and appreciate the
performance if they are inside away from the cold, the wind and
possible rain? [I changed the venue]. Any business person will tell
you that difficult decisions must sometimes be made. The higher
the position the harder the decisions and the more people those
decisions affect. Being a theatre major gave me a taste of what I
would have to digest in my business career.
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Presentation Skills. Okay, it’s a no brainer but any
corporate employee can tell you horror stories of
having to endure long training sessions or
corporate presentations by boring, unprepared,
incompetent or just plain awful presenters. From
what I’ve experienced, individuals who can stand
up confidently in front of a group of people and
capably, effectively communicate their message
while even being motivating and a little
entertaining are among the rarest individuals in
the business world. Being a theatre major helped
me be one of them.

Doing the Best You Can With What You’ve Got. Over the years
I’ve told countless front line service reps that this is rule #1 of
customer service. You do the best you can with what you’ve got to
work with. I remember an Acting I class in college in which a pair
of students got up to present a scene they’d prepared. They
presented the scene on a bare stage with no lighting, make-up,
costumes, props or set pieces. It was just two students acting out
the script. It was one of those magic moments that happen with live
theatre. The rest of the class was transfixed and pulled into the
moment, reacting with surprising emotion to what they witnessed.
You don’t need Broadway theatrics to create a magical theatrical
moment on stage. You don’t even need a stage. The same is true of
customer service. You don’t always need the latest technology, the
best system, or the greatest whiz bang doo-dads. A capable
employee doing the best they can and serving a customer with
courtesy, empathy, friendliness and a commitment to resolve can
and does win customer satisfaction and loyalty.
4 – In addition to a level 3, I can market myself and the skills I
have in a way that I would be able to receive a job.
3 – I can identify all of the theatrical careers and what skills
are necessary to those positions.
2 – I can identify some of the theatrical careers.
1 – With help, I can understand some of the theatrical careers.
0 – Even with help, I don’t understand any of it.
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Learning Goal: The student will
understand the pertinent skills
necessary to pursue a career within
the theatrical field.
Where are you in your learning goal?
Number yourself now in your scale.
How hard have you been trying?
What can you do to improve your score?
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Objective: Students will be able to
identify what careers are in the
theatrical field and what skills are
necessary for them with 80% accuracy
as seen with group activities.
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Learning Goal: The student will understand the
pertinent skills necessary to pursue a career within
the theatrical field.
Objective: Students will be able to identify what
careers are in the theatrical field and what skills are
necessary for them with 80% accuracy as seen with
group activities.
How does today’s Objective relate to our Learning
Goal?
What careers are available in
theatre?
Predict the answer to the essential question. Write
your thoughts on the back of your bell ringer and
see if this changes at all by the end of the lesson.
Theatre Careers
Career Title
Actor
Director
Playwright
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Choreographer
Public
Relations/Marketing
Producer
Stage Manager
Responsibilities
Skills Required
Would I want this
job? Why or why not?
Keep an eye out
for the answers
to these
questions
throughout the
powerpoint!
What are the responsibilities of an Actor?
2. What are the responsibilities of a Director?
3. What are the responsibilities of a Playwright?
4. What are the responsibilities of a Set Designer?
5. What are the responsibilities of a Costume Designer?
6. What are the responsibilities of a Lighting Designer?
7. What are the responsibilities of a Sound Designer?
8. What are the responsibilities of a Choreographer?
9. What are the responsibilities of a Dramaturg?
10. What are the responsibilities of a Producer?
1.
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Many people want to be a leading actor or actress within
the theatre or film industries.
“A career in the performing arts is not an easy one.
Younger performers (and many others) are still
continuously surprised to learn that only 14.4% of all
members are employed in live theatre in any given week or
that their median earnings are less than $7,000 each year.
Yet, despite this, each year thousands of individuals remain
undeterred in their desire to become part of the artistic and
cultural life of America. Why? Because they instinctively
know that the arts have the power to enhance not only their
own lives but to illuminate the human condition and that a
life in the theatre is not just about entertaining – it is
ultimately, about the power to elevate and transform the
human spirit.”
If these numbers do deter you from seeking a position as an
actor, luckily there are many other positions within a
theatre that are not quite as difficult to break in to. While
there are many, many positions, this week we are going to
focus on ten of them.
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Obviously not all of you will want to work in the
theatre industry, but through this lesson you will not
only learn about specific theatrical careers, but you
will also learn about the skills necessary for them and
how to market yourself to obtain a position.
