Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Q&A Spotlight: Back to School – Teaching Technical Theatre
www.yourperformancepartners.com: During this back-to-school season, we wanted to learn more about theatre education and its connection to the real world. We visited with Tom Barrett, who is starting his 26th year at Macalester College. Barrett teaches technical theatre and oversees six annual campus productions – four theatre and two dance – including lighting, sound and construction. He also squeezes in outside design and tech direction work occasionally.
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5 comments:
I love reading about different theatre programs approach to learning, and students reactions to those methods. Thinking back to drawing class earlier today I am now feeling that I maybe not as good with my hands as I'd like to think. I'd have to agree that before technology I found myself more often grabbing for a sketch book and a pen before even thinking about turning on the TV.
Though I do see where his method of secluding students to conquer their fears, avoiding social loafing, I could not imagine that in the world of theatre you are not teaching collaboration. Specifically in an educational setting I think that it is immensely important to force collaboration because when we go off to work as professionals we will not have someone monitoring our behaviors and practices. Being in a safe environment while collaborating allows us to grow, make mistakes, and learn from them without burning bridges or losing a job.
I find this question and answer session very informative on a teachers perspective. I can understand why the first tool he suggested having was communication. I believe communication is very good skill to have in such a collaborative art. This aspect also confused me when he mentioned that he was going top have students work alone instead of collaboratively. I can somewhat understand however, that he is trying to get his students to do the things that scare them but i think that can also be achieved with the help of a group supported setting. This situation makes me appreciate our curriculum here at CMU even more than I already do. In groups, we have the opportunity to do all different aspects of stagecraft. This solves the problem of getting to do things that scare you while also having the support of a group who feel the exact same way.
This was a very insightful article from a teaching perspective, but I was similarly confused about the author's reasoning behind not having his students collaborate on their projects. I understand that he wants students to face their fears and insecurities, but I've found that doing so is easier when there is a classmate nearby who is comfortable with said fear and can help to coach you through it. I absolutely agree with his point about hands-on work, however-as someone who went to a high school without a large scene shop, I've found that I'm only passably competent working in the much more expansive shops at CMU. My high school used to have a large auto and wood shop but several years ago eliminated the classes and repurposed the spaces, and now requires students to take a certain number of computing classes in order to graduate. I bemoan this because if I had had the opportunity to take those kinds of classes and learn those hands-on skills, I feel that I would be much more confident in my ability to work with my hands. While I have no doubt that working in the shops at CMU will teach me everything I need to know, I still wish I had been able to take advantage of those opportunities.
A lot of this sound’s a little straight forward. There are no short cuts to the top, you have to consistently work your ass of to get there. A few of my friends said I was lucky to be going to CMU because when I graduate they will put me right at the top. But, once again there is no skipping steps in the walk to success. Hell I don’t even know if there’s a line. I do know that Carnegie is about to challenge me in several ways for the next for years, and within the program I will progress within myself, and I think that is what is mistaken as CMU being a slingshot to the top.
The hands thing is interesting; I hadn’t thought about it. I know I personally am edgy around the table saw because I have such short arms, but I feel pretty comfortable with the rest of the shop equipment. I was fortunate enough to have a shop class in my high school though. It’s just like he said, these shop classes are being replaced with computer and technological classes, so it is no doubt to me that these kids are less comfortable on this equipment than with more technological equipment, you’re asking them to use tools they’re unfamiliar with. Hopefully we can balance out funding to keep these skill sets being taught in high schools along side of more futuristic courses.
Being of the population of theater students that is not as well skilled with my hands as I would like, it still saddens me to see how the education in high school that once valued these hands on skills is fading away. Without these classes I seriously doubt I could have made it as far as I have today. The whole idea that these practical arts skills are no longer seen as a necessity in our youth’s education is sadly a sign of evolution of the purpose of high school. Not that long ago high school was once meant to just prepare you for the real world and give you the skills to function as a decent adult in society. After the recession, the purpose of high school changed, and there become a rise in demand on higher education. High school’s main purpose today is to prepare students to go to good colleges that will get them job security when the finish school. The days of working for one company for the rest of one’s life and never getting the boot just because the amount of time given to the company is over.
However it is still nice to see that the advice for entering into the theater world hasn’t changed. The best advice I was ever given to secure a future in theater forever was to learn all the job no one ever wants to do but learn and master them with a smile and a good attitude because it will get you far.
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