Introduction to Stagecraft
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is an introductory course in theatrical stagecraft designed to introduce the students to the basic principles of the scenic construction process, use of materials and tools, and shop techniques and principles.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
•Learning the organization and vocabulary of the theatrical production process, specifically as it relates to the scene shop and scenic construction process.
•Learning the processes and techniques used in the field of theatrical production.
•Learning to identify and properly utilize the tools required to build and install theatrical scenery.
•Understand the process of getting scenery from the design phase to the stage.
The Cube Project
The student acts as the TD for a single project, an open-frame cube, while demonstrating basic woodworking skills learned throughout the course. This project is assigned toward the end of the course in beginning stagecraft. This was inspired by a graduate assignment from 1981, which I adapted to a first-year undergrad project to introduce the process a technical director enacts to analyze, order materials, and build a piece of scenery.