The skills we will review for each position and the
ability to market yourself will all carry over into any
position you may want in any industry there is.
The basic things you need to ask yourself are:
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What do I want to do?
What skills and training does that position require?
Do I have what it takes to do this position?
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Actor
Director
Playwright
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Choreographer
Dramaturg
Producer
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Most successful actors and actresses have
paid their dues by performing in a variety of
situations including local, community and
school productions, summer stock, touring
companies which are usually non-paying
performances.
Skills Required:
Actors and actresses should be articulate, with clear,
pleasant speaking voices.
 They should be poised and have the ability to perform in
front of people.
 Individuals working in any field of entertainment need a
thick skin. They should be able to deal with rejection that
everyone runs into at one time or another in their career.
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Cold Read Audition
 If a memorized monologue is not required for an audition,
you will most likely have to do what is known as a cold read.
This means that they will give you a script, give you a few
moments to look it over, and then watch you perform it.
 You will then be judged based on your ability to comprehend
and analyze the script with very little preparation.
 Most of these auditions are open calls or “cattle calls.” This
means that anyone who wants to can come to the audition.
You wait in lines for hours to be seen for an average of 60
seconds.
 Volunteers will reenact a cold read audition.
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A Director brings plays to life. S/he coordinates
all aspects of the production to give the play a
unified look and feel.
Skills Required:
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Directors need to be creative people who have the
ability to guide actors and actresses in their speech and
physical movements
Directors need to be strong leaders that people are
willing to follow.
They need to be confident and clear in the portrayal of
their vision within the production.
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Director Improv Game
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A scene will be acted out by the actors. The director
will stop the scene at any point and have the actors
change emotions, genres, or speeds within the scene.
The script of the scene will be similar each time, but
it will change as the directions change.
Examples:
 Emotions: Happy, Sad, Excited, Silly, etc.
 Genres: Soap Opera, Sci Fi, Musical, Action, Horror, etc.
 Speeds: Slow, Super Slow Motion, Fast, Super Fast
This person is responsible for writing the script
for a theatrical production.
Skills Required:
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Playwrights should have excellent writing skills
They should have a good command of the English
language.
The should also be creative and have a clear and
interesting story to tell.
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Quick Write:
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Modernize a fairy tale. It can be in play format or it
can be a short story. The point of the quick write is
to show that you can be creative and tell an
interesting story.
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The scenic designer works with the director and other designers to
establish an overall visual concept for the production and design the
stage environment. He is responsible for developing a complete set
of design drawings that include the following:
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basic ground plan showing all stationary scenic elements;
composite ground plan showing all moving scenic elements, indicating both
their onstage and storage positions;
section of the stage space incorporating all elements;
front elevations of every scenic element, and additional elevations or sections of
units as required.
The scenic designer is responsible for collaborating with the theatre
director and other members of the production design team to create
an environment for the production and then communicating the
details of this environment to the technical director, production
manager, charge scenic artist and prop master. Scenic designers are
responsible for creating scale models of the scenery, renderings, paint
elevations and scale construction drawings as part of their
communication with other production staff.
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The role of the lighting designer (or LD)
within theatre is to work with
the director, choreographer, set
designer, costume designer, and sound
designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and
time of day for the production in response to
the text, while keeping in mind issues of
visibility, safety, and cost. The LD also works
closely with the stage manager or show
control programming, if show control systems
are used in that production.
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Sound design is the process of specifying,
acquiring, manipulating or generating audio
elements Sound design most commonly
involves the manipulation of previously
composed or recorded audio, such as music
and sound effects. In some instances it may
also involve the composition or manipulation
of audio to create a desired effect or mood.
A sound designer is one who practices the art
of sound design.
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Designers typically seek to enhance a character's personality,
and to create an evolving plot of colour, changing social
status, or period through the visual design of garments and
accessories. They may distort or enhance the body—within
the boundaries of the director's vision. The designer must
ensure that the designs let the actor move as the role requires.
The actor must execute the director's blocking of the
production without damaging the garments. Garments must
be durable and washable, particularly in extended runs. The
designer must consult not only with the director, but the set
and lighting designers to ensure that all elements of the
overall production design work together. The designer must
possess strong artistic capabilities and a thorough knowledge
of pattern development, draping, drafting, textiles and
fashion history. The designer must understand historical
costuming, and the movement style and poise that period
dress may require.
