Heartland Community College
Humanities & Fine Arts
Master Course Syllabus
Course Prefix and Number: THEA 108
Course Title: Technical Theater Production
DATE PREPARED: February 21, 2002
Updated 2-11-05 Lisa Jobe
PCS/CIP/ID NO: 1.1-50-0502
IAI NO. (if available): TA 911
EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: August 2003
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 1
Laboratory Hours: 4
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A laboratory course dedicated to defining the contribution that technical theater makes to
the performance of plays. The course provides instruction in the basic operations,
processes, aesthetics, and materials of scenery, properties, lighting, and sound.
TEXTBOOKS:
Required: Gillette, Michael J. Theatrical Design And Production. New York:
Mayfield, 2000.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFER:
THEA 108 fulfills 3 semester hours of credit in the Theatre Arts Core Courses listed in
the Illinois Articulation Initiative. THEA 108 should transfer to other Illinois colleges
and universities as the equivalent of Theatre Arts Core Curriculum Course TA 911,
described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative. In addition, THEA 108 should fulfill 3
semester hours of elective credit for the A.A. or A.S. degrees. It should transfer to most
colleges and universities as an elective course. However, since it is not part of the
General Education Core Curriculum described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative,
students should check with an academic advisor for information about its transferability
to other institutions. Refer to the IAI web page, www.itransfer.org, for information.
Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
Outcome
1. Describe and apply the
aesthetic principles of scene
design.
General Education Outcome
2. Describe the multiple roles of
technicians represent as a
member of the collaborative art
of theatre.
Range of Assessment Methods

Notebook/log
assignments

Effective participation
in crewing assignment

Research and creative
project which results in a
formal paper

Exercises

Quizzes and exams

Notebook/log
assignments

Exercises
3. Analyze and evaluate the
application of stagecraft
principles to a variety of
theatrical productions.



Quizzes and exams
Article analyses
Student presentations
4. Demonstrate a beginning
understanding of technical theatre
principles in practical
applications.

Crewing assignment for
a play in the college or
community
Notebook/log
assignments
Lab activities
Research and creative
project which results in a
formal paper
Student presentations
Collaborative design
project for the whole
class
A series of short
exercise that lead to a
plan limited in scope
Class lab activities
Crewing assignment for
a play in the college or
community



5. Synthesize the principles
presented in the course and
demonstrate a beginning
understanding of stagecraft
proficiency by creating a portion
of a plan for the design/execution
of a mise en scene of technical
theatre for a specific play.
6. Carry out a supportive and
effective role as a member of a
team assigned to theatre
productions and/or projects.
7. Demonstrate effective and safe
use of tools and equipment.



C8




Lab activities
Production work
COURSE/LAB OUTLINES:
The first session of the week consists of presentations in each of the supportive aspects of
technical theatre either by the instructor or visiting artists. The other sessions in each
week are dedicated to lab work as assigned by the instructor pertaining to any of the
following dimensions of technical theatre:
Scene Design and Construction, with attention to safety guidelines
Property Design and Construction
Sound Design and Construction
Lighting Design and Construction
Beginning Stage Management
Collaborative Strategies for successful conceptual realization in teams
METHOD OF EVALUATION (TESTS/EXAMS, GRADING SYSTEM):
The final grade for the course is calculated as follows:
1) 30% is a composite of the total number of points acquired on each aspect of the
technical theatre as outlined in the course outline via quizzes, tests, practical
applications/exercises, and article summaries.
2) 20% is successful completion of an approved crewing assignment for a producing
group in the college or community.
3) 20% is the accuracy of your semester notebook.
4) 20% is the series of exercises leading to a limited design project or a portion of a
collaborative design project on a play, approved by the instructor.
5) 10% is a paper or project on an approved scene designer. This designer will be
determined by mid-term, and the paper is due on the last day of class.
Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
90 to100% = A
80 to 89% = B
70 to 79% = C
60 to 69% = D
Below 60% = F
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
From the very beginning of the semester students will be expected to create their own
Stagecraft notebook throughout the semester. The contents of this notebook will be notes
from various lectures in the different areas of technical theatre that are presented and
discussed in the first class session of each week, as well as from handouts and articles
about particular concentrations within technical theatre assigned week by week. The
semester notebooks will include a log the student’s hours, verified by the instructor, in
the practicum segment of the course with a brief description of each lab’s
accomplishment. The instructor will collect these individualized notebooks at midterm
and final periods for review.
One written paper, from 4-6 pages, on a scene designer approved by the instructor will be
due at the end of the semester. This designer may have won critical acclaim in theatre,
musical theatre, dance theatre or opera. The leadership of American theatre designers
will include Robert Edmund Jones, Jo Meilziner, Richard Arnold, and many others
whose works will be reviewed in general over the course of the semester.
Each student will select a full-length play from contemporary American drama and be
responsible for designing a functional setting for a portion of that play, perhaps as an
individual contribution to a larger collaborative effort by a group of students. This will
require a careful study of the text and a clear understanding of the demands of that play.
Each student will be responsible for reading and synthesizing the safety issues, design
dynamic, and practical application of all of the various technical theatre areas. Periodic
quizzes and exams will be offered through out the semester over the information
presented in the course text. In addition, students are required to analyze several articles
that discuss any three of the various areas of concentration.