Objective
Students will demonstrate understanding of the members of a theatre production team and their responsibilities by participating in class activities, discussions, and by taking a quiz.
Materials Needed
Professional Theatre Company Production Team Chart Transparency – p.6 (figure 1.6) from Theatrical Design and Production, 5th Edition by J. Michael Gillette
1-Man Production Team Chart Transparency
2-Man Production Team Chart Transparency
Standard Production Team Chart Transparency and a Xerox copy for each student
Blank Standard Production Team Chart Transparency and a Xerox copy for each student
Overhead projector/screen
Transparency markers
Sample directors book
Related Documents
- 1.blankstandardproductionteamchart
- 1.productionbookcriteria
- 1.1manproductionteamchart
- 1.ProfessionalTheatreCompanyProductionTeamChart
- 1.2manproductionteamchart
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Have desks/chairs set up in semi-circle around the board. Have students sit in an open area. Call for volunteers to build a pyramid with their bodies. (This can also be done with blocks on a table.)
Instruction
Step 1—Transition: Ask the students: What do we have to do to create a pyramid? (work as a team)
Ask: Who would they take out of the pyramid? (Take that person off)
Why did you make that choice?
Why don’t we take __(name someone on the bottom level)__ out of the pyramid?
Are you telling me that some people are indispensable? Why?
Shall we try to take ____________ out of the pyramid?
What happens?
Step 2—Carefully break down the pyramid, starting with the top person, then the side person on the next level. Continue down one side to the first base person. A pyramid needs to remain until you are down to a 3-person pyramid.
How does this exercise relate to theatre?
Step 3—Transition: Have the students sit in their desks. Who can tell me what a team sport is?
(Write down the students answers on the board.)
Select a sport you know and understand. Talk about the members of the team and what they do.
Ask: Is theatre a team sport? How? (Different people do different parts of the needed technical theatre for a play.
Who are those people on the theatre team? (director, producer, actor, set designer, costume designer, lighting designer/crew, stage manager, stage crew, prop master, etc.) Write the students answers on the board.
Step 4— Instruction: Using the overhead projector and screen, show complex Production Team transparency. Explain that most professional theatre production companies are organized like this chart.
Explain that we are going to be working on a simpler organizational chart. Put up the blank Production Team Chart transparency and hand out copies of the blank Production Team Chart for students to notate information as it is written on the transparency with transparency markers. Introduce the hierarchy of the production team. If possible, get the students to volunteer as much information as possible—positions and responsibilities.
Explain: Information on the chart and the Responsibilities handout will be on the unit test.
Step 5—Explain: Different programs have some differences in their production team.
Ask: What kind of theatre programs can you think of? (Professional/Broadway; community; college; high school)
Why do you think they are different? How?
Step 6—Transition: Let’s experiment a little.
Directions: Have the students get out of their chairs and stand in a circle. Ask for a volunteer to go into the center of the circle. Volunteer needs to cross his/her arms across the chest, close eyes. The people in the circle close in ranks so they are shoulder to shoulder with hands up near chest ready to catch the center person who keeps his/her body stiff and falls back. The others push the center person back and forth and around in circles.
Step 7—Stop the action.
Ask: How does this game relate to what we have been talking about?
Do you think it can be done with fewer people?
Have several people step outside the circle.
Step 8—Repeat the action in step 6 several times until the circle only contains 3 people.
Step 9—Not all programs have a full production team. Discuss the process of production at your school.
Step 10—Tell the students that we will be learning about Theatrical production teams. Explain expectations: Learning about several members of the team and what they do. We will actually do some of the things that some of the team members have to do.
Explain: We will be creating a Production Book (portfolio) similar to this. Show Director’s Book. Show and explain the different parts of the book, letting students see specific things that will be included in their Production Book.
*Hand out and discuss the criteria of the Production Book. Answer all questions. (not included)
Step 11—Hand out the Unit Schedule and explain. Answer all questions.
Step 12—Explain homework. Checking for Understanding.
HOMEWORK: Portfolio Binder, Cover, Title page, Daily Learning Log
CLOSURE: Remind students that they need to do their homework in a timely fashion and be sure to write in your Learning Log
Assessment
Participation in learning activities, discussions, students' questions, etc.