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A choreographer is one who designs dances. The art of
choreography involves the specification of human
movement and form in terms of space, shape, time
and energy, typically within an emotional or nonliteral context. Movement language is taken from the
dance techniques of ballet, contemporary dance, jazz
dance, hip hop dance, folk dance, religious dance,
pedestrian movement, or combinations of these.
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Theatrical marketing is a specialty within the marketing and
sales profession. You need an intricate knowledge of theater
and how a theater company works behind the scenes. This
involved field requires more than advertising an upcoming
show or selling tickets. You need research, analytical and
decision-making skills, writing and design abilities, and the
willingness to work closely with patrons of the arts.
Identify the Target Market
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The marketing professional researches the target audience in each
city where the theater company performs. He identifies potential
donors and which segments of the population are most likely to
purchase tickets. You need to know what other types of
entertainment is scheduled for the same time as the theater
company performances, and develop a strategy to entice people to
attend the play instead.
Advertising
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A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of
mounting a theatre production. The producer manages the
overall financial and managerial functions of a production or
venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hires
personnel for creative positions (writer, director, designers,
composer, choreographer—and in some cases, performers).
The producer creates and oversees the budget, sets ticket
prices, chooses performance dates and times, and develops a
marketing and advertising strategy for the production. Hiring
a publicist and marketing team is one of the most important
responsibilities of the producer. These teams are generally in
place before the show is cast.
The producer collaborates with the director and all staff to
plan a production timeline and deadlines for various aspects
of the production to ensure a successful show opening and
run. The producer and director oversee this timeline, with
periodic re-assessment and modifications as needed.
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Provides financial backing
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Hires writer, director, designers, composer, choreographer,
and performers.
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When will this performance be?
Develops a marketing and advertising strategy for the
production.
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How much do tickets cost?
Chooses performance dates and times
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How much will it cost?
Sets ticket prices
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Who is writng, directing, and performing in your production?
Creates and oversees the budget
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Presentation to backers (class) Feel free to make posters, backboards,
or powerpoints to sell your production.
How will you make sure people know about your show?
(Commercials, Posters, etc.)
Production timeline and deadlines
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When will you start, be finished, premiere, etc?
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College
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Name
Location
Admission Process
Tuition/Scholarships
Why this school
High School Requirements
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GPA
SAT/ACT
Volunteer Hours
Extra Curriculars
Major
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Program Overview
Class Examples
Internship?
Why this program?
Job Overview
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Job Description
Starting Salary
Average Salary
Dream Job
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Where would you work?
Doing what?
How are you getting it?
Why this job?
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3 volunteers that feel they have the skills necessary to be a
producer.
You have got everything in place for your show, but you need
some financial backing (money)
Your classmates are all very wealthy individuals that
frequently give money to the theatre. Talk your potential
investors into giving towards your show. Explain why yours is
the best and why they should have faith in you and your
production.
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The role of the stage manager is especially important to the director in rehearsals. Here the
director and the stage manager work side by side, with the stage manager recording the
director's decisions about blocking and notes for the actors, keeping track of logistical and
scheduling details and communicating what goes on in rehearsals to the rest of the team.
This enables the director to concentrate his or her full attention on directing.
Stage managers have several key responsibilities, including:
 scheduling and running rehearsals
 communicating the director's wishes to designers and crafts people
 coordinating the work of the stage crew
 calling cues and possibly actors' entrances during performance
 overseeing the entire show each time it is performed
In conjunction with the director, the stage manager determines the scheduling of all
rehearsals and makes sure everyone involved is notified of rehearsal times, meetings,
costume/wig fittings and coaching sessions. During the rehearsal phase, stage managers
also:
 mark out the dimensions of the set on the floor of the rehearsal hall
 make sure rehearsal props and furnishings are available for the actors
 attend all rehearsals
 notify the designers and crafts people of changes made in rehearsal
In rehearsals the stage manager also records all blocking, plus all the light, sound and set
change cues, in a master copy of the script called the prompt book. The information in the
prompt book also allows the stage manager to run the technical rehearsals, calling each
technical cue in turn to determine precisely how it needs to be timed to coordinate with
the onstage action.
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A dramaturg serves as a researcher, advisor, writer,
and editor for a production. Some of the more
common tasks performed by a dramaturg are
analysis of the text/story, research into prior
productions and historical context, preparing notes
for the director, advising the director and cast, and
writing the audience guide to the play.