HAZELWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT
STAGE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY SYLLABUS
Course Description:
This course emphasizes practical application of and experiences in technical theatre,
including scene design, set construction, color and texture, lighting, sound, and the use
of stage materials. This course, in addition to permission of the instructor, is a
prerequisite for Theatre Practicum.
Approved Course Materials and Resources:
Stagecraft I, A Complete Guide to Backstage Work Textbook and Workbook, William
Lord
Theatre Art In Action, National Textbook Co.
The Stage and The School ($50), Glencoe McGraw-Hill
Videos:
Where Do I Start? - Design Video Communications, Ltd.
How Do I Paint It? - Design Video Communications, Ltd.
Shedding Some Light? Design Video Communications, Ltd.
Setting The Stage – Rosco Laboratories
CD ROM: Virtual Light Lab For MacIntosh
*Instructional videos limited to no more than six hours each semester
Course Expectations:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of:
 Process and techniques for the production, and performance of theatre arts
 The principles and elements of theatre arts
 The vocabulary to explain perceptions about and evaluations of works in theatre
arts
 Interrelationships of visual and performing arts and the relationships of theatre
arts to other discipline
 Constructing actual sets
 Theatre arts in historical and cultural contexts
Students will read one related book or 100 pages of technical reading
Sample Course Activities/Projects/Assessments:
 Cooperative learning activities
 Demonstrations
 Set construction
 Research
Course Outline:
1. Pre-Theatre Process
a. Technical theatre terminology
b. Parts of the theater, types of stages, scenery, production,
accommodations for disabled patrons, and stage lighting
Stage Design & Technology Syllabus
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c. Stage measurements
d. Basic hand tools and safety guidelines
e. Male and female lighting designers, lighting equipment, and functions
f. Safety procedures in the theater facility
2. Workplace Readiness
a. Theatrical skills applied to public performance
3. Theater Etiquette
a. Universal signals
b. Acceptable behaviors in cultural and stylistic genres
c. Hierarchy of theatre management
4. Advanced Applied Technical Skills
a. Scaled drawings and scenery production
b. Construction of a set and set pieces
c. Scene painting techniques
d. Safe strike – dismantling and storing theatrical units
e. Design and artistic considerations for able and disabled performers
f. Translate two-dimensional drawings to a three dimensional product
g. Elements and principles of light design
Course Curriculum Map:
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Pre-Theatre
Process
Workplace
Readiness
Theater Etiquette
Advanced Applied
Technical Skills
throughout course
throughout course
throughout course
throughout course
Lesson Protocol:
 Anticipatory Activity
 Teacher Input
o Check for understanding
 Teacher Models techniques
o Check for understanding
 Guided Practice: Students apply techniques with guidance
o Check for understanding
 Group Practice: Students work independently or in groups
 Closing Activity: summarize
Stage Design & Technology Syllabus
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2
Course Power Vocabulary:
acoustics
act
act curtain
actor
action
ad lib
amphitheater
angel
apron
arena stage
audition
backdrop
backing
backstage
batten
blocking
business
callback
character
characterization
cheat
chorus
cold reading
color frame
comedy
cue
cut dialogue
director
down stage
drama
entrance
exit
freeze
ham
hand prop
left stage
libretto
lines
Stage Design & Technology Syllabus
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monologue
orchestra pit
pantomime
right stage
role
scene
script
set prop
set
share
sight cue
stage fright
theater
theatre
tragedy
up stage
upstage
protagonist
antagonist
3